Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 9:42 am  

Its all coming out now isn't it this is an excellent article and its good to see more Chairman coming out with THE TRUTH. The RFL have based their model on clubs being run and funded by wealthy backers like at Huddersfield, Widnes, Salford, Wakefield and London to name the ones I know of, weren't Hull KR backed by a money man too? Thats what annoyed me when we got turned down for a SL Franchise as we based our model on income the club generated not a wealthy backer yet Wakey who had gone bust now rely on Mr West Yorkshire Double Glazing and yet the RFL preferred that when money men come and go in time its unsustainable. I am intrigued by the comment's 'Hood has echoed recent comments by Hull KR chairman Neil Hudgell and St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus who both insisted changes must be made in the administration of Super League if it is to have a sustainable future.' Now I hope they means the Fat Controller and his sidekicks and maybe the day is near when they will get the boot but how? Lets hope so but somehow I doubt it as he aint going to leave a well paid job which he has complete control over all things easily is he??? See the article:- http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... ml&BID=480

Its all coming out now isn't it this is an excellent article and its good to see more Chairman coming out with THE TRUTH. The RFL have based their model on clubs being run and funded by wealthy backers like at Huddersfield, Widnes, Salford, Wakefield and London to name the ones I know of, weren't Hull KR backed by a money man too? Thats what annoyed me when we got turned down for a SL Franchise as we based our model on income the club generated not a wealthy backer yet Wakey who had gone bust now rely on Mr West Yorkshire Double Glazing and yet the RFL preferred that when money men come and go in time its unsustainable. I am intrigued by the comment's 'Hood has echoed recent comments by Hull KR chairman Neil Hudgell and St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus who both insisted changes must be made in the administration of Super League if it is to have a sustainable future.' Now I hope they means the Fat Controller and his sidekicks and maybe the day is near when they will get the boot but how? Lets hope so but somehow I doubt it as he aint going to leave a well paid job which he has complete control over all things easily is he??? See the article:- http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... ml&BID=480

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:30 am  

McManus has said a similar thing at Saints; "We need to review every initiative taken over the last decade and to entirely re-evaluate our commercial platform, particularly for Super League as, without this premier rugby league competition being in a strong financial position, the game has no sustainable future....." "We need transparency, honesty, bravery and decisiveness to admit where mistakes have been made and to remedy them forthwith. "We need leadership, decisive action and a game which is governed and structured in a way that brings commercial stability to all and an investment case for all." http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/12/04/06/RUGBYL_Bradford_McManus.html&BID=480

McManus has said a similar thing at Saints; "We need to review every initiative taken over the last decade and to entirely re-evaluate our commercial platform, particularly for Super League as, without this premier rugby league competition being in a strong financial position, the game has no sustainable future....." "We need transparency, honesty, bravery and decisiveness to admit where mistakes have been made and to remedy them forthwith. "We need leadership, decisive action and a game which is governed and structured in a way that brings commercial stability to all and an investment case for all." http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/12/04/06/RUGBYL_Bradford_McManus.html&BID=480

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:56 am  

The Dors wrote: McManus has said a similar thing at Saints; "We need to review every initiative taken over the last decade and to entirely re-evaluate our commercial platform, particularly for Super League as, without this premier rugby league competition being in a strong financial position, the game has no sustainable future....." "We need transparency, honesty, bravery and decisiveness to admit where mistakes have been made and to remedy them forthwith. "We need leadership, decisive action and a game which is governed and structured in a way that brings commercial stability to all and an investment case for all." http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/12/04/06/RUGBYL_Bradford_McManus.html&BID=480 It backs up what I have been arguing with lots of people for years, yer its okay to have these big crowds in SL like yesterday BUT if they are not all full paying spectators and getting in for a fiver or a tenner, £60/£80 season tickets or for free in many cases then it will come back and bite that club in the backside, like at Bradford, its okay selling cheap season tickets to say look how many fans we have but it is reducing the income a club has and in the long term is only going to make that club struggle. If 5K fans pay full price then its worth the same financially as 10K at half price or 15K at a third of the price. The RFL have been obssessed with inflated crowd figures when they should be encouraging clubs to maximise their income, yer give some kids tickets away and market your club to NEW fans but the loyal fans will pay a reasonable amount come what may and we should not struggle to sell out an England/GB v Australia match come on!, I got in for a tenner last year which is ridiculous really. I would like to see honesty in the game and true crowd figures not this count every ticket issuedwether the fans come to the match or not to print a bigger crowd figure just to say how good the game is, when in fact is it as we are having to reduce the price of the product to get people there!

