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Latest IMG proposals for Super League

Gobsmacked

Bench
Messages
2,649
Looking at the ‘crowd’ and atmosphere at Huddersfield this morning IMG have a huge job ahead of them.
A lot of the crowds have been great but it's freezing there atm and on and off rain. They're lucky to get the crowd they got. Also 2 very shit sides, Castleford just sacked thier coach.
There's probably 6 to 8 clubs doing well for crowds ect but that relegation bs has held back the bottom half of the comp for decades. They can't build a roster properly at any stage because the main objective is to stay off the bottom.
That's being scrapped! It'll take a couple of decades to see the benefits of that but it will come.
 
Messages
531
Looking at the ‘crowd’ and atmosphere at Huddersfield this morning IMG have a huge job ahead of them.
Despite being the birthplace of the Northern Union, Huddersfield has never been a full-on RL town. It looks awful now because the stadium is way too big for their current fanbase. They're still in considerably better shape than when I went to second division games at the old Fartown ground in the 80s.

Additional extenuating circumstance, as mentioned in the post above, is that temperatures have been hovering around zero for several days.

BTW, intriguing that you feel comfortable posting negative remarks about poor crowds. I thought that was the preserve of incorrigibly miserable potatoes. Almost as though one half of your brain doesn't know what the other half is up to. What do we call that? cognitive dissonance?
 

Pneuma

First Grade
Messages
5,475
Despite being the birthplace of the Northern Union, Huddersfield has never been a full-on RL town. It looks awful now because the stadium is way too big for their current fanbase. They're still in considerably better shape than when I went to second division games at the old Fartown ground in the 80s.

Additional extenuating circumstance, as mentioned in the post above, is that temperatures have been hovering around zero for several days.

BTW, intriguing that you feel comfortable posting negative remarks about poor crowds. I thought that was the preserve of incorrigibly miserable potatoes. Almost as though one half of your brain doesn't know what the other half is up to. What do we call that? cognitive dissonance?
Over analysis i think
 
Messages
14,167
Only thing it’s missing is player development and community engagement for me. Both those areas are important and require club investment.
It is my opinion that all Super League clubs should have academies.
No Academies to me means no Super league Place.
Championship clubs that aspire to play in Super League should also have academies.
 
Messages
14,167
Looking at the ‘crowd’ and atmosphere at Huddersfield this morning IMG have a huge job ahead of them.
Match day match awareness. Match day awareness
Get the message out as to when the Giants are playing. Day and kick off time To who they are playing and admission prices.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,411
Match day match awareness. Match day awareness
Get the message out as to when the Giants are playing. Day and kick off time To who they are playing and admission prices.
’uddersfields a small place, I doubt anyone doesn’t know when giants are at home. Tickets are £50 for three games so not expensive. They’ve never drawn big crowds largely due to small population reach and a middling team.
 

Pneuma

First Grade
Messages
5,475
A lot of the crowds have been great but it's freezing there atm and on and off rain. They're lucky to get the crowd they got. Also 2 very shit sides, Castleford just sacked thier coach.
There's probably 6 to 8 clubs doing well for crowds ect but that relegation bs has held back the bottom half of the comp for decades. They can't build a roster properly at any stage because the main objective is to stay off the bottom.
That's being scrapped! It'll take a couple of decades to see the benefits of that but it will come.
It’s the first game I’ve watched this year and I really did pick the wrong one. I’ve always loved watching English rugby league and I love the crowd participation. This one had no atmosphere at all. And I agree. Promotion and relegation stinks. I’d like to think English rugby league will expand into ‘European rugby league’ over time with permanent French teams and maybe others over time. That’s a long term project but you have to have big goals when you have such a great game.
 
Messages
531
More excitement

Newcastle Thunder used to be Gateshead Thunder, who were parachuted into SL in the late 90s and quickly got into financial trouble. Part of the same sticking pins in the map policy that saw the likes of London, Paris, Sheffield chosen for the first SL season.

Top-down has never worked in English RL. There just isn't enough general familiarity with the game to tap into. Much stronger grass roots RL scene in the North East these days. Still a long way to go in my view, but the growth is organic and real this time. Epitomized by Cramlington Rockets winning National Community Club of the Year.

