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14 Team SL and Merged Championship?

Perth Red

Perth Red

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With this weeks London announcements seems likely we will see any three of the following four getting spots: London, Bradford, York, Toulouse. If I was a betting man my money would now be on the three English clubs getting in and Toulouse missing out. Personally id rather see all 4 in and Hudds drop out with salford, but that seems unlikely.
 
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Taking The Two

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As predicted, the old bastard chairmen will make Toulouse feel unwelcome because they don’t bring a bus of fans who buy a pie and a pint and we’ll get the Chernobyl Bulls out of their asbestos ridden shit tip but will point towards London/York as “look, expansion”.
 
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Taking The Two

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Yeah, that would be a humongous step backwards, a step into the dark ages and be a massive sign of xenephobia from a collective of chairmen that are old, out of touch and scared of change and anything or anyone different.
 
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Taking The Two

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Yeah, it wouldn’t. It would send one of the northern hemisphere’s biggest clubs into a part-time league, they’d inevitably fold or return to part-time rugby and the league would still keep itself going and would not become professional or even spoke of becoming professional.
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

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Taking The Two said:
Yeah, that would be a humongous step backwards, a step into the dark ages and be a massive sign of xenephobia from a collective of chairmen that are old, out of touch and scared of change and anything or anyone different.
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or French RL could get its sht together and stop leeching off English clubs? Reality is they arent generating any revenue for the comp and FRL need to take a look at how they could improve the French comp and get more media interest in France, Its clear after 20 years of no French media deal that having just 1 or 2 clubs in SL isnt of interest to French tv companies.
 
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Taking The Two

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Perth Red said:
or French RL could get its sht together and stop leeching off English clubs? Reality is they arent generating any revenue for the comp and FRL need to take a look at how they could improve the French comp and get more media interest in France, Its clear after 20 years of no French media deal that having just 1 or 2 clubs in SL isnt of interest to French tv companies.
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French RL has had ample opportunity to get its own house in order. They’ve had 2 professional sides for the best part of 20 years and as a federation, they’re still a mess. Expecting them to magic up some money to create a professional league is pie in the sky nonsense.
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

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Taking The Two said:
French RL has had ample opportunity to get its own house in order. They’ve had 2 professional sides for the best part of 20 years and as a federation, they’re still a mess. Expecting them to magic up some money to create a professional league is pie in the sky nonsense.
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So maybe we just have to accept that RL in France is never going to be 'big' again? I wish SL had enough money to carry 4 French RL trams, then we might see some traction over there. But it doesnt and Catalans after 2 decades havent moved the needle on either interest in RL in France, depth of quality of French RL players or in generating revenue for SL.

You can hardly be critical of the English game now questioning the value of French clubs in SL when they are continually taking out and putting nothing in.
 
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Taking The Two

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Catalans are one of the biggest sides in the competition, one of the best attended and have some of the best hospitality in the league. Onfield, they’ve won more in 20 years than Wakefield, Cas, Salford and the highly spoken of Bradford, whilst winning the same amount as Hull KR and Leigh. That’s before we speak of 90 French debutants, who wouldn’t have played a minute of elite rugby league without Catalans being in the competition.

Catalans are one of the game’s best sides and bring more to the competition than most.
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

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Taking The Two said:
Catalans are one of the biggest sides in the competition, one of the best attended and have some of the best hospitality in the league. Onfield, they’ve won more in 20 years than Wakefield, Cas, Salford and the highly spoken of Bradford, whilst winning the same amount as Hull KR and Leirentgh. That’s before we speak of 90 French debutants, who wouldn’t have played a minute of elite rugby league without Catalans being in the competition.

Catalans are one of the game’s best sides and bring more to the competition than most.
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No ones arguing they arent a successful club and have done very well. The argument is they add no $ value to Sl and are taking out a grant every year. SL isnt a charity.
 
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Taking The Two

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Perth Red said:
No ones arguing they arent a successful club and have done very well. The argument is they add no $ value to Sl and are taking out a grant every year. SL isnt a charity.
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Neither do half of the Super League clubs. It’s typical old bastard, RL xenophobia and nothing more. If they had a crowd of 20,000 25 years ago and played in a hole in the earth they’d be flavour of the month.

Catalans have to pay for other clubs to fulfil their fixture list by paying for their flights to Perpignan because you cannot get there on a West Yorkshire Day ticket on a bus and clubs won’t dare pay their way, so their share of the pie is dramatically cut immediately. Given the French TV deal was lost (by Robert Elstone, who handled negotiations and not Catalans as a club), that’s the justification, their share is smaller and than the rest from of the off. Yet, their academy is producing more than most other teams, they’re more successful than most sides and they’re amongst some of the best attended clubs in the league.
 
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Perth Red

Perth Red

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Taking The Two said:
Neither do half of the Super League clubs. It’s typical old bastard, RL xenophobia and nothing more. If they had a crowd of 20,000 25 years ago and played in a hole in the earth they’d be flavour of the month.

Catalans have to pay for other clubs to fulfil their fixture list by paying for their flights to Perpignan because you cannot get there on a West Yorkshire Day ticket on a bus and clubs won’t dare pay their way, so their share of the pie is dramatically cut immediately. Given the French TV deal was lost (by Robert Elstone, who handled negotiations and not Catalans as a club), that’s the justification, their share is smaller and than the rest from of the off. Yet, their academy is producing more than most other teams, they’re more successful than most sides and they’re amongst some of the best attended clubs in the league.
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Not true, you can argue how much value different clubs offer but to English sponsors, English PTV and to other clubs they all offer something. and thats where the english games revenue comes from. Catalans dont.
The only thing Catalans offer the SL is a competitive team and a nice away weekend for fans. if thats worth 1.2million a year is what the cubs are now questioning,

Im in favour of Cats and toulouse in SL but I can also understand why SL clubs are questioning their value in a cash strapped sport.
 
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Taking The Two

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Perth Red said:
Not true, you can argue how much value different clubs offer but to English sponsors, English PTV and to other clubs they all offer something. and thats where the english games revenue comes from. Catalans dont.
The only thing Catalans offer the SL is a competitive team and a nice away weekend for fans. if thats worth 1.2million a year is what the cubs are now questioning,

Im in favour of Cats and toulouse in SL but I can also understand why SL clubs are questioning their value in a cash strapped sport.
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Nonsense. English sponsors have no bearing on Super League, Sky TV or Rugby League. Mega clutch at straws, that.
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

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Taking The Two said:
Nonsense. English sponsors have no bearing on Super League, Sky TV or Rugby League. Mega clutch at straws, that.
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eh? You dont think that sponsors of SL see no value in french team exposure? Unless they are selling their products in France then it has no value to them.
 
S

siv

First Grade
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6,877
Taking The Two said:
French RL has had ample opportunity to get its own house in order. They’ve had 2 professional sides for the best part of 20 years and as a federation, they’re still a mess. Expecting them to magic up some money to create a professional league is pie in the sky nonsense.
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Thats why you make it a mainland Europe League

Allows other mainland clubs to join outside of France
 
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