Letter in League Express : Mon Aug 20, 2018 1:18 pm  

2-3 weeks ago a letter suggested 18 teams in Super League. 12 current SL clubs plus the top 6 from the 2018 Championship that was separated by 1 point, excluding TW. I'm starting to think this is the best way forward to give SL and rugby league, in general, a much-needed boost.

If you watched 'The Rugby Codebreakers' documentary at the weekend (available on iPlayer), I'm sure you were immensely proud to be a RL fan. And seeing Jonathan Davies rip open the Aussies -- brilliant. We need to improve the format and fast.

Re: Letter in League Express : Tue Aug 21, 2018 12:49 am  

You won't see the structure changed until 2022. Why? Because 12 SL clubs are governed by SKY funding. Adding more teams to SL prior to that date will require the present 12 SL clubs receiving less funding in order to support the other six clubs.

£1.8m x 12 = £21.6 m
£21.6 m / 18 = £1.2 m

Wakey, supposedly running the lowest SC at present £1.46m..

Can you see the problem?

Thats the reason SL want current funding to lower tiers cut. Or more specifically, certain people. Regardless of how many clubs can be added to SL,it comes at a cost to them. Championship should be looking at other options now, not just sitting, waiting for a cheque (bacs transfers these days) to pay to survive.

Its a recurring record this sport, you have money then you have none. They all need to get their heads together and start looking at other options of media support and broadcasting. Support the sport.

Re: Letter in League Express : Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:04 am  

2022 could be too late. SL is the flagship competition of RL, and right now it is not in a healthy place. Time to act and make a real improvement, failure to do so and the competition will continue to take market share. Hey ho.