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Latest IMG proposals for Super League

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,538
For what? Training grounds are not in the criteria
Having too many away fans visiting

Many super league club chairman were really upset over how many English fans visit peripignan

And the club is desperate to get the ground further upgraded as they might lose their super league spot

Dunno how it’s one of the better stadiums in super league and better than wakey cad or hull kr
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,518
Great weekend away. Our game was on Bastille day, the town went off on the night. They should be in SL just for the away trip!
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
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69,518
So Rugba League. Clear to see why IMG recently came out and told the world they don't make the decisions for RL just provide advice. I wouldnt want to be associated with this constant indecision either. The good news is its a proposal from Batley so unlikely to get much support.

A proposal to reintroduce a conventional promotion and relegation system into IMG's grading criteria will be discussed at a council meeting next month. The proposal, which Rugby League Live understands has been lodged by Batley Bulldogs, would see the winners of the Championship guaranteed a place in Super League the year after, even if it meant expanding the competition.

The recommendation states that if the club that wins the Championship is a Grade B club, they are promoted to Super League and replace the lowest-ranked Grade B club. Beyond that, if Super League consists exclusively of Grade A clubs, then the winners of the Championship are promoted and Super League expands.

The topic will be discussed at a Council Meeting on December 4th, where clubs from all three tiers, as well as figures from the Rugby Football League and RL Commercial, will be present.

Provisionally, the proposal has been met with mixed responses from sources who have discussed the matter with Rugby League Live. One slammed the proposal as "hypocritical" as a Super League team could be relegated despite not finishing bottom of the competition. Grade A clubs are immune from relegation and with Super League already consisting of nine clubs who have achieved the highest status it's theoretical that a Grade B club could finish high up the table and still be relegated.

That was the fate London Broncos faced last year and was widely criticised, yet some believe this proposal could put clubs in the exact same position.

Others believe it is a happy medium between adhering to grading and heightening the reward of on-field achievement. Across the sport, many believe the league structure should be determined by on-field performance alone but this proposal, some believe, would integrate both systems at the same time.

It comes at an interesting time. Super League owners met last week and they discussed the possibility of expanding the competition to 14 teams in the future. There is an appetite in some quarters to make that happen but at the heart of those conversations are the financial implications, with most clubs already losing seven-figures sums on an annual basis.

It's worth noting that when IMG first proposed an introduction of the grading system, many clubs believed that promotion and relegation would still be attainable through on-field performance should a Grade B club finish bottom of Super League, which would see them replaced by the winners of the Championship.

Batley were among those to raise concerns. Speaking last year, their chairman, Kevin Nicholas said: "There's a lot of logical ideas in there but my reservation is that promotion and relegation should only be eligible for the bottom club in Super League and the top club in the Championship.

"You can't have someone not finishing bottom of Super League getting relegated and someone not finishing top of the Championship getting promoted. That's my only reservation. But some of the stuff was good.

"If you managed to get a Grade B you'd be eligible for promotion but that's not the case, is it? We need to find out how many points we've got and can we get some more. I thought our target was to get enough to be a Grade B but that's clearly not the target, the target is to get enough points to be in the top twelve, that's probably not possible. It means we're not eligible for promotion no matter how much we improve in the next year or so."

 

RedVee

First Grade
Messages
7,023
So Rugba League. Clear to see why IMG recently came out and told the world they don't make the decisions for RL just provide advice. I wouldnt want to be associated with this constant indecision either. The good news is its a proposal from Batley so unlikely to get much support.

A proposal to reintroduce a conventional promotion and relegation system into IMG's grading criteria will be discussed at a council meeting next month. The proposal, which Rugby League Live understands has been lodged by Batley Bulldogs, would see the winners of the Championship guaranteed a place in Super League the year after, even if it meant expanding the competition.

The recommendation states that if the club that wins the Championship is a Grade B club, they are promoted to Super League and replace the lowest-ranked Grade B club. Beyond that, if Super League consists exclusively of Grade A clubs, then the winners of the Championship are promoted and Super League expands.

The topic will be discussed at a Council Meeting on December 4th, where clubs from all three tiers, as well as figures from the Rugby Football League and RL Commercial, will be present.

Provisionally, the proposal has been met with mixed responses from sources who have discussed the matter with Rugby League Live. One slammed the proposal as "hypocritical" as a Super League team could be relegated despite not finishing bottom of the competition. Grade A clubs are immune from relegation and with Super League already consisting of nine clubs who have achieved the highest status it's theoretical that a Grade B club could finish high up the table and still be relegated.

That was the fate London Broncos faced last year and was widely criticised, yet some believe this proposal could put clubs in the exact same position.

Others believe it is a happy medium between adhering to grading and heightening the reward of on-field achievement. Across the sport, many believe the league structure should be determined by on-field performance alone but this proposal, some believe, would integrate both systems at the same time.