The Dors wrote: McManus has said a similar thing at Saints; "We need to review every initiative taken over the last decade and to entirely re-evaluate our commercial platform, particularly for Super League as, without this premier rugby league competition being in a strong financial position, the game has no sustainable future....." "We need transparency, honesty, bravery and decisiveness to admit where mistakes have been made and to remedy them forthwith. "We need leadership, decisive action and a game which is governed and structured in a way that brings commercial stability to all and an investment case for all." http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/12/04/06/RUGBYL_Bradford_McManus.html&BID=480 It backs up what I have been arguing with lots of people for years, yer its okay to have these big crowds in SL like yesterday BUT if they are not all full paying spectators and getting in for a fiver or a tenner, £60/£80 season tickets or for free in many cases then it will come back and bite that club in the backside, like at Bradford, its okay selling cheap season tickets to say look how many fans we have but it is reducing the income a club has and in the long term is only going to make that club struggle. If 5K fans pay full price then its worth the same financially as 10K at half price or 15K at a third of the price. The RFL have been obssessed with inflated crowd figures when they should be encouraging clubs to maximise their income, yer give some kids tickets away and market your club to NEW fans but the loyal fans will pay a reasonable amount come what may and we should not struggle to sell out an England/GB v Australia match come on!, I got in for a tenner last year which is ridiculous really. I would like to see honesty in the game and true crowd figures not this count every ticket issuedwether the fans come to the match or not to print a bigger crowd figure just to say how good the game is, when in fact is it as we are having to reduce the price of the product to get people there!

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:09 am  

Be careful what you wish for, some of these guys want fewer clubs in SL and a bigger slice of the TV money.
Giving more money to fewer clubs will only have us stumbling to the next crisis and wont benefit the whole game, they think they are the heartlands and some of these did not speak up, when Halifax, Leigh, Swinton, Whitehaven, Blackpool etc hit troubles, they could well end up closing ranks even further and taking the game even further away from honest roots.

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:28 am  

justthebasicfax wrote:

Be careful what you wish for, some of these guys want fewer clubs in SL and a bigger slice of the TV money.

With more competent individuals in charge and developing a more credible game could lead to more tv money. One possible reason tv money isnt that great is that the only entertaining games are those where there is something to play for. A clash between the bottom two sides is in a way a pointless excercise and not one to draw in the neutral viewer.

They need to look at improving the game throughout, rather than just focusing on SL. Bring back promotion and relegation, ensure clubs live within their means (even if that means the best talent going to RU or Australia) and focus on what is good about the game rather than ridiculous visions of what they want it to be.

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:41 am  

Bubba wrote:

With more competent individuals in charge and developing a more credible game could lead to more tv money. One possible reason tv money isnt that great is that the only entertaining games are those where there is something to play for. A clash between the bottom two sides is in a way a pointless excercise and not one to draw in the neutral viewer.

They need to look at improving the game throughout, rather than just focusing on SL. Bring back promotion and relegation, ensure clubs live within their means (even if that means the best talent going to RU or Australia) and focus on what is good about the game rather than ridiculous visions of what they want it to be.

agree, the franchise system is not only NOT working but helping support unsustainable clubs and slowly killing the sport.

Bring back what the sport is all about, competition and proper P&R battles. With the correct controls in place (salary caps) "natural selection" will take of the rest.

Balloon payments upon relegation can always be introduced to help clubs quickly re-model their finances without going bust.

