Id say the difference between us and Fev is that being in London, PT will make it more difficult to recruit any northerners to come down, and I cant really see a PT side in SL, just would not work
Id say the difference between us and Fev is that being in London, PT will make it more difficult to recruit any northerners to come down, and I cant really see a PT side in SL, just would not work
I think you would be surprised. Do you know how many players in the North are builders, drivers, personal trainers? If you want to work alongside playing rugby league i would argue there isnt a better place in the country than London given the amount of jobs and industry in the capital. The pay is higher and with subsidised accommodation for example you could earn more playing for the Broncos than for a northern club.
We have had tons of players offered to us both full time and part time and of real quality.
If we went down the part time route it's likely there wouldn't be a part time team in our comp either so a level playing field potentially.
I think you would be surprised. Do you know how many players in the North are builders, drivers, personal trainers? If you want to work alongside playing rugby league i would argue there isnt a better place in the country than London given the amount of jobs and industry in the capital. The pay is higher and with subsidised accommodation for example you could earn more playing for the Broncos than for a northern club.
We have had tons of players offered to us both full time and part time and of real quality.
If we went down the part time route it's likely there wouldn't be a part time team in our comp either so a level playing field potentially.
Yes but as we know, with notable exceptions like Roy Lester, Danny Purdo & a few others, they dont tend to hang around long some in mid contract too.
Sorry, but no, Featherstone are really not a good example of anything. They run no academy or reserves. They rely heavily on a DR arrangement with Leeds. They have never played in the top flight in the last few decades.
Don't know where to start with this, but there are two reasons why Featherstone have never played in the top flight in the last few decades. Firstly, having comfortably earned the retention of their place in the top flight by finishing 11th of 16 in 1994-95, they were unceremoniously dumped out of SL in favour of London, who had finished fourth in the second division that year.
Secondly, they finished top of the table four years in a row from 2010 to 2013, but were denied promotion by the franchising system.
Fev have indeed used a DR arrangement - as have literally every other club in the Championship at various stages, including London. Fev were actually one of the few clubs that opposed DR when it was first mooted, but now seem to get castigated because they use it more effectively than anyone else.
Featherstone ran a reserve team in 2019, as they have at various stages in the last 10 years, but weren't accepted this year.
Featherstone are thriving off the field, have a busy events calendar in the clubhouse, are doing extremely well in terms of sponsorship, and have made signifcant progress in the quest to become self sufficient regardless of what happens with central funding. There is a booming Squad Builder fund which IIRC has about 300 supporters paying £10 per month, a very successful club superstore, and RoversTV continues to pump out product which puts that of some SL clubs to shame, as does the stadium, which features two stands constructed by supporters and is now widely regarded to be a vastly superior stadium to some in SL, notably those of our near neighbours Wakefield and Castleford.
Not saying that everything at the club is always perfect, but not a good example of anything? I beg to differ.
Don't know where to start with this, but there are two reasons why Featherstone have never played in the top flight in the last few decades. Firstly, having comfortably earned the retention of their place in the top flight by finishing 11th of 16 in 1994-95, they were unceremoniously dumped out of SL in favour of London, who had finished fourth in the second division that year.
Secondly, they finished top of the table four years in a row from 2010 to 2013, but were denied promotion by the franchising system.
Fev have indeed used a DR arrangement - as have literally every other club in the Championship at various stages, including London. Fev were actually one of the few clubs that opposed DR when it was first mooted, but now seem to get castigated because they use it more effectively than anyone else.
Featherstone ran a reserve team in 2019, as they have at various stages in the last 10 years, but weren't accepted this year.
Featherstone are thriving off the field, have a busy events calendar in the clubhouse, are doing extremely well in terms of sponsorship, and have made signifcant progress in the quest to become self sufficient regardless of what happens with central funding. There is a booming Squad Builder fund which IIRC has about 300 supporters paying £10 per month, a very successful club superstore, and RoversTV continues to pump out product which puts that of some SL clubs to shame, as does the stadium, which features two stands constructed by supporters and is now widely regarded to be a vastly superior stadium to some in SL, notably those of our near neighbours Wakefield and Castleford.
