Who'll be SL 12th club?

[Perth Red]

Seems it’s between
Bradford
toulouse
Feath
York
London

 

[TDD91]

Leigh have applied as well.

I'd like it to be Toulouse or London. Got a horrible feeling they'll bring up Bradford though.

 

[adamkungl]

Toulouse - Great option. Tick every box except being based a few turns off the M62. Would send the message that ambition is not dead and buried for Super league.

London - potentially great option. I think their stadium is a black mark against their name. Crowds are limited. There are great soccer grounds in west London not far from Ealing that are better located for transport and would make for a much more professional home.

Bradford - would bring a lot of rusted on fans back into the fold, but has had so many financial issues and dodgy dealings in the last decade that they make Toronto Wolfpack look like a well oiled machine. It would be a slap in the face to Canada to bring them back.

York - growth potential and semi-genuine expansion, just not very far. Good club on the rise.

Leigh and Featherstone - strong Championship clubs but bring nothing to Super League that isn't already there. Very limited scope for growth, slim chance of staying in the top grade for more than a year.

 

[Tigers1986]

Sentimental favourite - Bradford

Logical favourite - Toulouse

 

[Pommy]

I'm not sure why but I feel like they've already decided its going to be Bradford. Hope I'm wrong but I just think that's the way they will go and its not been in doubt.

 

[ed612313]

If it is t toulous and off the back of toro to SL can get f**ked.
Admittedly london need to be playing also.

 

[Taking The Two]

The box ticking is a wasted exercise as Elstone has said something along the lines of “having discretion to overlook certain things”, which makes it look like it’s pointed towards a Bradford Bulls return, sadly.

I think it’s all a joke anyway. They’re giving them less central funding despite them coming in late, they’re not giving them any exemptions that they should be getting (e.g - no relegation for x years) and as yet, we’re not sure for definite whether we’re actually playing for relegation or not.

The best choice is Toulouse Olympique, by some distance too.

We only have to look at the impact of a strategic plan around PNG and Fiji to see how they’re improving and giving Australia and New Zealand more games of higher quality and a harder test, whilst England refuse to acknowledge anyone up here and are, in my opinion, dropping like a stone as a national team. We’re going back to England v The Exiles it seems for 2021, sadly. In a year where we’re planning on 27 weekly rounds, the Challenge Cup and a six team play-off, we’re shoehorning a faux test in, between the Cup Semi and Final, it’s farcical.

 

[Perth Red]

My choice in order of preference (and admittedly not having seen the bids submissions) would be
1. Toulouse
2. London if they moved grounds
3. York

if Bradford had a serious money backer I’d put them top, if they can get anything like they were back at start of SL they would be a massive asset to the top tier. But it’s a big if.

 

[Taking The Two]

My choice in order of preference (and admittedly not having seen the bids submissions) would be
1. Toulouse
2. London if they moved grounds
3. York

if Bradford had a serious money backer I’d put them top, if they can get anything like they were back at start of SL they would be a massive asset to the top tier. But it’s a big if.

The absolute last thing London need is another ground move.

 

[blue bags]

bring back Halifax White sox

 

[langpark]

Toulouse - Great option. Tick every box except being based a few turns off the M62. Would send the message that ambition is not dead and buried for Super league.

London - potentially great option. I think their stadium is a black mark against their name. Crowds are limited. There are great soccer grounds in west London not far from Ealing that are better located for transport and would make for a much more professional home.

Bradford - would bring a lot of rusted on fans back into the fold, but has had so many financial issues and dodgy dealings in the last decade that they make Toronto Wolfpack look like a well oiled machine. It would be a slap in the face to Canada to bring them back.

York - growth potential and semi-genuine expansion, just not very far. Good club on the rise.

Leigh and Featherstone - strong Championship clubs but bring nothing to Super League that isn't already there. Very limited scope for growth, slim chance of staying in the top grade for more than a year.

I think that's a pretty accurate assessment of them all. Though I am a bit sick of hearing paranoid comments about the M62.

For me, it has to be Toulouse as well. Another thing that has pleasantly surprised me in their campaign is that the presidents of Stade Toulousain and Catalans Dragons (their potentially two biggest rivals/obstacles) have publicly endorsed their bid. That is especially important that they are guaranteed unobstructed use of Stade Ernest Wallon, which meets SL criteria 10-fold.

One thing that does concern me though (as I have mentioned on other forums too) is how much of an endangered species Frenchmen have now become at Catalans Dragons. If Toulouse are planning on going down the same route, then I don't see the point of them joining. But, of course time will tell, so for the time being, they are the ones I am hoping get in.

The absolute last thing London need is another ground move.

Agreed, they have moved around far too many times over the years. That said, their current venue is embarrassing even in Championship, let alone SL. So if they can get something resembling a stadium set up there relatively quickly, then that would be great.


PS: there is also a spot up for grabs in the Championship. I know Workington, Rochdale, Barrow and Doncaster have applied so far. I don't know if Newcastle have applied but it would be great if they did! I think out of the current applicants, not much separates them.

