PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:17 am  

I dont think it has worked,More clubs are going into debt even though it was said this would reduce these things,Crowds havnt increased in super league they have gone down,There is no incentive,The Super League is stale,Our league is stale,All your doing is looking to stay up,The Eagles now are treading water in midtable,Im losing interest,Used to watch the super league all the time,Cant remember the last game i saw,It's all so predictable and boring with the same teams in the same leagues,rugby is becoming boring!!!!!IMO

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:25 am  

Soccer has leagues of 20 to 24 teams, of whom 12-16 end up in mid table. For many there is no hope of winning or getting relgated from about Christmas onwards but people still go and watch it.

Most one day cricket internationals are meaningless in terms of competition but they are packed out.

The main problem in professional rugby league is the gulf in resources between clubs capable of running full time with crowds of 5000+, those who are part time with crowds around 1000 and another gap to those with no money and no fans. You can't have meaningful P+R in either division until this gap is closed, but without a massively larger TV contract this won't happen.

The fact that we are mid table is not the fault of the "system" - it's the fact that we're not playing well enough.

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:47 am  

There are teams in super league who are constantly near the bottom and are no closer to getting new stadia and add nothing to the competetion,Come the franchises will they be out,I very much doubt it.It seems a closed shop to me.Some of the teams in the super league are getting a cracking chance to build there clubs on and off the field but there not taking it,There's teams in the Championship who would love the opportunity,But because there unfashionable they wont get the chance,Leigh and Widnes for two can do no worse than Salford or Wakefield regarding ground,team,junior development,crowds etc over a three year spam,But i would guarantee only one maximum will change leagues.

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 1:11 pm  

Would promotion and relegation solve that ? It sounds to me like you want certain teams in Superleague - just not the ones already there.

[Hillsborough Lad]

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 1:33 pm  

This sport is dying and i'm not sure the powers that be even care.

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 2:05 pm  

Interesting what Jamie Peacock said about salary caps too, in one sense maintaining the salary cap as it is would maintain the gulf between Superleague and Championship, but as he said the Australian cap is increasing and as such we are going to lose the likes of Burgess, Ellis etc with the draw of playing down under.

If we follow Oz, then we may hold on to our stars, but there's little or no chance of the likes of Sheffield being able to keep up with the Superleague clubs.

Someone needs to take it by the balls I think, but I'm not sure the RFL know what these are...

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:33 pm  

atters_9 wrote:

.

If we follow Oz, then we may hold on to our stars, but there's little or no chance of the likes of Sheffield being able to keep up with the Superleague clubs.

Nothing to do with salary caps or Oz or even stadia. We don't have enough people watching us. If we had 10000 every match - or even half that - we'd be in Superleague.

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 6:50 pm  

I'd love to know more about this "Golden Age" of rugby league. As long as I can remember some clubs have struggled for crowds and also financially, and that includes some who have now got their act together off the field. The only way some would ever get in the top flight is if it was one giant division.

Compared to the state it was in in the 70s, the game is positively thriving. There are more full time pros than there's ever been, more money in the game, the amateur game is spread far and wide, we have more kids playing the game than we have ever had.

What is true is that some clubs, who have had decades to build a solid foundation, have not done so and have taken their status, and their supporters, for granted.

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:18 pm  

griff1998 wrote:

Would promotion and relegation solve that ? It sounds to me like you want certain teams in Superleague - just not the ones already there.

Bring back promotion and relegation and let results speak for themselves and let them decide who is deserving of their place in super league.If you finish top of the championship you DESERVE to be promoted if you finish bottom You should be RELEGATED.The loss of this has made the sport stale and boring.IMO

Re: PROMOTION/RELEGATION : Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:26 pm  

tim2 wrote:

I'd love to know more about this "Golden Age" of rugby league. As long as I can remember some clubs have struggled for crowds and also financially, and that includes some who have now got their act together off the field. The only way some would ever get in the top flight is if it was one giant division.

Compared to the state it was in in the 70s, the game is positively thriving. There are more full time pros than there's ever been, more money in the game, the amateur game is spread far and wide, we have more kids playing the game than we have ever had.

What is true is that some clubs, who have had decades to build a solid foundation, have not done so and have taken their status, and their supporters, for granted.

The last two lines by Tim sum it up perfectly and now there is no relegation they are resting on there laurels even more,Have the RFL got the balls to demote from the super league,time will tell,but i think they'll expand rather than demote and leave the poor just to plod along,while certain teams deserving of a spot languishing with the deadmen.