Board index ‹ Kingstone Press Championship ‹ Halifax - FaxFans.co.uk ‹ Would Fax be a logical choice to replace Bradford in SL?

I know some stayaways would be back.
Our stadium should be complete again.
The glory supporters who deserted us for Bradford will be back.
Personally, if Bradford are kicked out, it will be a 13 team league next season,
but were there not rumours Fax would be fast-tracked if a team did go belly up?
I know we would average 5000 a game, and I know we would struggle like Widnes but...
There would be Sky Money to pay for a few Super League journeymen.
Corporate Sponsorship would shoot through the roof.
Who out of our current squad would make the cut in a full-time environment?
Barlow, Penkywicz, Fieldhouse, Robinson, Manning, Ashall? Tyrer?
Would our current board of directors be willing to take on the challenge?

discuss your ideas & opinions

If and its a big IF they invite us (or Fev) in then we should be allowed an automatic pass for the next SL licence farce/procedure. In effect we (or Fev) have 5 years in SL to build rather than 3.

I believe if we get offered the chance to go to super league we should jump at the chance.
If promotion and relegation was still there we would have no choice but to adapt to the super league environment if we were to be promoted. I understand its a little bit different now with the franchise system but i believe we would be as ready as ever given enough time.

If Bradford do go down the pan (which I obviously don't want as a rugby league fan) next week and we are offered the chance to go up don't you think it would be ridiculous to say no?


Maybe i'm wrong but Fax should be back in Super League and competing at the top!!

P.s not that i'm complaining at the Championship because I believe it's getting stronger and stronger. We've also had the luxury as fans to enjoy some silverware in this league so I wouldn't be too disappointed if nothing comes of the super league offer/rumor.

If we had a backer - yes we shouldn't miss the opportunity to COMPETE in SL. We had money in 1985 - looked what happened, look at the success it brought!


If we don't have a backer - no we shouldn't run the risk of betting botty slammed every week. We had no money in 2003 and looked what happened. Misery.





The decision (if asked to make one) is a simple one to make depending on the backer circumstance at the time.

At present Super League appears to be a three tier league, with a group of clubs at the top, another at the bottom with a “floating” group in the middle positions. A split not necessarily based upon ownership but – over a four year average -turnover and support are interesting exemplars of league position. Clearly individual games change this pattern but it over a number of recent seasons it has been the pre play-off outcome

It is my view that any club which continues to manage its finances properly has a good coach and an element of luck (on and off the field) can compete without a “big backer” with the lower half of Super League. Albeit the bigger the regular gates (provided season tickets aren’t sold at mad prices) the better the opportunity presents itself to succeed and move into the middle group – some signings performing above initial value can also help with this push (Chase at Castleford for example).
Such a club would consistently, over a Super League season, loose more games than they win, but not suffer the debacle we had in 2003.

I would accept this for Fax, if nothing else but to see a higher quality of player week in week out. But all fans would need to be realistic about expectations. Provided the club continued to invest in development of young players, continued its commitment to the fans and paid its bills. The present BOD are easily more than capable of achieving this, coupled with further full-time staff support off and on the field and given that we have no debt to start with.

I also feel that Featherstone could also do this under their present regime but I do think that there needs to be some geographical spread in the teams competing under a licence system and having potentially three clubs in such close confines make them less attractive.

Leigh certainly have the ground and the fans but I am less sure that recent history helps their cause or again the proximity of alternative clubs.

I don’t feel others have the facilities or infrastructure at present to do this, and I am sorry but grounds with such a big slope as Batley should never be allowed to compete at the top level, despite the loyalty of their fans and the quality of their chips. The development club at Sheffield doesn’t have the support and we don’t need to extend the game into South Yorkshire again!!.

So put simply if a new club is to get a licence I think it should be Fax and would support an application.

Notwithstanding any of the comments above I am still far from convinced that Super League Rugby in Bradford is doomed. (but that is another topic)

Is it just me that would feel hypocritical if Halifax did get offered the chance to go into Super League??

For years we have bemoaned the Super League criteria and how it had become more about off the field than on it - yet there is an outside chance we may get in because we are the best alternative 'off the field'

Yes - we should strive to be the best we can be, and Super League has to be the ultimate aim, but I for one would feel a lot more comfortable if we were to go up as the best club ON and OFF the pitch!!!

Inoffski1 wrote:

Is it just me that would feel hypocritical if Halifax did get offered the chance to go into Super League??

For years we have bemoaned the Super League criteria and how it had become more about off the field than on it - yet there is an outside chance we may get in because we are the best alternative 'off the field'

Yes - we should strive to be the best we can be, and Super League has to be the ultimate aim, but I for one would feel a lot more comfortable if we were to go up as the best club ON and OFF the pitch!!!

agreed.

Did we average 5K when we finished 3rd in SL? People thinking we will suddenly pick up a load of Bradford fans or that people will come flocking back for SL are sadly deluding themselves.

Personally i dont want to see Fax turn in to a team like Cas, Wakey, Salford, london etc with no hope of ever challenging at the top of SL.

No stay well away, plenty of talk going round that theres a few other clubs that are struggling for cash. Only a matter of time before London go bust. There just isn't enough quality around to have a 14 club division and the decent Aussies aren't coming over anymore as the pound is knaff against the Aussie Dollar. Lets just keep building and step up when the time is right.

The Rugby League "told" us to apply for 2012.
The Rugby League "told" us to inflate our gate so as to average the required 5000.
Then they said no.
Did they "tell" us to apply so it would look as though every team was clamering to enter SL? with no intention of letting us in, after all they helped us write our proposal.
If we are asked to join now our board has a very difficult decision to make. Do we say no, stuff you, you didn't want us before or do we say yes please. After all if we though we could do it last time why not now.
Brian Smith said this week that Super League should be 12 clubs, perhaps this is their opportunity. Bradford out who's next?