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SL to expand to 14 clubs?

upbonk

Guest
Messages
72
Manchester Evening News Tuesday May 17th 2005.
(Page 8 MEN Sport)


League set to expand.

SUPER League is set to be extended to 1 14-club competition next season.
Representatives of the 12 member clubs meet this week and competition expansion will top the agenda.
The revised format will almost mean no clubs will be relegated at the end of the season.
Two clubs were scheduled to drop out but they have earned a reprive and an official announcement will be made on Thursday (19/5/05)
French club UTC come into Super League next season and will be joined by the National League Grand Final winners providing they meet set standards.
Salford Reds are among the member clubs supporting a 14-team Super League.

Club official Carolyn Derbyshire said: it seems logical with the advent of the French club next year to expand to a 14-team competition.


From Skysports.com:-

A revolution is coming to rugby league on these shores - and you can hear about it first on Boots 'n' All.

This week, RFL chief executive Richard Lewis is the special studio guest, when he will announce a blueprint for the future of the game.


Is Super League ready for expansion?
 

Matt M

Juniors
Messages
707
If the game can support it then it is a great thing. Good to see that they are looking at these options.
 

bazza

Immortal
Messages
31,455
In the SMH today they mentioned that they were looking at Franchises as the way of the future as opposed to promotion/relegation.
I am not sure that this is a good idea
 

coldhardbitch

Juniors
Messages
694
I think it is a great idea, but should relocate teams like hudds and wakey. Widnes and Leigh wouldnt make the cut. whitehaven and cas are better options
 

coldhardbitch

Juniors
Messages
694
The super league should look like this:

Leeds
Bradford
Wigan
Saints
Hull
Salford
London
Warrington
Toulouse
UTC
Whitehaven/Cumbria
South Wales (SW Wildcats-Relocate Wakefield)
Castleford
??
 

hutch

First Grade
Messages
6,810
i agree, i think we need 2 french teams and 1 welsh team in super league. also, london need to stay but have to do something about their crowds which are woeful. but these things cant be rushed, they need to be well thought out. id say they should wait and see how utc go over the next couple of years before making the next move. can we afford to wait?
 

SalfordRedsWA

Juniors
Messages
735
coldhardbitch said:
The super league should look like this:

Leeds
Bradford
Wigan
Saints
Hull
Salford
London
Warrington
Toulouse
UTC
Whitehaven/Cumbria
South Wales (SW Wildcats-Relocate Wakefield)
Castleford
??

Yeah spot on, Id agree. Franchises WILL WORK if done properly. Why is the typical British mental attitude scared of change, even for the better?
P&R is KILLING clubs, cant they see it?
 
Messages
246
coldhardbitch said:
The super league should look like this:

Leeds
Bradford
Wigan
Saints
Hull
Salford
London
Warrington
Toulouse
UTC
Whitehaven/Cumbria
South Wales (SW Wildcats-Relocate Wakefield)
Castleford
??

That's a good list but I would ditch Castleford for Widnes( they are a pretty old club), leave Wakefield as it is and make a whole new Welsh side I'm sure the player talent is there after all they are one of the few countries which have Rugby Union as their national sport and I'm sure a few players would come over with the lure of playing in the ESL.

What I must commend the ESL on is how fast they are going about change, unlike the lazy buggers in the NRL who can't even seem to tie their shoe laces properly.:rolleyes:

And franchises are definately the way to go.
icon14.gif
 

bartman

Immortal
Messages
41,022
Wow, this franchise stuff is almost like when Superleague was first about to happe, with talk of teams in different regions etc, at the expense of traditional teams etc.

I can see why existing Superleague clubs support 14 teams next year, as it will ensure their continued existence. Key questions are how fast they will move to relocation/franchising etc, what scope will there be for clubs/areas not initially included to progress or join, and is the game going to get/seek additional funding/coverage in return?

I need time for all of this to sink into my head...
 

Matt M

Juniors
Messages
707
Frank Endacott was saying in RLW that Widnes are one of the few teams that are in the black (ie making money basically). We really need the SL to sit down and decided who the 12 (or 14 or whatever) best teams are in terms of making SL a better competition.
 

Evil Homer

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
7,178
Or maybe we could judge on on-field performance instead of moving tried and tested clubs to far away places and assuming that they will work?

Don't get me wrong,I'm 100% pro-expansion,but the teams should work their way up from at very least divison 1.The only exception to this rule IMO is teams in France who have been proved to be the neccesary standard i.e. UTC.Putting a team from 'South Wales',while in an ideal world would be great,would almost definately be a disaster if the structure wasn't there.Putting this team in divison 2 and letting themwork their way up would be a much wiser move.

