Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Tue Aug 23, 2022 8:46 pm  

Ive done mine but not like it will matter what we think. They already have us on board, there job isnt to keep the 150k rl fans happy, its to mutliply that number.

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:25 pm  

If p&r were to stay, it should be every two years rather than each season, gives you more certainly and time to plan and stop the team that comes up signing the same group of players from the team that previously got relegated and then going down themselves. I personally think it should be a 14 team super League, keep Toulouse in then bring in Leigh and possibly fetherstone. Leigh have a points difference of almost +1000. They're too good for that league, and I feel Toulouse will be next season too.

A 9s event made up of regional sides like the hundred could potentially work. I feel neutral / casual fans can get on board more with something more regional / national as shown with the hundred or the lionesses. You can feel more a part of a team like Yorkshire/ the northern superchargers if you're a casual fan rather, plus you can advertise to a wider audience than a team from Leigh or Huddersfield or Castleford can

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:41 pm  

cant see what it will achieve, ateod, it will be the negative club owners who call the shots! 1 pie sale to an away fan is better than no away fans in some club owners thinking...until thats put to bed, cant see much improvement

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Wed Aug 24, 2022 12:20 am  

I went for an initial 14 team franchise system. I’d only have teams with an average crowd of 6,000+. (Sts, Wigan, Leeds, FC, Rovers, Warrington and Cas). I’d have Cats and Toulouse. I’d have Bradford back (assuming a new ground development) and create a team in Cardiff.

The other 3 teams can come from either a team in London, Newcastle and/or Midlands. Or fill with other existing SL teams/Leigh and develop teams to apply to join SL in 3 years, with minimum ground and crowd standards.

Need to get a proper sponsor for the league and stop changing the fixture and cup format and timings. One game per week per club (no loop fixtures) and aim to raise salary cap progressively to compete more with NRL and RU.

I’d have Video Refs at all games and get foul play checked out at the time like they do with VAR in football.

I’d also just have one competent RL body running the whole game.

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Wed Aug 24, 2022 7:12 am  

Rugby Raider wrote:

I went for an initial 14 team franchise system. I’d only have teams with an average crowd of 6,000+. (Sts, Wigan, Leeds, FC, Rovers, Warrington and Cas). I’d have Cats and Toulouse. I’d have Bradford back (assuming a new ground development) and create a team in Cardiff.

The other 3 teams can come from either a team in London, Newcastle and/or Midlands. Or fill with other existing SL teams/Leigh and develop teams to apply to join SL in 3 years, with minimum ground and crowd standards.

Need to get a proper sponsor for the league and stop changing the fixture and cup format and timings. One game per week per club (no loop fixtures) and aim to raise salary cap progressively to compete more with NRL and RU.

I’d have Video Refs at all games and get foul play checked out at the time like they do with VAR in football.

I’d also just have one competent RL body running the whole game.

I'm not keen on adding new teams in unless they plan to spend big on stadiums and marketing. Would love to see teams in Newcastle, Liverpool, York and Sheffield making it a true northern powerhouse of a league but again the money needs to be there.

I think throwing Bradford back in could be a good move though, there's thousands of fans that would come back and the airport derby was good for 2/3 20k crowds a year back in the day.

I also think the game threw Wrexham away too quickly, there was interest there, it was the visa scandal that sent the club into oblivion, and the ground is now getting improved due to Ryan Reynolds buying the football team and its not far from the Lancashire teams while being a genuine Welsh outpost.

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Wed Aug 24, 2022 9:18 am  

UllFC wrote:

I'm not keen on adding new teams in unless they plan to spend big on stadiums and marketing. Would love to see teams in Newcastle, Liverpool, York and Sheffield making it a true northern powerhouse of a league but again the money needs to be there.

I think throwing Bradford back in could be a good move though, there's thousands of fans that would come back and the airport derby was good for 2/3 20k crowds a year back in the day.

I also think the game threw Wrexham away too quickly, there was interest there, it was the visa scandal that sent the club into oblivion, and the ground is now getting improved due to Ryan Reynolds buying the football team and its not far from the Lancashire teams while being a genuine Welsh outpost.

Don’t agree with a Northern Powerhouse. That is part the games image problem.

There is a team in York already, 25 miles from Leeds and 40 from Hull, hardly a new audience. Liverpool is 10 miles from St Helens. Newcastle is a viable option.

I say Cardiff, because other than a short period on the early 80’s (when Union banned players who played League), any Welsh team has been located in the wrong place. A franchised Cardiff team, based at the smaller Cardiff Arms Park in summer, would have the benefit of great City Centre location and be in the best crowd catchment area.

Expanding Super League with teams like Leigh and Featherstone are not the answer. Featherstone have a proud history, but it is a village smaller than both Cottingham and Beverley.

We have to learn from other sports too. In Rugby Union, Wasps moved to Coventry and now get up to 20,000 fans; in circket The Hundred is based in the 8 main cricket grounds in cities, not villages.

