Moonshine wrote:
That is a massive drop in funding which is I guess hard for an individual to make up that shortfall. To put that in perspective Leigh and the other Championship clubs still get 125k more than we do and that 200k is still 25k more than our yearly spend.
Even better perspective is the fact that running a RL club is peanuts compared to the round ball game. I read that the Rovers directors are still putting in over two million even at the third tier level they are at. That game has gone barmy financially.
It's a good point that the 'external support' needed to maintain a football team in the third tier is enormous, much greater than that needed to support a rugby league team in any division. A common theme in both sports is that the teams at the top want to try to keep as much of the income generated from their sport, whilst giving as little as they can get away with to those below. Either way, balancing the books at a football or rugby club certainly isn't easy.
There are two fundamental issues with rugby league. The game doesn't generate enough income across the board (from attendances to TV cash) for it to have two full-time leagues. And there aren't enough players to sustain an expanded full-time game. From a players perspective, I can fully see why for many having a job and playing part-time is much the better option too.
With both these points in mind, the jeopardy of being relegated from Super League is huge. If a football team gets relegated from the Premiership to the Championship, the players will have to take a huge pay cut but they're still left with a very good income. The same doesn't apply in rugby league. Many players will have to get a job outside rugby league and play part-time if the job allows them to.
Those wanting to put a case for licensing (abolishing promotion and relegation) put these points forward to justify their argument. The game does need stability but not at at any price. How 'uninteresting' would Super League be this season if the Middle 8s weren't going to happen?
We need to remember that the licensing system was abolished for a reason, the old promotion and relegation rules were changed for a reason. Unless the issues that caused the problems for both in the first place are actually addressed, going back to either won't work.
I hope Robert Elstone (Super League CEO) and Ralph Rimmer (RFL CEO) can get their heads together to sort out the game's problems. It's such a shame that we have a great game that often seems rudderless and inward looking.