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:13 pm  

This garbage is still on the RFL site: Lewis explained that the rigorous assessment process to which the licence application of every club is subjected had prompted the decision by Crusaders to withdraw their application. “As part of the on-going scrutiny applied by the thoroughness of the licensing process Crusaders decided to withdraw their Licence application,” he said. “The RFL will now enter into discussions with Crusaders regarding their possible participation in the Co-operative Championship. The final decision on the awarding of licences was made by the RFL’s independent Board of Directors following a detailed assessment process by the RFL Executive, who received valuable support from property consultants Savills, finance company KPMG and governance and business management experts at Leeds Metropolitan University. “As welcome as the improvements in grades are, it is just one element of proof that licensing is meeting its objectives of driving up standards. Lewis said there will be no relaxation in the desire to drive up standards and has warned the clubs which have been awarded a C Grade licence that they cannot rest on their laurels. “The RFL’s independent Board of Directors reserves the right to revoke any licence awarded for the period 2012 to 2014 if it feels a club is failing, or not fulfilling, its obligations to help the competition meet the objectives of investment and growth,” he said. “This is not a new provision, but the RFL will be subjecting those clubs whose applications are largely predicated upon future undertakings or with variable performance against past promises, to more rigorous assessment during the next licence period. Membership of the Super League demands high standards.” http://www.therfl.co.uk/licensing

This garbage is still on the RFL site: Lewis explained that the rigorous assessment process to which the licence application of every club is subjected had prompted the decision by Crusaders to withdraw their application. “As part of the on-going scrutiny applied by the thoroughness of the licensing process Crusaders decided to withdraw their Licence application,” he said. “The RFL will now enter into discussions with Crusaders regarding their possible participation in the Co-operative Championship. The final decision on the awarding of licences was made by the RFL’s independent Board of Directors following a detailed assessment process by the RFL Executive, who received valuable support from property consultants Savills, finance company KPMG and governance and business management experts at Leeds Metropolitan University. “As welcome as the improvements in grades are, it is just one element of proof that licensing is meeting its objectives of driving up standards. Lewis said there will be no relaxation in the desire to drive up standards and has warned the clubs which have been awarded a C Grade licence that they cannot rest on their laurels. “The RFL’s independent Board of Directors reserves the right to revoke any licence awarded for the period 2012 to 2014 if it feels a club is failing, or not fulfilling, its obligations to help the competition meet the objectives of investment and growth,” he said. “This is not a new provision, but the RFL will be subjecting those clubs whose applications are largely predicated upon future undertakings or with variable performance against past promises, to more rigorous assessment during the next licence period. Membership of the Super League demands high standards.” http://www.therfl.co.uk/licensing

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:40 pm  

We were also criticised for our forecasts. Clearly, the Bradford forecasts were wildly inaccurate. That should be taken into account at the next licence award. But somehow I doubt it!

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Sat Apr 07, 2012 7:12 pm  

so bulls blame the RFL for running their business into the ground - think they need to look a bit closer to home

There are many problems within the sport, but they are all caused by the majority of clubs being in hock to the next SL handout from the RFL and as such have become nodding donkeys to Red Hall - i suggest they all invest in a mirror if their 7 figure overdrafts can stretch that far....

It really makes me laugh that Halifax were criticised for using realistic figures in their last bid.

Re: Bradford Chairman writes some sense on the state of SL : Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:00 pm  

It's been rumoured that RFL officials at the HQ Red Hall are more than a little impressed at the efforts of the self-professed peoples' team Bradford Bulls in their recent plight of financial hardship in reaching their initial target of £500,000 just in the nick of time and they're now toying with the concept of their very successful & unique to SL and indeed the sport of RL itself "clubcall" event which has for the most recent couple of SL season's been slotted into the calendar during the end of season play-off's series of knockout fixtures.
The thinking behind bringing this forward in the calendar is as follows:
The Bulls haven't reached the play-off's for a number of consecutive seasons now & rather than run the risk of them going bust or into administration and getting relegated due to the impending points deduction and missing out on another shot at the prize money & extra gate receipts, if they can now use the "clubcall" and select the next recipients of the collection buckets they can pass on their recent experiences to whoever they decide are the weaker of their opposition within the SL group of clubs, but to add a further intriguing twist they cannot select a development area club or one with a stadium which already fits SL current criteria. This is to enable the governing body to remain loyal to the current struggling clubs within SL so that it can, regardless of any financial auditing that may have already taken place by any independant organisations, actually purchase the stadium prior to the fortunate club receiving their collection buckets.
An innovative concept was how a spokesman from the RFL described it, as he as he wiped the ketchup sauce from the double-breasted lapels of his marquee sized jacket.