Re: Championship Structure Made Official : Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:01 pm  

obeone wrote:

No promotion,no relegation,

This is just what we need.
We now have two seasons to get ready.
We have two years to build the club up.

We will need to use this time well to prepare our bid for SL.

Re: Championship Structure Made Official : Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:46 pm  

JD did it for us this Season and we should be eternally grateful to him and the squad that made it happen.

Re: Championship Structure Made Official : Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:42 pm  

Is this the way that long-established clubs should be treated?

We made the cut, thanks to the Dirctors, JD and the players but what about those clubs not so fortunate?

It will be a case of: 'Perm any four from six' and in C1 next season it will be 'dog eat dog' with the losers staring oblivion in the face! Is it 'fair' that any of the first six clubs are not promoted? Then is it fair that none of the Championship clubs can be promoted into Super League without 'jumping through hoops'?

Barrow
Doncaster
Oldham
Rochdale
Whitehaven
Workington

Gateshead
London Skolars
North Wales Crusaders
South Wales Scorpions

IN a bold initiative aimed at invigorating the sport, the Rugby Football League are willing to “dilute” Championship One to help fast-track four new clubs from outside its traditional heartlands.


While expansion talk has long been a bugbear for many, it seems the governing body will not be deterred from their objective and the radical plans are in place for 2013.

Gillingham-based Medway Dragons, Hemel, Bristol, Coventry, Northampton, Chester and Oxford are deemed most likely to break into the semi-professional ranks from a list of 16 who initially expressed interest to the RFL.

A comprehensive review of the Championship and Championship One has highlighted a need for change to arrest club concerns around finances, attendances and facilities but the RFL’s chief operating officer Ralph Rimmer – who also yesterday announced a new television deal with Premier Sports – believes their vision will help ease such fears.

He accepted there must be a “leap of faith” initially as the standard of Championship One play in two years’ time may reduce as the new arrivals adapt but he heralded the untapped potential as a perfect way of growing the sport.

“We need to re-invent ourselves to some degree,” said Rimmer, who said there would be no relegation from the Championship next season but four teams will be promoted – expanding it to 14 – to make way for the chosen quartet.

“It needs a shot of adrenaline and this is what we’re trying to do. The most exciting week of my entire rugby league career will be the first week of the 2013 Championship competition; we can change the rugby league landscape of this country.”

A 10-club Championship One will materialise in what could be a largely expansion division, potentially including current incumbents South Wales Scorpions, Gateshead and London Skolars alongside teams such as Hemel, Bristol, Coventry and Oxford.

Rimmer concedes it will effectively run to “assist the geographical expansion of the sport” and will be “slightly diluted” while more established clubs such as Doncaster, Rochdale and Oldham could now be doubly keen to earn promotion next season.

The teams elevated will be the champions, play-off final winners and runners-up plus the next highest finishers.

Super League clubs have been encouraged to form allegiances with the newcomers – Leeds Rhinos are thought to be hoping to link with Bristol while Bradford Bulls, St Helens and Warrington Wolves are all interested in making partnerships – for mutual benefits such as the sharing of players and commercial openings.

The RFL’s club support manager Steve Ferres, the former Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and York City Knights chief executive, has been tasked with assessing the applicants and has been impressed with what he has viewed.

“You can be cynical having seen experiences of clubs go in and out like Paris St Germain, Mansfield and Scarborough,” said the experienced ‘troubleshooter’.

“But we have put more research than ever before in order to give these clubs a chance of succeeding and there are some very switched-on, clever, astute people out there who are rugby league lovers.

“Some of the work that has gone on has blown me away when I’ve seen it; they have been pushing our game forward without us knowing it.”

None more so than at Medway who only formed four years ago but now have more than 250 youngsters in sides running from under-eights plus women and wheelchair teams.

Also, five of their players are enrolled in the ranks of Super League club Harlequins – more than from either London Skolars or the long-established Hemel.

The successful applicants will be announced one by one over the next four months as the overhaul begins and groundwork is started for their arrival in 2013 while the standard two-up, two-down promotion and relegation will come into play at the end of that year.

Meanwhile, an Anglo-French tournament featuring the top four clubs – standing after the play-offs – from the Championship and the French elite will take place in May, with Toulouse guaranteed entry following their move away from the Championship.

With Sky’s withdrawal, up to 34 league games a season will be televised live by Premier Sports as part of a two-year deal although no money is involved.

However, clubs will receive cashback when their supporters subscribe and, among innovations being considered for matches, are coaches giving touchline interviews during the games.

Re: Championship Structure Made Official : Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:36 pm  

guess who wrote:

This is just what we need.
We now have two seasons to get ready.
We have two years to build the club up.

We will need to use this time well to prepare our bid for SL.

Two seasons to get ready for what?

Build the club up? If by this you mean getting fresh blood to CP it wont happen.As ive said,and many others ,without P&R the game will,is,losing support.
The franchise system is killing the game,its that simple.

Prepare our bid for SL? We will see

Re: Championship Structure Made Official : Wed Oct 19, 2011 5:00 pm  

We shouldn't consider SL to be the be-all and end-all of RL. Let's face it, with the amount of clubs in West Yorkshire, SL will be a long time coming for a helluva lot of clubs, so we need a vibrant championship in it's own right, mayabe a return to a Counties one-off challenge game or something, just to keep interest going outside of Superleague.
With Cougar Park being away from the centre of town, and the Cougars all but invisible in the surrounding area we need a massive drive to become more visible and increase the fan base, make the community proud of 'their' club.
Maybe even something as simple as folk wearing Cougar shirts or stuff with the Cougar badge on it around town would help? I dunno, but there must be something that existing fans can do to help, it can't be all up to the club staff, can it?!

Re: Championship Structure Made Official : Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:01 pm  

obeone wrote:

Two seasons to get ready for what?

Build the club up? If by this you mean getting fresh blood to CP it wont happen.As ive said,and many others ,without P&R the game will,is,losing support.
The franchise system is killing the game,its that simple.

Prepare our bid for SL? We will see

I tend to understand GW's point here. We have just been promoted and faced the possibility of going straight back down in 2012. However, in light of the announcement there is less pressure on us. The Champ is far more competitive that C1 and it will take the players time to adjust. At least now we have a year to "consolidate" and build a strong Championship team. It gives us time to put things in place on and off the field. We might never make SL, I accepted that a long time ago, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

I could have misread the previous link, but in 2013 P&R continues so we have a year to consolidate to life in the Championship and ensure we at the right end of the table in 2013 when P&R kicks in again.

Re: Championship Structure Made Official : Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:22 am  

SL is becoming very boring. Don't get me wrong, there are some super games every now and then - but its the same teams playing the same teams, week - week out.

Once upon a time, Leeds V Bradford was something to relish along with Saints - Wigan. Now, ts just another game.

Lack of P&R is killing the game.

Regarding altering C1 to spread the game's wings further - rubbish. They won't be able to afford the transport costs for the away games.

IMO