What would help the SL is making divison 1 full-time.This would allow expansion teams to enter at a low level without being thrown in straight away and wouldn't be so disastrous for relegated teams.
 

upbonk

Guest
Messages
72
All Super League and National League clubs agreed to the following:
  • Super League to expand to 14 clubs in the future.
  • Super League membership criteria to be strengthened.
  • Promotion method to be amended.
  • Season calendar to be assessed to reduce demand on elite players.
  • Positive emphasis on devolping club business and increased turnover.
  • Ongoing support for junior player production & coach education programmes.
  • Increased funding for match officials.
Clubs with promotion aspirations must meet stringent off-field criteria, no longer will it be enough to have the player resources to gain promotion, a strong business plan will be a prerequisite. What Richard Lewis was saying is that the top NL1 clubs can, in effect, bid to have a place in SL with support to affect a strong case for SL entry over two or three years before they go up and will have 3 years to make a go of it without fear of relegation. Clubs will have some breathing space in which to develop into organisations capable of adding something to Super League.

This could mean another French club joining SL, or possibly one from South Wales or even another London side was mentioned.

 

bazza

Immortal
Messages
31,455
It doesn't sound too bad. You still have to win NL1 to go up - but you need to have a good stadium, business plan etc to go up.

This would I guess stop some clubs going up - so they need to spend a few years getting it right in NL1 before they can get into Superleague
 

bender

Juniors
Messages
2,231
bazza said:
It doesn't sound too bad. You still have to win NL1 to go up - but you need to have a good stadium, business plan etc to go up.

This would I guess stop some clubs going up - so they need to spend a few years getting it right in NL1 before they can get into Superleague

By the sounds of things to me, the promotion/relegation battle will take place over a 2 or 3 year period as opposed to the 1 year sprint it is now, this can only be a good thing, if that is what it meant.

I think the other thing that needs to happen is the recognition of Super League as a European league. I think the Promotion spot needs to be a playoff position. At the moment the winner of the French league should play the winner of the NL1 competition for the right to promotion to the ESL. The english champ should not get the right automatically.

In the long term, hopefully, Wales, Ireland, Russia etc will one day be able to follow the same path. There needs to be an incentive and path to the ESL without a team having to leave and weaken their native competition (eg the proposal for the Welsh team to enter the div 2 structure).

If the French team is better than the NL1 team, they should be able to play. If a millionaire Russian signs Lockyer, Johns etc to a Russian side and they are better than the NL1 team they should be promoted to the ESL. If Bridgend sign all their union players to the league competition and they are good enough they should qualify for the ESL.
 
Messages
5,746
This all sounds pretty good to me, let's just hope they can get it to work.

What happens at the end of this year if they choose the impliment the system next season? Do we still keep Leigh? what about Castleford?
 

terracesider

Juniors
Messages
883
European expansion is just a left-over from the grandiose nonsense which surounded the original launch of ESL when the E stood for European and, at least according to Unlcle Mo, RL was going to take the world by storm. Well we haven't and we're not going to.

Our game has over a century of expansion behind it and, for a variety of complex resasons, its mostly a history of failure. The major recent succcess was Sheffield and the ESL killed that. do we really neeed more of the same?

As for franchieses, Salford have never done very much except make the numbers up so they could go.
 

Jackal Dog

Juniors
Messages
896
Leigh will never be able to support a proper team it is too small a town which is a shame cause they like their footy but will just never be able to compete against the heavyweights.

Castleford would need a lot of support to become successful.
 

bartman

Immortal
Messages
41,022
They have announced 14 teams from 2008, so no relief for any sides in the relegation battle this year.... http://www.superleague.co.uk/news/1174. It sounds like they're taking time with it so that it works better than if it were rushed in?

As long as the window is never shut for other (existing) clubs to enter, and if it results in any teams going up doing it on a more equal basis than currently, it sounds like it will be good for the game. It sounds like the emphasis is on ensuring clubs compete equally, so I can't read anything into the above story about automatic inclusion or franchising?

More likely it would have to come from bids of existing teams winning their comps (NL1 or France?) and proving their case, so sounds like areas like South Wales would probably need a team to come into the national league and work their way up over time from there, rather than automatic expansion...?
 

DIEHARD

----
Messages
7,037
The Super League Strategy

The full details of a strategy for the future of the engage Super League has been unveiled today.

The RFL’s Executive Chairman Richard Lewis made a presentation to the media alongside RFL Chief Operatiing Officer Nigel Wood.

The main points of the presentation and the strategy are:

Super League is in its tenth season with the engage Super League competition currently enjoying great success on many fronts.

The League is supported by strong broadcast agreements with major partners Sky Sports and secondary rights holders BBC Sport.

Attendances are increasing, an exciting new partnership is in place with a new main sponsor Engage Mutual Assurance, new stadia have been developed with more planned and the Championship deciding Grand Final is a major date in the British sporting calendar.

This success provides a great platform on which to plan and build further progress.

The following are a result of engage Super League clubs resolving that they and the RFL can work collectively towards some agreed aspirations and overall objectives:

Super League to seek to expand to 14 clubs

Super League Membership criteria strengthened / Promotion method amended

Player workload / season calendar assessed

Positive emphasis placed on developing each club’s businesses via marketing and commercial growth

Ongoing RFL support for the currently successful partnerships with clubs which create the Junior Player Production and Coach Education Programmes

‘Employed’ Match Officials operating by 2007 - to enable better preparation and training by leading Match Officials

Commenting on the strategy, the Rugby Football League’s Executive Chairman Richard Lewis said:

"The engage Super League is currently enjoying tremendous all round success and thus the competition has a great platform to build on and move towards further growth.

