Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:02 pm  

The board of Sheffield Eagles have been monitoring the situation over the last few months at Bradford Bulls with interest. As one of only four Championship clubs who have ticked the playing criteria by reaching last season’s Grand Final we have a vested interest in the outcome of the Bulls administration.

We are also one of only two Championship clubs that run full scholarship and academy set ups meaning that we run five separate teams from under 15s up to under 23s. All of this is being established and operated with a view to submitting a highly creditable bid for a Super league franchise for 2015 when Championship clubs are next guaranteed a place in Super league.

We have been made aware of an article stating that there may be a mini-round of licensing involving Bradford and three other named Championship clubs which did not include Sheffield Eagles. We appreciate that this is only speculation and our exclusion from the article is probably due to the fact that the club does not generally shout about its achievements and has accepted the RFL licensing procedure as being in the best long term interests of promoted clubs.

In order to produce a creditable Super league application would take a number of months and to have it assessed against other applications would take further time. The board of Sheffield Eagles is of the view that this is simply impractical given the timescales involved before the start of the next season particularly with regard to assembling a creditable squad that can compete with the other thirteen established Super league clubs.

We therefore wish to state that we will not take part in any such mini-round of licensing and will instead be concentrating on the next full round of licensing that will allow the successful club a sensible timescale to assemble a creditable Super league club that will enhance the competition.

ENDS

Interesting, I agree with the stance that we are nowhere near ready and shouldn't enter into any such 'mini-licensing' which may or may not occur, such a sad state of affairs though that the sport has come to this. It's on its knees and it's licensing that has made it so.

FWIW I think they'll keep Bradford in the league now that they've been taken over, they are a much more appealing brand to Super League than any of Leigh, Halifax or Featherstone, a bigger club, a bigger fanbase and more history. I don't agree with it though, they should be cast to Championship 1 to start over again, much like the Glasgow Rangers scenario north of the border.

There is certainly room now Northampton aren't joining the league...

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:28 pm  

Very wise. Bradford will win through any process anyway.

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:33 pm  

Vis a vis Rangers, I posted this earlier today.

Elbowing Rangers out of the top division will no doubt cost the game in Scotland a boatload of money. What sticks in my craw is that the loss won't be borne by the people who made that decision, who will, no doubt, still draw their fat salaries from their businesses outside the game. It'll be the part-time or maybe low grade full time players at clubs outside the top division, young kids just signed up for a mortgage perhaps, who get told "Sorry son, there's no money to renew your contract".

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Tue Sep 04, 2012 1:36 pm  

A wise decision by the club which will hopefully give them time to build up our fan base. If I had a fairy godmother to grant me a wish it would be to abolish the licencing system and revert back to the tried and tested promotion/relegation of old.

Has the current system improved the quality of RL in the UK? If it has I fail to see where - Australia still beat us regularly and also snap up many of our best players, just as they have been doing for years.

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Tue Sep 04, 2012 1:46 pm  

greybeard1 wrote:

Has the current system improved the quality of RL in the UK? If it has I fail to see where - Australia still beat us regularly and also snap up many of our best players, just as they have been doing for years.

I agree that there's been little or no improvement but, for me, the key factor is that RL is the number one sport in Queensland and NSW. The best athletes want to play RL - whereas over here, they want to sign for soccer teams and turn to RL if they're not good enough.

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Tue Sep 04, 2012 6:20 pm  

griff1998 wrote:

I agree that there's been little or no improvement but, for me, the key factor is that RL is the number one sport in Queensland and NSW. The best athletes want to play RL - whereas over here, they want to sign for soccer teams and turn to RL if they're not good enough.

Not just that griff but the Sydney based clubs (can't speak for others as I haven't been to any) are mostly very rich, at least compared to our and have facilities which make you green with envy - mostly financed by gambling. Don't think I've ever seen as many one armed bandits as I saw at Manley (I think - could have been Parramatta). Not that I am advocating that we go down that road but we are very much the poor relations.

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Tue Sep 04, 2012 7:40 pm  

greybeard1 wrote:

Not just that griff but the Sydney based clubs (can't speak for others as I haven't been to any) are mostly very rich, at least compared to our and have facilities which make you green with envy - mostly financed by gambling. Don't think I've ever seen as many one armed bandits as I saw at Manley (I think - could have been Parramatta). Not that I am advocating that we go down that road but we are very much the poor relations.

We couldn't do that anyway. Our laws are different.

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:37 am  

griff1998 wrote:

I agree that there's been little or no improvement but, for me, the key factor is that RL is the number one sport in Queensland and NSW. The best athletes want to play RL - whereas over here, they want to sign for soccer teams and turn to RL if they're not good enough.

It's hardly surprising is it when the potential for the next round of super league clubs are three little villages in the grim north, at least one of which should have closed when the pit did. We (rugby league) have to look at development in major cities if it is to progress from it's cloth cap image.

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:39 am  

....and good and sensible decision if only some other clubs would see the light.

Re: Club Statement on Super League Mini-Licensing Proposal : Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:36 pm  

Controversial .....