It comes at an interesting time. Super League owners met last week and they discussed the possibility of expanding the competition to 14 teams in the future. There is an appetite in some quarters to make that happen but at the heart of those conversations are the financial implications, with most clubs already losing seven-figures sums on an annual basis.

It's worth noting that when IMG first proposed an introduction of the grading system, many clubs believed that promotion and relegation would still be attainable through on-field performance should a Grade B club finish bottom of Super League, which would see them replaced by the winners of the Championship.

Batley were among those to raise concerns. Speaking last year, their chairman, Kevin Nicholas said: "There's a lot of logical ideas in there but my reservation is that promotion and relegation should only be eligible for the bottom club in Super League and the top club in the Championship.

"You can't have someone not finishing bottom of Super League getting relegated and someone not finishing top of the Championship getting promoted. That's my only reservation. But some of the stuff was good.

"If you managed to get a Grade B you'd be eligible for promotion but that's not the case, is it? We need to find out how many points we've got and can we get some more. I thought our target was to get enough to be a Grade B but that's clearly not the target, the target is to get enough points to be in the top twelve, that's probably not possible. It means we're not eligible for promotion no matter how much we improve in the next year or so."

:Head in hands:
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,518
:Head in hands:
Only way it could work is if the winner of the championship had a higher score in the gradings than the bottom club in SL. That would be a good motivator for everyone to keep working on their scores. Gives opportunity without weakening the whole point grading was brought in. But it'd be a weird feeling for fans not knowing if up or down until the gradings are released.

Tough one in a country where P&R is a strong cultural part of sport.
 

RedVee

First Grade
Messages
7,023
Only way it could work is if the winner of the championship had a higher score in the gradings than the bottom club in SL. That would be a good motivator for everyone to keep working on their scores. Gives opportunity without weakening the whole point grading was brought in. But it'd be a weird feeling for fans not knowing if up or down until the gradings are released.

Tough one in a country where P&R is a strong cultural part of sport.
I just think that they have put this system in and haven’t given it a chance before wanting to switch it up again.
 

Perth Red

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69,518
I just think that they have put this system in and haven’t given it a chance before wanting to switch it up again.
TBF it is only one lower division club that is raising it, and they were never happy with the grading system and voted against it. Though there is strong sentiment amongst many English fans that clubs should be measured on what happens on the field, not on the size of their gantry lol. Personally I think clubs need to accept why its been brought in and live with it for a few seasons whilst they get their sht together.
 

Perth Red

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69,518
English rugby league will never change lol
Culture is a very hard thing to change. How England keeps a vibrant and viable second and third tier without the dream of promotion is a hard question to answer. And until they do there will always be calls for P&R to be in place.
Its not an Australian sport culture so I wouldn't expect you to understand it.
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,538
Culture is a very hard thing to change. How England keeps a vibrant and viable second and third tier without the dream of promotion is a hard question to answer. And until they do there will always be calls for P&R to be in place.
Its not an Australian sport culture so I wouldn't expect you to understand it.
Your the first one to say traditional Sydney clubs should get axed

Those clubs have no place in an elite league and the whole game isn’t progressing because of that

They can’t even support a super league club either

It’s not pre thatcher England lol where you can just go down the pit and pull out a good forward
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,538


Pearson didn’t have the money for it and hull fc have gone backwards big time

The stadium rent deal is killing them

From what I heard they only get revenue from ticket sales up to 7500 (same crowd avg as the boulevard) and the ground keeps the rest

New owners combined wealth is 500 million pounds. They need to look at building fc their own ground


 
Last edited:

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,518
Your the first one to say traditional Sydney clubs should get axed

Those clubs have no place in an elite league and the whole game isn’t progressing because of that

They can’t even support a super league club either

It’s not pre thatcher England lol where you can just go down the pit and pull out a good forward
You seem a bit triggered lol. I didn't say I agreed with it or disagreed with it, I am telling you what it is and why it is difficult to change.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
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69,518
Chat with Keighley Cougars COO on being the club that has the biggest jump in IMG scoring. Ironic considering Keighley are the biggest opponents of the grading system!

 

Krammy

Juniors
Messages
1
Hi there everyone. I am a new member and an Aussie. My team, Balmain, were made to merge with Western Suburbs back in 2000. It was hard to see this happen to both these traditional clubs, but I am now a passionate Wests Tigers fan - even though they are a really disappointing team to follow. We haven't had the P&R system happening throughout our history so I can't comment on that. However, there have been many former clubs, such as Glebe, North Sydney, Newtown, South Brisbane, Illawarra, Perth...who have either been moved to a lower tier or merged with another club or just gone. Reasons for this are probably varied, but would in the end be about not being able to perform as an elite level club...finances, crowds etc. The NRL is an elite competition, I feel, because it demands elite standards. I would love to see Superleague expand, but I do agree on the idea of gaining a Grade A status. If the league would be able to have 14 or 16 teams of Grade A status, you will have an elite Superleague competition and watch what could happen then for RL in the Northern Hemisphere.
 

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