York have been on the cusp for as long as I can remember. More positives now than ever before. One of the big three in Women's SL. Progressive capable administration. Tidy new stadium. Great place to visit.

Wakefield has been a city since the 19th century. Not a straightforward situation in RL terms in that Castleford and Featherstone are within the boundaries of the City of Wakefield, but hardly the best example for the article to cite as a "town-based side". Trinity's enduring handicap is the ground and facilities.
 

Pneuma

First Grade
Messages
5,475
Not sure that article really told us a lot but at least they are thinking about it.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,411
Nice to be talked about positively for a change! Goal is simple, get to 15 points!


Former Great Britain star and Sky Sports pundit Phil Clarke has dubbed Hull KR the benchmark for rival clubs to follow ahead of the IMG era in rugby league.
The strategic partner, who joined the sport in 2022 in a long-term deal, announced the five major criteria that will determine the grades each club will be given moving forward in 2025. The plans were released after the meeting in Huddersfield with the owners of each Super League and lower-tier clubs in attendance.
The five components are fandom, performance, finance, stadium and catchment. IMG's vice-president Matt Dwyer was a guest live on Sky before Wigan's game with Catalans Dragons on Thursday evening to clarify the new proposals.

Host Brian Carney asked co-pundit Clarke about his thoughts on the possible new structure that is set to change the sport forever. Which led to him praising the on and off-field progress the Robins are making in between Dwyer's explanations.

"In principle, who is against growing the game," said Clarke. "We all want to do that. It's finding the best way to do it. In my lifetime, we've tried plenty of things that have been unsuccessful. What I will say is the new IMG plan is a base that I would think I can grow my club as an owner.

"Too many people think IMG have a magic wand and clubs will double their attendances. It takes hard work. Take Hull Kingston Rovers, for example. They are doing sensible things week in and week out to grow their club and increase their fanbase with an enjoyable experience.

"A coach used to say to me, we don't need to do extraordinary things to win. Just do things extraordinarily well. That principle applies now, and clubs need to act on the suggestions and follow Hull KR's lead."

 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,411
A proposal for a 2-up, 2-down relegation model from Super League has been put forward by one of the dissenters towards IMG’s latest plans to “reimagine rugby league”.

The RFL met with Keighley Cougars owners Ryan O’Neill and Kaue Garcia earlier this week to discuss their feedback from last week’s announcement.

The Cougars were the only club to vote against the initial IMG proposals late last year, and following the latest release of information, they provided an 18-page dossier to press in opposition.
That prompted RFL chairman Simon Johnson to meet with the two owners in central London, where they had four hours of discussions.

Johnson agreed to feedback their concerns and proposals to IMG.

O’Neill said: “The meeting was largely positive. Simon listened to our scepticism and wants to reach a unified position where all clubs can agree to a restructure.

“Our key points are that promotion and relegation should be on a 2 up, 2 down model. We tentatively agree that only category A and category B clubs should be in Super League, but that there should not be sub-grading within the A and B categories. We will continue to express our stance on the situation and of course update our fans in due course.”

 

Gobsmacked

Bench
Messages
2,649
A proposal for a 2-up, 2-down relegation model from Super League has been put forward by one of the dissenters towards IMG’s latest plans to “reimagine rugby league”.

The RFL met with Keighley Cougars owners Ryan O’Neill and Kaue Garcia earlier this week to discuss their feedback from last week’s announcement.

The Cougars were the only club to vote against the initial IMG proposals late last year, and following the latest release of information, they provided an 18-page dossier to press in opposition.
That prompted RFL chairman Simon Johnson to meet with the two owners in central London, where they had four hours of discussions.

Johnson agreed to feedback their concerns and proposals to IMG.

O’Neill said: “The meeting was largely positive. Simon listened to our scepticism and wants to reach a unified position where all clubs can agree to a restructure.

“Our key points are that promotion and relegation should be on a 2 up, 2 down model. We tentatively agree that only category A and category B clubs should be in Super League, but that there should not be sub-grading within the A and B categories. We will continue to express our stance on the situation and of course update our fans in due course.”

No conflict of interest here 🤣
 

Pneuma

First Grade
Messages
5,475
Just dragged my sorry ass out of bed to watch Wigan and Salford. Nothing wrong with the product. The game is a treat to watch as always. IMG have a lot to work with and a lot to do but you’d have to hope for a great future if they can overcome Club self interest.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,411
Dragons leading the way and surely an A license?


