Re: Fans committee meeting. : Sat Aug 27, 2016 5:47 pm  

I'm trying to be positive for Donny DM !!
I'd much rather see the Eagles survive and live happily ever after.

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Sun Aug 28, 2016 10:44 am  

sanjunien wrote:

I'm trying to be positive for Donny DM !!
I'd much rather see the Eagles survive and live happily ever after.

I know.

It's no good at all for the game if any club goes under. When a side relies on one backer, if that backer pulls out, they're at risk. That seems like the situation at both York and Sheffield.

I have concerns as to where Salford will be if Marwan Koukash leaves them.

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Sun Aug 28, 2016 1:57 pm  

I have to say (and i'm not being patronising) that the so-called lesser clubs like Hemel, Oxford, Coventry etc who have come to Toulouse have been great this season, much better than I had imagined. There's some great coaching going on at this level which has to be good for the future.

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Sun Aug 28, 2016 4:33 pm  

sanjunien wrote:

I have to say (and i'm not being patronising) that the so-called lesser clubs like Hemel, Oxford, Coventry etc who have come to Toulouse have been great this season, much better than I had imagined. There's some great coaching going on at this level which has to be good for the future.

I'm all for developing the game in newer areas. I think the people who have grasped the nettle and set up clubs in these areas need to be applauded. The issue as I see it is that there is very little support for the game in these development areas but this is probably due to a chicken and egg situation. All supporters want to watch a winning side. Even with a winning side, it's very difficult to attract supporters but when you're getting beaten by large margins, it makes it almost impossible to build a fan base. The newer clubs have a huge obstacles to overcome.

I believe all clubs have to play at a level they can be competitive at. That means a league needs to be comprised of teams of similar ability. At the moment there are too many teams who aren't competitive and that makes Championship One a poor division, coupled with the terrible fixture format we have.

For everyone's sake the league needs to be split in two to make every game competitive. Quite how this split should be done will be dependent on whether all current teams make it into the 2017 season. I love rugby and want to see it thrive but the present format will kill the game, not develop it. You only need to look at the declining attendances to see the evidence.

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Sun Aug 28, 2016 4:42 pm  

If C1 is split in 2 , would probably have to play each other 3 times.

I would get rid of the League Cup & play each other twice.

You know it mkes sense , about time the clubs stood upto the RFL .

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Sun Aug 28, 2016 5:44 pm  

weighman wrote:

If C1 is split in 2 , would probably have to play each other 3 times.

I would get rid of the League Cup & play each other twice.

You know it mkes sense , about time the clubs stood upto the RFL .

I agree we need to knock the League Cup on the head. I was looking at the structure of the different leagues the other day. The Super League start in the first week of February with their Grand Final around 10th October. There are 36 weeks between the start and end date.

Super League teams play 23 games in the first part of the season (everyone home and away plus the Magic Weekend). They play 7 more games in the Super 8s bringing the total to 30. They have two more games if they get to the Grand Final, plus the Challenge cup which could be another 4 games. They have an off-season of 16 weeks.

We need to consider the players' welfare at our level as they're not full-time but we also have to play enough home games for fans to stay interested otherwise people find something else to do on a Sunday.

If Championship One was split into two leagues of eight and we played each other home and away twice, it would produce a 28 game season. There could then be a play-off semi-final and a final; that would give 30 games. We could also realistically have two Challenge cup matches, possibly three. That would bring the total to 32 or 33 games. That would be 32 or 33 games in a 36 week season, if we started and finished at the same time as Super League.

Championship sides have a 32 or 33 game season. They play 23 games (including summer bash) plus seven more after the league splits. They have two or possibly three Challenge cup games as well, bringing their total to 32 or 33 games.

Surely we could have a season that involves the same number of games as the Championship. It would mean getting rid of the iPro Cup to accommodate it.

Keep the format simple: Have an 8 team league with everyone playing each other home and away twice; ditch the iPro cup.

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Sun Aug 28, 2016 6:22 pm  

Yes, that would make sense DM but I would have P & R of at least one club between the new C1 & C2. I have to admit I was happy to support the present system at the start of this season but now I see the problems it causes. It's true the present system isn't great though could we expect the Canadian side to start in C2 ? I would imagine any such plan would start the season after they gain promotion to the Championship.

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Sun Aug 28, 2016 10:41 pm  

sanjunien wrote:

Yes, that would make sense DM but I would have P & R of at least one club between the new C1 & C2. I have to admit I was happy to support the present system at the start of this season but now I see the problems it causes. It's true the present system isn't great though could we expect the Canadian side to start in C2 ? I would imagine any such plan would start the season after they gain promotion to the Championship.

I agree there would have to be a promotion and relegation structure between Championship 1 and Championship 2 but the initial problem we're trying to resolve is to create a league season that will provide interest amongst fans and win back the supporters we're presently losing, before the game dies.

I take quite a tough line with new clubs. They all have to start at the bottom and work their way up. Just because they're called Toronto and potentially have a fat bank balance doesn't mean we should do them any favours. All clubs should have to prove they deserve promotion through on-field performances, not by declaring intent.

What would the criteria be for deciding which league a new team would start in? It's a smoke filled room job, with politics ruling the day. I don't like that idea. promotion by merit is the only way.

I hope John Scarrow and the other chairmen are getting to work on this issue. I don't know whether any changes to this crazy league can be made for next season but a proper plan needs to be sorted and put into place as soon as possible.

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Mon Aug 29, 2016 7:31 am  

I would be very surprised to see any changes for next season, keeping the format for next season suits Toronto, as it did Toulouse this one, in minimising travel costs, which if you believe what is said, they are paying for the costs of the other clubs travel etc, personally I don't, I have not a doubt in my mind that it will change the season after, cynical I know, but that is how rugby league has got me.

Re: Fans committee meeting. : Mon Aug 29, 2016 7:47 am  

Why can't it be that at the end of the normal league season in all three leagues that at the very least the team that finishes top of there division are automatically promoted to the higher division & the team that finishes at the bottom of there division are relegated to the division below them.