Franchise

[Shevi 4 life]

What do you guys think about the franchise system coming into place geting rid of relegation and promotion? personally i feel the intesity of matches might die down a bit

[the big i]

Also the standard of the national league could drop since the clubs wouldn't have a great height to aim for!

[Banksy]

NL 1 viewing figures will drop and in all the RFL will lose money.

[fitzy]

The rfl are shooting themselves in the foot yet again this year is the most competitive and close season of superleague we've had so far. I agree with the big I the Nl clubs will have nothing to aim for and the reverse of what the rfl wants to happen will happen crowds will go down and RL will remain a nothern game except for cats and quins

[DaveO]

It is a great idea.

There are a number of advantages.

This allows clubs to plan for the long term. This means no need to panic sacking coaches following a run of bad games.

No need to panic buy players for the short term to avoid relegation. Wakefield for example have done this ever since SL started and that meant buying ready made players from overseas (Kolpack players) and that has proved a disastrous for the British game with sides regularly fielding 12 or more foreign players.

In turn that has lead to some clubs spending all their salary cap money on 1stt team players at the expense of juniors. Too much of a risk to develop juniors for many sides.

They can now take a long term view and if for some reason a season is wrecked due to injury there would be no need to do what Wigan did and panic buy players to avoid the drop. Just take it philosophically, write the season off but crucially be able to plan for the next one in Sl not looking over your shoulder at the drop.

People need to recognise relegation isn't just a sporting humiliation but has far more serious implications with a complete dismantling of your side (all player contracts are null and void), huge loss of revenue.

Being relegated means going from a professional sports club with all that entails to either semi-pro or amateur. It is a crazy notion to expect clubs to be pro one year amateur the next and if they bounce back up, pro again the following year.

It also means club who have been in SL for years (like Wakey again) need to get their act together or they will be replaced by clubs who will do so. Several NL1 clubs have ambitions to apply for franchises and while the wheels came off at Doncaster I think several current SL clubs need to watch out.

As to lack of promotion/relegation lowering standards it is one of the reasons our standards are lower than Australia in the first place. They have not had p & r for decades and they lead the world. It is in no small measure because of the benefits it brings as I mention above.

Nl1 and NL2 will become a competition in their own right in the way Aussie "country" teams play in a lower league. People have to adopt a different mind set and not view Nl1 & 2 as some sort of second string competition but view it as a different competition. At the end of the day there is not enough money to suport a profesisonal game with so many clubs.

The only other viable alternative to the franchise system is for the SL clubs to cease being professional and revert to semi-pro status to bring them down to NL level. If you think p & r are sacrosanct then that is the only practical way you can retain it.

Dave

[GeoffN]

DaveO posted:
It is a great idea.

There are a number of advantages.

This allows clubs to plan for the long term. This means no need to panic sacking coaches following a run of bad games.

No need to panic buy players for the short term to avoid relegation. Wakefield for example have done this ever since SL started and that meant buying ready made players from overseas (Kolpack players) and that has proved a disastrous for the British game with sides regularly fielding 12 or more foreign players.

In turn that has lead to some clubs spending all their salary cap money on 1stt team players at the expense of juniors. Too much of a risk to develop juniors for many sides.

They can now take a long term view and if for some reason a season is wrecked due to injury there would be no need to do what Wigan did and panic buy players to avoid the drop. Just take it philosophically, write the season off but crucially be able to plan for the next one in Sl not looking over your shoulder at the drop.

People need to recognise relegation isn't just a sporting humiliation but has far more serious implications with a complete dismantling of your side (all player contracts are null and void), huge loss of revenue.

Being relegated means going from a professional sports club with all that entails to either semi-pro or amateur. It is a crazy notion to expect clubs to be pro one year amateur the next and if they bounce back up, pro again the following year.

It also means club who have been in SL for years (like Wakey again) need to get their act together or they will be replaced by clubs who will do so. Several NL1 clubs have ambitions to apply for franchises and while the wheels came off at Doncaster I think several current SL clubs need to watch out.

As to lack of promotion/relegation lowering standards it is one of the reasons our standards are lower than Australia in the first place. They have not had p & r for decades and they lead the world. It is in no small measure because of the benefits it brings as I mention above.

Nl1 and NL2 will become a competition in their own right in the way Aussie "country" teams play in a lower league. People have to adopt a different mind set and not view Nl1 & 2 as some sort of second string competition but view it as a different competition. At the end of the day there is not enough money to suport a profesisonal game with so many clubs.

The only other viable alternative to the franchise system is for the SL clubs to cease being professional and revert to semi-pro status to bring them down to NL level. If you think p & r are sacrosanct then that is the only practical way you can retain it.

Dave

Good summary Dave, the only thing I'd add is that it won't be a "closed shop"; there will still be spots for ambitious NL1 & NL2 clubs to aim for, but they'll have to do it properly, by building a proper base.

Like the Aussies, new franchises can and will be admitted as and when they are ready. The RFL have said that they'd ultimately like a 16-team SL, although as yet there aren't that many credible applicants.

[roo67]

remember huddersfield a few years ago?
they finished bottom 3 years in a row but stayed up because the n.l. champs didnt meet the required standards. look at them now,top six looking a good bet to stay there. if they had gone down they would be in he same boat as cas - yoyo-ing up and down the divisions. the franchise system will offer much more stability but with the threat of being booted out if you dont get your act together

[warrior till i die]

Im in favour for promotion and relegation! Stevo chats on about it giving us a better chance of beating the aussies but even if a franchise is created do we really stand a chance? The standard of the GB teams staff is very poor and the set up is laughable! When thats sorted out we may well just stand a chance!

[ultimate warrior]

I am in favour of the franchise system. It will give long term stability to our game, and if there are clubs in the National leagues who meat with the criteria, then they can be added at a later date.

If we are honest, there isnt that many clubs outsides of Superleague that could make a good go of it in the SL.

What I would suggest though is that each SL team takes over a National League club and uses them as a feeder club. Any good young kids that are not yet ready or cant get SL game time, but need more intense games than acadamey level could be sent to the feeder club for a while.

This I know wouldn't meat with everybodies approval, but as it seems that the franchise system is coming, then this is the best compromise that I can come up with.

[Bear]

I dont like the idea of it. In American Football it works well but i would much rather relegation and promotion, would make it a lot more exiting