 

[Pommy]

The absolute last thing London need is another ground move.

Why?

 

[adamkungl]

The absolute last thing London need is another ground move.

It's a bit of a catch 22 situation
Moving makes them look a bit unstable.
But is it better to be stable if the situation is completely unfit for professional leagues?

There are a number of grounds nearby that could suit nicely.
Brentford new stadium is just down the road and would keep the same community connection.
QPR or Twickenham Stoop are also not too far, would be outstanding in Super League.

 

[Perth Red]

It's a bit of a catch 22 situation
Moving makes them look a bit unstable.
But is it better to be stable if the situation is completely unfit for professional leagues?

There are a number of grounds nearby that could suit nicely.
Brentford new stadium is just down the road and would keep the same community connection.
QPR or Twickenham Stoop are also not too far, would be outstanding in Super League.

They should be trying to lock in a ten year deal at Brentford and get to work building a fan base at a decent ground. Their current one is only fit for an amateur side, Brentford is close to current base so not a big upheavel.
if they stay they are unlikely to ever get back into a licensed SL. Unfortunately there arent many 15k ish decent stadium sin London. most of them are 25k+.

 

[Tigers1986]

Didn't they use to play at The Stoop as Harlequins?

Feasibly does the UK have the ability to return to a 14-team top tier competition? If they can, that's when I'd put Bradford and London back in.

 

[Perth Red]

Sadly sky are paying less in the next tv deal so I can’t see sl expanding to 14 clubs anytime soon.

 

[Taking The Two]

It's a bit of a catch 22 situation
Moving makes them look a bit unstable.
But is it better to be stable if the situation is completely unfit for professional leagues?

There are a number of grounds nearby that could suit nicely.
Brentford new stadium is just down the road and would keep the same community connection.
QPR or Twickenham Stoop are also not too far, would be outstanding in Super League.

It’s not a catch 22 situation in the slightest.

They’ve spent years being nomadic and bouncing around football grounds every few years with little position to establish themselves anywhere. Ealing offers that. They’ve been able to put in a stand behind the sticks there and were in the process of putting offices in under that stand.

Ealing offers them to be completely in-house. For years, they’ve trained in one place, their Academy played in another and the first team played elsewhere. At Ealing, they can do all of that in one place.

That’s before you even discuss the levels of rent with sharing at a second tier Rugby Union side with what they’d be charged for playing at a brand new stadium at Brentford or elsewhere.

 

[Taking The Two]

Didn't they use to play at The Stoop as Harlequins?

Feasibly does the UK have the ability to return to a 14-team top tier competition? If they can, that's when I'd put Bradford and London back in.

Super League probably could expand to fourteen teams. There’s a handful of clearly ambitious Championship clubs in the likes of Leigh Centurions, Featherstone Rovers, Toulouse Olympique, London Broncos and York City Knights with a couple of old Super League clubs in the likes of Bradford Bulls, Widnes Vikings and Halifax wanting to get back there, though they’re probably quite far down the list of clubs ready to step up, though it looks like we’re getting Bradford as the twelfth club anyway.

That said, a fourteen team league requires Super League teams to cut loop fixtures. Fans don’t particularly care for loop fixtures but are they going to vote to lose an additional home game against their nearest rivals to vote in home games against London or someone else? Unlikely. They’d also have to share the TV money across a wider range of clubs, so they’d get a smaller share and too many people have too much to lose when it comes to the administration of the game, so they won’t vote for a smaller share.

 

[Perth Red]

It’s not a catch 22 situation in the slightest.

They’ve spent years being nomadic and bouncing around football grounds every few years with little position to establish themselves anywhere. Ealing offers that. They’ve been able to put in a stand behind the sticks there and were in the process of putting offices in under that stand.

Ealing offers them to be completely in-house. For years, they’ve trained in one place, their Academy played in another and the first team played elsewhere. At Ealing, they can do all of that in one place.

That’s before you even discuss the levels of rent with sharing at a second tier Rugby Union side with what they’d be charged for playing at a brand new stadium at Brentford or elsewhere.

Its a local union amateur ground. Its not fit for SL, and wont be fit for SL without a shed load of money spending on it. Its capacity is 4,000 with just 2,000 seats and no corporate facilities for goodness sake! If London want to stay there thats fine, but in a semi prof league befitting the ground. In fact there's probably some third tier comp grounds better than that one. If they dont have the money to pay rent on a decent stadium that can attract fans and sponsors they don't belong in SL, end of.

 

[Taking The Two]

Its a local union amateur ground. Its not fit for SL, and wont be fit for SL without a shed load of money spending on it. Its capacity is 4,000 with just 2,000 seats and no corporate facilities for goodness sake! If London want to stay there thats fine, but in a semi prof league befitting the ground. In fact there's probably some third tier comp grounds better than that one. If they dont have the money to pay rent on a decent stadium that can attract fans and sponsors they don't belong in SL, end of.

It’s a second tier Rugby Union ground, so not amateur at all. It was fit for Super League last year and does have corporate facilities but apart from all of that, it’s a great point you’re making.