Not saying that everything at the club is always perfect, but not a good example of anything? I beg to differ.
I wasn't meaning to be provocative THP. But Featherstone arent my idea of 'proof' that PT is the way to go. The reality is you didnt counter-argue any of my points. DR, we at best dabbled were as Fev RELIED on it. Remember a couple of seasons ago when you couldnt field a side as Leeds said no ? You have not been in the top flight for at least two decades. I rate Fev highly but not as an example of the way LB should be heading.
As someone who moved south for work I think we have to be realistic about who will relocate to live in a house they have to leave at the end of a one year part time contract. That's not a hugely appealing gig for any family men or people with a safe job they enjoy. It may appeal to people close to the start of their career and fewer ties
If Broncos do go fully part time (a mixed part time / full time squad must also be possible) I still suspect we would end up with a few northern based players to help provide a spine in key positions.
Taking Oxford as an example their northern based lads typically fell into two camps, young lads looking for a foothold in the pro game or older players who had a loyalty to the coach and bought into the project. Those circumstances don't align totally with where Broncos may be heading but it's worth bearing in mind.
Edited to make clear that despite my reservations, if a switch in status is needed to make the club viable, I would support it. It would be a long, potentially impossible, road back to where we are today but better that than sit around until the annual subsidy vanishes and the club dies
I wasn't meaning to be provocative THP. But Featherstone arent my idea of 'proof' that PT is the way to go. The reality is you didnt counter-argue any of my points. DR, we at best dabbled were as Fev RELIED on it. Remember a couple of seasons ago when you couldnt field a side as Leeds said no ? You have not been in the top flight for at least two decades. I rate Fev highly but not as an example of the way LB should be heading.
Fev have never RELIED on DR. The only reason we couldn't field a full team a couple of years ago was because we were hit by a sudden rash of injuries which left us down to the bare bones at a time where the transfer deadline had passed, and it was only in the worthless Championship Shield anyway. We have quite often played two or three players at a time on DR which is no different to most teams at some stage, the only reason it gets commented on for Fev is that we have made it work for both us and Leeds. I remember when we beat London at the Hive a few years ago and London brought in DR players from 2 different clubs! - Sammut and Annakin from Wakefield and Gilmore from Widnes. Where was the outcry then?
And you say I didn't counter-argue any of your points, yet you bring up again Fev not having been in the top flight for at least 2 decades, the injustice of which I clearly outlined to you. I wonder how you would have felt if London had finished well clear of relegation last year but had been dumped into the Championship to make way for, say, Ottowa, or New York? Because that's exactly what happened to us with London in 1995.
Fev have never RELIED on DR. The only reason we couldn't field a full team a couple of years ago was because we were hit by a sudden rash of injuries which left us down to the bare bones at a time where the transfer deadline had passed, and it was only in the worthless Championship Shield anyway. We have quite often played two or three players at a time on DR which is no different to most teams at some stage, the only reason it gets commented on for Fev is that we have made it work for both us and Leeds. I remember when we beat London at the Hive a few years ago and London brought in DR players from 2 different clubs! - Sammut and Annakin from Wakefield and Gilmore from Widnes. Where was the outcry then?
And you say I didn't counter-argue any of your points, yet you bring up again Fev not having been in the top flight for at least 2 decades, the injustice of which I clearly outlined to you. I wonder how you would have felt if London had finished well clear of relegation last year but had been dumped into the Championship to make way for, say, Ottowa, or New York? Because that's exactly what happened to us with London in 1995.
Featherstone are a wonderful example of a well run club, living within its means, and making huge strides on the pitch.
I know Mark Campbell very well as a friend and former employer of mine and he is a master at taking advantage of situations so there is no negative for me in seeing Fev build an excellent working relationship with Leeds in order to improve the club.
We are about to hit an economic storm, it is essential that all options are explored in order to ensure the stability of all clubs. Mark and Davide have worked wonders ensuring they are in a settled position and the Broncos intend to do the same for the long term future of Rugby League in London. That could, potentially, mean part time at some point in the future, who knows.
