We need a team in Cumbria

[CherryandWhiteandProud]

The RL's expansion from the heartlands has become sucsessful with Catalan. Harlequins just isn't working. They are relying completly on imports. We know this as the Quins Junior acadamy are at the bottom of the table and have won zilch so far. They spend money on imports, but they arn't getting attendance to gain cash. The same is happening at the Celtic Crusaders, Wales is to much of a union stronghold. While this is going on, we have no SL teams in Cumbria, where much young talent is being wasted. Scrap quins and the crusaders and get a couple of teams in cumbria.

[GeoffN]

CherryandWhitea ndProud posted:
The RL's expansion from the heartlands has become sucsessful with Catalan. Harlequins just isn't working. They are relying completly on imports. We know this as the Quins Junior acadamy are at the bottom of the table and have won zilch so far. They spend money on imports, but they arn't getting attendance to gain cash. The same is happening at the Celtic Crusaders, Wales is to much of a union stronghold. While this is going on, we have no SL teams in Cumbria, where much young talent is being wasted. Scrap quins and the crusaders and get a couple of teams in cumbria.

Quins have no more imports than we do! And they get better crowds than Salford do.
The Cumbrian clubs have had a hundred years to build up their crowds, and haven't done so - I think Celtic deserve their chance.

[cpwigan]

I would love a team in Cumbria BUT how it emerges I am not sure. A merger is a non starter owing to geography (the distance between say Barrow and Whitehaven/Workington is considerable whilst history is also against it. So how is the question BUT yes we need a Cumbria representative.

[DaveO]

The populations of the two obvious choices where a team would be based Whitehaven and Workington are around 30,000.

Not enough to sustain an average gate of 10,000 plus which is what is required.

Barrow is about 70,000 so it might be able to do it.

It would need a rich sugar Daddy to set up a franchise bid but even then I am not sure how much interest there is in Barrow for the sport to make it viable. Wigan average around £14K crowds form a much bigger catchment areas population-wise so I just can't see how older traditional places that are small towns will ever get to the top flight of RL once again.

In the semi-pro era it was possible but now you need a much bigger catchment area than these places possess to end up with a viable top flight side.

Dave

[cpwigan]

I may be wrong Dave BUT Cumbria in representative games tend to get 10,000 gates. Did Workington not get decent gates when they had a season in the top flight? Raw population figures whilst useful negate the lack of competition compared to say Wigan which has a professional football club and some of the world most famous football clubs within short travelling distances. Often in Cumbria you go to the small villages near the major towns and discover just how many are League followers.

[ancientnloyal]

If Whitehaven gets sorted out they'd be a SL club but they havent done their ground so no.

Barrow would be a good choice - end of the line literally for Northern Trains and easier to get to.

I agree, need more money splashed out up there!

When SL was first being developed, Uncle Mo and cos document about the state of the game at the time said that he'd like to see a cumbrian club contest in Super League - this meant merging Barrow, Carlisle, Whitehaven and Workington. I dont know if anyone hase ever driven from Carlisle to Barrow but it simply wasnt viable.

[highland convert]

Hae What about Scotland, A team groundsharing with Union at Murrayfield. The catchment is there. And I would get to the games, Whayhae. HC

[robjoenz]

cpwigan posted:
Often in Cumbria you go to the small villages near the major towns and discover just how many are League followers.

On a Sunday afternoon, given the choice between their local village side and Whitehaven lots go and see their local side.

Cumbrian RL fans are passionate yet passive at the same time, they're a strange lot. One week they're getting angry on the terraces the next week they're missing the game to watch TV.

Regarding 'Haven and Town, players would be worse off in SL than on semi-pro contracts. A lot of them have well paid jobs.

[ancientnloyal]

If anyone saw the whitehaven game last night... they had 70 fans at most at Dewsbury.

wigan normally take upto 3000 away

[robjoenz]

ancientnloyal posted:
If anyone saw the whitehaven game last night... they had 70 fans at most at Dewsbury.

wigan normally take upto 3000 away

Strange comparison.