The emergence of RL in Barrow/Cumbria : Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:15 pm  

Alot of people on here have very strong views r.e Rugby league in cumbria and believe there should be a team in superleague, it now look's like Barrow are going in the right direction, there are a few questions to be asked though? Crowd? Stadia? being just 2, does anybody have an idea if they apllied last time round?

: Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:23 pm  

I`m sure they could get crowds that are at least on a par or better than both Salford and Quins, like ourselves and other clubs they need a backer to enable them to get a modern stadium. The only problem Barrow have is their is already a Tesco right by the ground so getting a supermarket to come on board which seems to be the in thing these days doesn`t look like an option for them.

Super League needs a club in Cumbria IMO, how they will do it i don`t know and i don`t have the answers. You don`t hear of the RFL breaking their backs to get things rolling in Cumbria like they have done for South Wales twice and now France twice.

: Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:28 pm  

Rob Wire wrote:

I`m sure they could get crowds that are at least on a par or better than both Salford and Quins, like ourselves and other clubs they need a backer to enable them to get a modern stadium. The only problem Barrow have is their is already a Tesco right by the ground so getting a supermarket to come on board which seems to be the in thing these days doesn`t look like an option for them.

Super League needs a club in Cumbria IMO, how they will do it i don`t know and i don`t have the answers. You don`t hear of the RFL breaking their backs to get things rolling in Cumbria like they have done for South Wales twice and now France twice.

They had 2,500 there tonight which was pretty good for a Thursday night game against a French team.

That said, don't they get 800 free tickets to give away from the Co-op sponsorship for the TV games. Either way, it is a good starting point.

: Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:30 pm  

Dp the barrow football team play the same gaff?

: Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:52 pm  

Interesting fact (I believe) about Cumbria is that there are more Londoners now playing in Super League than Cumbrians.

How often is Cumbria stated to be a breeding ground for top level rugby players? urban myth?

: Thu Jul 02, 2009 9:57 pm  

Wonder if the topic would be as vocal if they didnt have a rich banker (Barrow).

: Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:07 pm  

it would be the same scenario as when leigh got in super league,lots of talk about it being an rl hotbed,but the small number of diehard fans never increases,a bit like wigan being in the premiership in football,they could be playing the top sides but the attendances would be disapointing.
a massive cash injection and a franchaise wouldn't make any difference as they have not been a worthy side in their own right for 50 years,as for a merged cumbrian team,forget it,theres more chance of ron jeremy slipping kd lang one.

: Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:45 pm  

thanks mark for starting this thead as was tempted to start something similar albiet reemergance. as much as I am for expansion it needs to be in areas of traditional interest first, south of France for example over London. media centricity aside. I would welcome a cumbrian side into super league whole heartedly and believe the crowds would back it. there is scope for celtic and dublin, barca, etc in due course and I hope this kind of thing could happen for our sport.....But... by giving teams access to the top flight too soon or creating sides artificially like paris at the detriment of cumbria which could decide to ignore theo sport if ignored

: Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:51 pm  

People talk about things being done to the detriment of Cumbria, however let's no forget that Workington were in SL from the start.

If Cumbria was such a hotbed of RL, there would be loads of Cumbrians knocking around in SL, however I think the truth is that whilst they have a fair few amateur teams, they are no better than any other area, and at least those other clubs have managed to attract the investment and sort themselves out to make them strong enough to compete in SL.

People also talk about the RFL helping some clubs. The RFL have looked to expand the game, I don't believe any 'traditional' clubs have had any assistance, yet SL is full of these 'traditional' clubs. The fact is that none of the Cumbrian clubs have been anywhere near strong enough to make it, just like Leigh and many other clubs.

Why should the RFL give the likes of Cumbria a leg up over the likes of Oldham, Rochdale, Hunslet etc?

These clubs have been round for years, and if they were strong enough, they would be in.

: Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:37 am  

Barrow do have a wealthy backer,own their ground and are debt free.
Give me a Cumbrian team any day over 1 from Wales or London.