Loop fixtures : Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:51 pm  

If the majority of the current 12 Super League clubs get their way at the EGM on Friday, they will play 29 League fixtures next year. The other 11 home and away. A Magic Weekend match. Then play 6 out of the 12 three times!! How, when and who decides who plays who, where and when? Do they get to make it up when the time comes or is there a fixed basis for this published in advance? Can't imagine Premier League soccer carrying on like this.

Re: Loop fixtures : Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:26 pm  

Whilst I don’t want to see loop fixtures, the best way to organise them would be based on the previous seasons finish

So 1st plays 2nd-4th-6th-8th-10th-12th
2nd plays 1st-3rd-5th-7th-9th-11th
Etc.

That way you can have you full league fixtures sorted and revealed in one around November.

Re: Loop fixtures : Tue Sep 11, 2018 11:14 pm  

Fax and furious wrote:

If the majority of the current 12 Super League clubs get their way at the EGM on Friday, they will play 29 League fixtures next year. The other 11 home and away. A Magic Weekend match. Then play 6 out of the 12 three times!! How, when and who decides who plays who, where and when? Do they get to make it up when the time comes or is there a fixed basis for this published in advance? Can't imagine Premier League soccer carrying on like this.

I don't see any long term benfit of loop fixtures. It's just a money grab designed to get an extra few quid out of existing fans......and didn't wigan just have their first sub 10k gate in decades when they played Wakefield for the 3rd time this year? Fan fatigue will see yet another system scrapped after a few years.....and if your team get the joy of paying for 2 trips to Toronto a year before the pay-offs, I am sure the novelty will wear off quicker. Toronto claimed £300,000 over 7 games, so if you get them twice in the regular season and then again in the play-offs, that's £129,000 you'll have to find......imagine if you're a side like Wakefield or Salford, living hand to mouth on a strict budget...£129,000 in travel costs will cripple you.

Re: Loop fixtures : Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:02 am  

The play offs are also set to go back to the top 5 system (despite the hissy fits when Leeds won it from 5th), which often results in the same two teams meeting twice in the play offs.

This change along with loop fixtures means you could look forward to playing the same team 7 times in one season, how ridiculous. Get 14 teams in Super League and stop the loop fixtures nonsense.

Teams to meet 7 times.
1 pre season friendly, 3 times in the regular season, 1 cup game, 2 play off games.

Re: Loop fixtures : Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:08 am  

This has all the indications that we are creating another temporary fix for want of any real idea of what to do.

Re: Loop fixtures : Wed Sep 12, 2018 6:17 am  

Fax and furious wrote:

If the majority of the current 12 Super League clubs get their way at the EGM on Friday, they will play 29 League fixtures next year. The other 11 home and away. A Magic Weekend match. Then play 6 out of the 12 three times!! How, when and who decides who plays who, where and when? Do they get to make it up when the time comes or is there a fixed basis for this published in advance? Can't imagine Premier League soccer carrying on like this.

Would it not be the top/bottom 6 of this year playing each other - similar to the NRL I believe, sure someone will correct me if not

Re: Loop fixtures : Wed Sep 12, 2018 7:12 am  

A lot of the clubs in SL require at least 14 home games a year to survive, so loop fixtures are inevitable unless the number of teams is increased.

Re: Loop fixtures : Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:02 am  

I love the hull derby with me been a hull kr fan but the only games between us I want to see are home and away and if we meet in any cup games not 7 bloody games it will kill the gates

Re: Loop fixtures : Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:06 am  

'Loop fixtures' (playing some teams twice and some teams three times) makes us look Micky Mouse compared with Soccer (& even RU).

23 league matches (11 home, 11 Away & Magic) in Super League should be enough if the club chairmen get their marketing investment and effort right. Then the season could start in the Spring (not Winter).

If 11 home matches are not enough for them then the EGM on Friday should decide on a new structure from 2020 with a 14 team Super League (not 2019) so they have plenty of time to prepare for the reduced split of SKY money per club for the last 2 years of the current contract in 2020 and 2021.

So, keep current structure for 2019 but agree from 2020:

14 team Super League: Top 5 play-offs leading to Grand Final. Bottom 2 relegated.

14 team Championship. Team finishing top promoted. Teams finishing 2, 3, 4 & 5 play-off for 2nd promotion place. Bottom 2 relegated

League 1: (to include 'new' teams on applying for RFL membership) Team finishing top promoted. Teams finishing 2, 3, 4 & 5 play-off for 2nd promotion place.

'SKY' money allocated to Championship clubs to be split equally
'SKY' money allocated to League 1 clubs to be split equally

It's up to SL clubs to decide if they want a system to allocate any of their money to one or both of the relegated clubs as 'parachute' payment.

To achieve this structure, the Middle 8 Qualifiers at the end of 2019 season would involve the clubs finishing in the Top 6 being in Super League in 2020 without the need for a 'Million Pound Game.'

After agreeing this on Friday it would be over to Mr Elstone to negotiate the required TV contract from 2022.

Re: Loop fixtures : Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:38 am  

Isn't this kind of what happens in the NRL? It's not a straightforward set of fixtures over there either but they don't seem to have an issue with it.