Very good news !!!

The Catalan Dragons prepare to return to Camp Nou Barcelona as the Super League club brings in a record-breaking funding!
TRL

Translated article
On May 18, 2019, the Dragons hosted the Wigan Warriors to the home of the Catalan football giants with 31,555 spectators travelling to the Camp Nou.

Now, according to La Depeche, the club want to go back to a date in the future with Dragons president Bernard Guasch invited to the recent Barcelona-Real Madrid El Classico match.

The good news for the Catalans just keeps rolling in, however, as the club confirms it has passed the 300 private sponsors mark this season with more than €5m in funding – a record for the French side.

The Dragons have also been boosted by the news that a major broadcasting contract has been signed with leading Catalan television channel TV3, the club already part of the successful launch of French national coverage via L’Equipe in the win over Wigan Warriors.

Catalan Dragons meetings scheduled on TV3:

04/08/2023: Catalan Dragons vs Warrington Wolves

05/05/2023: Catalan Dragons vs St Helens

06/03/2023: Wigan Warriors vs Catalan Dragons
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,411
Clubs and other members of the Rugby League Council have today been informed of changes to the club grading criteria for the Reimagining Rugby League proposals, under which clubs will be rewarded for the extent of their community engagement.

Following extensive consultation with clubs and Community Rugby League representatives in the weeks since the proposals were first presented to Council on March 9, the Catchment category has been renamed “Community” and will include points under the proposed model for clubs’ positive impact in the communities in which the sport is based and played.

Such activity will be worth up to 2.5 points of the maximum 20 on offer and therefore carries a significant impact, and will now combine each club’s fanbase potential with a rating for their Foundation – the charitable bodies linked to clubs which drive much of their community and participation activity.

This will be measured on the Foundation’s turnover, with a maximum of 1 point available – and the previous Catchment category now worth a maximum of 1.5 points (having previously been up to 2 points).

The Finance pillar will now carry a maximum of 4.5 points, compared to the original 5.

There has also been a small amendment to the Digital section of the Fandom pillar, with a greater emphasis on overall engagement.

In addition, details of the Minimum Standards that will support the club grading criteria have been circulated – with further details to be supplied to clubs via conference call next Wednesday (April 12), before a meeting of the Rugby League Council votes on whether to accept the recommendations on April 19.

These standards have been broken down into eight categories, including Community Game Development – requiring clubs to have a registered Foundation and an engaged Community Development Plan to be graded A or B – and Talent and Performance Pathway, which will also be necessary to be graded A or B, with a Women’s team required for a Grade A Talent and Performance Pathway as well as complying with the Player Welfare Policy.

There are also Minimum Standards around Anti-Doping, Environmental Sustainability and compliance with Rugby League’s Professional Club Governance Code – which includes Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Clubs can lose grading points for failing to comply with the standards, while the remaining three categories cover breaches of the Operational Rules (including Salary Cap), of other regulations, or the existing Insolvency Policy – again, with penalties stipulated.

Tony Sutton, the RFL’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “The RFL and RL Commercial are grateful to clubs and other Council members for their constructive engagement since the proposals were presented last month.

“Throughout the process, we have worked with our strategic partner IMG to keep stakeholders informed – including supporters through the media and our own digital channels.

“Our aim for the period since the proposals were first presented has been simple - that going into the vote, clubs will be making an informed choice.

“As a result of feedback, we have worked with IMG to amend the club grading criteria to provide greater recognition for clubs’ engagement with their communities through their Foundations – which strengthens the category previously known as Catchment.

“The development of Foundations has been one of the great successes of Rugby League in recent years – enhancing the contribution the sport makes in the communities in which it is established – so it is absolutely right that this is now included in the criteria.

“The Minimum Standards underpin the club grading criteria – we have been working with clubs to introduce such standards in recent years, and this process helps us embed best practice that clubs currently show with the aim of raising standards more widely to the advantage of the sport as a whole.

“Crucially, this process remains democratic as well as informed and transparent. The clubs and other Council members will decide later this month whether or not the sport accepts the recommendations that overwhelmingly last Autumn we as a game asked IMG to develop for us and bring forward. We look forward to dialogue continuing over the coming weeks.”

 
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