“The strategy aims to deliver a competition which attracts greater levels of investment, can successfully expand and is the driving force behind Rugby League’s vibrant and successful future”.

Each of the above objectives and aspirations will be supported by a specific schedule of activity to be carried at club level in partnership with the RFL. This will begin as soon as appropriate.

Click here to see Richard Lewis on Super League TV explaining more …..

Stay logged onto www.superleague.co.uk for more information about these important developments for the game of Rugby League and the engage Super League.

This clip may take a few seconds to connect and requires Real Player to view www.real.com

SUPER LEAGUE
 

bartman

Immortal
Messages
41,022
Thanks Diehard.

www.superleague.co.uk have also put an FAQ on their site, with some more details of interest:

SUPER LEAGUE STRATEGY INFORMATION SHEET

Q: Why are you now introducing this Super League strategy

A: The strategy will bring many benefits for the engage Super League competition and for the sport at international, National League and grass roots levels. It will help engage Super League continue to grow and build and will support the many positives we are seeing in terms of the increasing number of young British players and coaches. Also the current system of promotion and relegation, presents difficulties for any club which is promoted to Super League and any relegated club. Basically neither can make long term rational decisions about their futures because of short term pressures placed on them by their change of circumstances. If we look at the experience of Leigh Centurions, it is clear that – although they have performed admirably to date - they had an inappropriate amount of preparation time before the current season.
This contrasts with the 18 months that the UTC club are in the middle of in order to build-up to entry in 2006. This is build-up time is serving them well and helping them bring long term plans to fruition.

Q: Is it right that promotion and relegation between the engage Super League and the LHF National League One is being scrapped?

A: Not in the short term. However, this strategy does set out a system in which admission to engage Super League and demotion from the competition will eventually not be based purely on how a club performs on the field.

Q: But do these plans for the future mean that no LHF National League clubs will be able to gain entry into engage Super League after 2008?

A: Absolutely not. A central principle of the strategy is that all clubs will continue to have a clear pathway to fulfil their ambitions to compete at the highest level of the sport. But it does mean that winning a National League Grand Final will not be sufficient

Q: What will happen at the end of the engage Super League competition this year then?

A: At the end of the current engage Super League season, the club that finishes bottom of the table (12th position) will definitely be relegated to LHF National League One. As previously confirmed this is to allow the entry of the French club UTC ‘Les Catalans’ for the 2006 season. The club that finishes in eleventh position will be relegated providing the winners of the LHF National League Grand Final fulfil the current criteria for promotion. These are the same criteria that have operated in recent seasons and relate to clubs’ financial position and their standards of their stadium (Recently the RFL informed all LHF National League clubs of the work that needed to be carried out prior to 31st August 2005).

Q: What will happen at the end of the engage Super League season in 2006 and 2007?

A: It is anticipated that the system of promotion and relegation between engage Super League and LHF National League One will continue in the same way as in 2005 although the promotion criteria will be reviewed year on year and may be amended.




Q The strategy talks about a review of current engage Super League clubs in 2006. What does this mean?

A: An independent assessment of all engage Super League clubs playing standards, stadium and facilities, finance, management, marketing and administration. Clubs will be advised which areas they need to improve in. This whole process is fundamentally about clubs continuously improving. It is not about trapping clubs into failure. However, it is also important to note that clubs which continually under-perform and do not reach the standards required will jeopardise their place in the engage Super League in the long run.

Q; When would a 14-team Super League kick-off then?

A; Certainly not before 2009 and only when there are 14 clubs in existence which have reached the required standards. What the RFL has done is set a series of targets and standards for existing engage Super League clubs and aspiring LHF National League clubs and potential new clubs. Now these targets have been set, the RFL will work towards identifying and working with clubs to assist their development. Above all though, it should be remembered that Super League will not be restricted into expanding into 14 clubs if this compromises the overall quality of the competition

Q; So what will LHF National League clubs have to do to be considered as members of engage Super League

A; In simple terms they will have to be successful on and off the field. A LHF National League club will have to show that as well as having a successful and strong enough playing squad they have a vibrant administration and infrastructure. When they enter Super League they must be capable of making an impact in the competition and laying down a strong challenge.

Q: How has news of this strategy been received by LHF National League clubs

A: The RFL has consulted LHF National League clubs and they are supportive of this more sophisticated and planned method of entry into the elite competition. They effectively now have a clear ‘road map’ to follow if they want to play at the top level and they are comfortable with that because they think it is the right thing to do for the whole of Rugby League.

Q; Are you talking something away from Rugby League that is big tradition?

A: We believe that Rugby League in the future will be just as exciting if not more. The strengthening of clubs will mean that engage Super League becomes even more competitive and that the LHF National League can be highly attractive to a wide fan base.
The emphasis on clubs improving their organisations means that the whole match day experience will be improved and become an even greater attraction for loyal and new supporters. A Rugby League match can stands on its own merits, on the game-day experience and the rivalry between the clubs. These factors will only get better
 

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