What will super league look like in 20 years?

[herbert henry1908]

Been some hits & misses expansion wise in super league over the last 20 odd years. In many ways though they are to be congratulated for their forward thinking.

Given the likelyhood Toronto will be in Super League in a few short years, what's everyone's feelings on where the comp will be in a couple of decades?

14,16 teams?

More North American teams?

Seems like expansion outside of the country might have more merit than expansion into the south.

 

[IntRLEnthusiast]

If they keep using the current system or something like it to promote expansion i think Super League could overtake the NRL simply from taking the risk on expansion. I think it could look a little like soccer with promotion relegation actually being fairly significant. Hopefully 3 Tiers of Semi Pro and Pro teams spread across Europe and North America. I would love Toronto to be the first of a few and for France to both have a legitimate professional comp and a few teams in the English/European system. Serbia, Spain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales domestic teams that are actually competitive.

In saying all that.. though theoretically the sky is the limit i probably expect that the super league would have expanded but not as much as i state above and that issues still surround this.

I would hope thought that the crazy amount of games would be shortened to give more chance for internationals and that promotion relegation possibly be automatic to allow it to be more realistic for clubs to get into super league.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I think at some point the SL system will have to divorce itself from England and become European. An English league will still exist but it would be for the clubs not strong enough for Europe. Same goes for France. In Europe I would like to see:

Four French clubs
Two Canadian clubs (Perez's vision)
Two Welsh clubs
A Scottish club
An Irish club
Ten strong English clubs
And a couple of clubs from developing Euro nations like Serbia, Italy or Lebanon

Two divisions, P&R

Seems unrealistic but in 2019 we could have two French clubs and one Canadian club which could really be a tipping point for SL structurally and commercially. It could really take off and attract some real investment and interest if managed correctly from there.

 

[roughyedspud]

I think at some point the SL system will have to divorce itself from England and become European.

Yeah we can call it European super league.........oh wait we already have for 22 years lol

 

[roughyedspud]

Seriously though...the future shouldn't lie in every tom, dick and Harry joining super league!

There's scope to develop stronger "regional leagues" like Spanish & Italian teams joining the French league system,German & polish teams forming a joint league,likewise Belgium & Dutch teams,Norway & sweden teams,Canadian & American team etc all forming joint leagues...I think a north American league could easily be,attendance wise,bigger than SL & NRL

That's what the plan should be,not that there's anything wrong with the odd team wanting to step up from the English system but the sport as a whole will be stronger if we develop the "grades" below that level

 

[langpark]

Honestly, I'd like to see it looking something like this:

ENGLAND (12)
Leeds
Bradford
Hull
Hull KR
Castleford
Wigan
St Helens
Warrington
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Huddersfield/Salford/Newcastle

FRANCE (10)
Catalans
Toulouse
Carcassonne
Avignon
Lezignan
Paris
Lyon
Montpellier
Saluzzo (Italy)
Valencia (Spain)

 

[deluded pom?]

Yeah we can call it European super league.........oh wait we already have for 22 years lol

It's the English Super League 'spud. It says so on the LU forums.

 

[adamkungl]

I thought it was just 'Super League" and the 'E' had been dropped ages ago

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

NORTH ATLANTIC SUPER LEAGUE 30 teams

Each team plays their own conference twice and teams in 2 other conferences once. Total 22 games.
5 conference winners play off. Ranking based on wins and for and against points.

UK YORKSHIRE conference - 6 teams

Leeds
Bradford
Hull FC
Hull KR
Huddersfield
Castleford

UK WESTERN-SOUTHERN conference - 6 teams

Wigan
Warrington
St Helens
Manchester-Salford
London
Cardiff


FRANCE conference - 6 teams.

Catalans
Toulouse
Avignon
Paris
Lyon
Marseille

NORTH AMERICA conference A (East) - 6 teams

CANADA
Toronto
Montreal

USA
Boston
New York
Philadelphia
Jacksonville

NORTH AMERICA conference B (Centre-West) - 6 teams

USA
Chicago
Houston
Denver
San Francisco
Los Angeles

CANADA
Vancouver

 

[jim_57]

The beauty of Toronto is if they can make it work it could open the eyes to investors for similar projects anywhere. IF Toronto succeed long term, which is still very much undecided then it could be the biggest thing to ever happen to RL.

Of course professional teams in New York, Chicago, Rome, Moscow, Berlin, Barcelona, Dublin, heck even Paris and Cardiff are fantasy land stuff at present, but Fantasy Land is what Toronto were 3 years ago.

 

[roughyedspud]

I thought it was just 'Super League" and the 'E' had been dropped ages ago

Super league Europe is their trading name

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03238540

 

[juro]

Maybe if Toronto are successful, it will see them lead a few other North American teams into the English comp. But then, if these other teams are successful, it will see these teams all break away and start their own professional comp. So the SL would expand in the short term, then revert back to being predominantly English. Rugby league as a whole would be significantly stronger, though.

Maybe...

 

[herbert henry1908]

Some interesting ideas in here, some seem a bit far fetched for 20 years time.

I'd think realistically they would be doing well with a 16 team comp.

Perhaps

2 Canadian teams
3 French teams
1 other non English team (Ireland, Wales, Scotland?)
10 English teams

I do wonder if the success of Toronto etc might help the Super League expand into southern U.K.? Those markets may respond more favourably to a competition with some international flavour.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Maybe if Toronto are successful, it will see them lead a few other North American teams into the English comp. But then, if these other teams are successful, it will see these teams all break away and start their own professional comp. So the SL would expand in the short term, then revert back to being predominantly English. Rugby league as a whole would be significantly stronger, though.

Maybe...

The growth needed from a local comp to overtake SL would take quite a while, so North American teams playing in super league would be a decades long experience.

But as you said if that growth materialised it would be great for rugby league.

 

[IntRLEnthusiast]

I think everything should be done in the UK to see Toronto and Toulouse be successful including possibly automatic promotion for the winner in the championship and a play off for the second team. The current system might mean those clubs can go up but also may be a roadblock to anyone going up. I actually like the current system in many ways but also wonder if Leigh going up is a one off. If a Toronto make super league and a second Canadian team gets off the ground i think it could change rugby leagues landscape forever.

 

[roughyedspud]

Nope...they play by the same rules as everyone else,they go up on merit not gifting them anything...that's been tried in the past and failed miserably..