There’s a balance to be had. We have 8 well supported teams (Sts, Wigan, Warrington, Bradford, Leeds, Cas, Hull and Rovers) along the M62. I’d keep them; 2 from France, Cardiff, Newcastle, plus two others.

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Wed Aug 24, 2022 11:26 am  

Rugby Raider wrote:

Don’t agree with a Northern Powerhouse. That is part the games image problem.

I'm sure we could get highways England onboard as a major sponsor in the m62 super League

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Wed Aug 24, 2022 3:42 pm  

UllFC wrote:

I'm not keen on adding new teams in unless they plan to spend big on stadiums and marketing. Would love to see teams in Newcastle, Liverpool, York and Sheffield making it a true northern powerhouse of a league but again the money needs to be there.

I think throwing Bradford back in could be a good move though, there's thousands of fans that would come back and the airport derby was good for 2/3 20k crowds a year back in the day.

I also think the game threw Wrexham away too quickly, there was interest there, it was the visa scandal that sent the club into oblivion, and the ground is now getting improved due to Ryan Reynolds buying the football team and its not far from the Lancashire teams while being a genuine Welsh outpost.

I agree that Bradford should be in S/L but only if they ground share with one of the football teams.
Odsal like the Wakefield ground has had its day thats why Castleford need to be careful because if Licensing comes in for 2024 then they will struggle especially given how near they are to Wakefield and Featherstone.
This situation with several grounds being within a few miles of each other is something IMG are looking at.

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:22 pm  

Rugby Raider wrote:

Don’t agree with a Northern Powerhouse. That is part the games image problem.

There is a team in York already, 25 miles from Leeds and 40 from Hull, hardly a new audience. Liverpool is 10 miles from St Helens. Newcastle is a viable option.

I say Cardiff, because other than a short period on the early 80’s (when Union banned players who played League), any Welsh team has been located in the wrong place. A franchised Cardiff team, based at the smaller Cardiff Arms Park in summer, would have the benefit of great City Centre location and be in the best crowd catchment area.

Expanding Super League with teams like Leigh and Featherstone are not the answer. Featherstone have a proud history, but it is a village smaller than both Cottingham and Beverley.

We have to learn from other sports too. In Rugby Union, Wasps moved to Coventry and now get up to 20,000 fans; in circket The Hundred is based in the 8 main cricket grounds in cities, not villages.

There’s a balance to be had. We have 8 well supported teams (Sts, Wigan, Warrington, Bradford, Leeds, Cas, Hull and Rovers) along the M62. I’d keep them; 2 from France, Cardiff, Newcastle, plus two others.

Wasps aren't a great example to use, they are flirting with administration. Not close enough to know if that's due to moving to Coventry or not but that Coventry stadium has been a basket case for everyone involved (currently an unusable pitch, Coventry FC having to move away from the City for a few years etc)

I say concentrate on the North because RL has tried and failed many times in other regions. How much time and money has been spent on London for example, yet they still draw shocking crowds and usually move home every 2/3 years.

Liverpool may only be 10 miles from Saints but the populations are very different, there is a different market to attract in Liverpool itself.

Agree with you that Wales stands a better chance than most as it is Rugby mad, but again who is pumping in the millions to really make it work? It has taken millions, backing from Rupert Murdoch and decades for Melbourne Storm to even get a toehold in Melbourne.

Re: IMG Are Seeking Your Views : Wed Aug 24, 2022 10:02 pm  

Rugby Raider wrote:

Don’t agree with a Northern Powerhouse. That is part the games image problem.

There is a team in York already, 25 miles from Leeds and 40 from Hull, hardly a new audience. Liverpool is 10 miles from St Helens. Newcastle is a viable option.

I say Cardiff, because other than a short period on the early 80’s (when Union banned players who played League), any Welsh team has been located in the wrong place. A franchised Cardiff team, based at the smaller Cardiff Arms Park in summer, would have the benefit of great City Centre location and be in the best crowd catchment area.

Expanding Super League with teams like Leigh and Featherstone are not the answer. Featherstone have a proud history, but it is a village smaller than both Cottingham and Beverley.

We have to learn from other sports too. In Rugby Union, Wasps moved to Coventry and now get up to 20,000 fans; in circket The Hundred is based in the 8 main cricket grounds in cities, not villages.

There’s a balance to be had. We have 8 well supported teams (Sts, Wigan, Warrington, Bradford, Leeds, Cas, Hull and Rovers) along the M62. I’d keep them; 2 from France, Cardiff, Newcastle, plus two others.

Sorry but you can talk about Wales as long as you like about Rugby League and that’s all you will do. The stigma from Union is never going to go away in “The Valleys” Union is more entrenched then ever. I spent a while working in South Wales, I’d go in a pub, ask for a pint and the locals would start talking in gibberish, sorry, Welsh.