Time for Wigan to stand up and fight the cap?

[cpwigan]

Lazy J, how does it do its job?

[ancientnloyal]

Lazy, its like wigan... surely we make millions in gate receipts and merchandise sales through a year and can spend 50% on wages... where does the other 50% go apart from JJB staff and community development? it's potentiallt left over whilst clubs like Wakefield spend 100% of their income in their stadium, staff and players (if you understand what im saying)

[Lazy J]

it was brought in to stop people going all out to win and risking the foundations of the club, look at us, we gambled every year on wembley, it worked for a while, we then got into trouble by building the stand, fans got complacent income dropped next thing we went bust (well nearley) sell to Tesco and move in with the latics, I except that london disprove the point, but london have always worked under digfferent rules

it has helped spread the talent around a bit, Matt King classic example, there is no way under the old system wigan would have lost out to warrington, the problem is Mo thinks he is under the old system

I like the cap, but it cannot be on its own, as we are realising now with the changes to players from a federation etc there has to be support to encourage clubs to use british players, then we might have a chance against the aussies

[ancientnloyal]

Wigan for the last 2 decades have been leading the way... why not now?

[mike binder]

its a total restraint of buisness wouldnt have a chance in a euro court,take it there and test it ,a few clubs would hate us but hey we are wigan

[Lazy J]

ancientnloyal posted:
Lazy, its like wigan... surely we make millions in gate receipts and merchandise sales through a year and can spend 50% on wages... where does the other 50% go apart from JJB staff and community development? it's potentiallt left over whilst clubs like Wakefield spend 100% of their income in their stadium, staff and players (if you understand what im saying)

50% is on PLAYERS wages, coaches etc dont count, but yes we should spend more on community and development work, we are a community based game we are not football, the day that happens I stop watching! I take your point but wigans turnover isnt as high as you would think, we are one of the cheapest teams to watch, now we are not tied to JJB re merchandise etc that revenue stream may inrease, but that money needs reivesting in the club, training facilities etc we cannot all be wakefield and Cas

[ancientnloyal]

Yes I meant players wages*... then mentioned JJB staff (ie caterers, noble, physios etc...)

[Matthew]

The cap keeps players wages down - that is pretty much it's only purpose now.

If it were abolished the rich clubs would be able to buy up all of the top players, this would leave the other SL clubs miles adrift in terms of players and the RFL's fear is that other clubs would go bust trying to keep up.

The sad bi-product of this is that RL players get paid poor wages (by professional sports standards) to play probably the most physically intense sport in the world.

Most players retire by the time they reach their early 30s from injuries. To put their wages in perspective; I would imagine that the bottom clubs in the premier league probably have players that get paid more a year than our entire team does.

Whilst this will make the game more competitive in the short term; it ensures that many parents will steer their athletically gifted children away from RL. Why get your body bashed to bits in RL for peanuts when you can make 10 times the money in soccer? This combined with RUs outbidding the salary cap contrained clubs means less and less players in RL.

For a body that claims to have the sports best interest at heart; it seems to me that the RFL will make sure that RL slowly fades into extinction in this country. The gap between us and Australia (and NZ for that matter) is bigger now than it has been for many years - and it's not like we've won a series recently is it?

[Fraggle]

Lazy J posted:
I take your point but wigans turnover isnt as high as you would think, we are one of the cheapest teams to watch, now we are not tied to JJB re merchandise etc that revenue stream may inrease, but that money needs reivesting in the club, training facilities etc we cannot all be wakefield and Cas

Several of us have tried to guestimate the club's income over the years, and I think we came to the conclusion that gate receipts alone cover most of the salary cap, and that's before things like corporate sponsorship, any money from merchandising or other income from JJB Sports, Sky TV money or anything else is considered. I am pretty sure we would have no difficulty at all earning even twice the original salary cap limit which was £2.4m if I remember correctly. Yes, a lot of that money does need to be invested in the community work, training facilities etc etc, but many of the things that other clubs might have to pay for (stadium) come out of other Whelco/JJB organisations, not out of the rugby club.

[butt monkey]

Matthew posted:
it ensures that many parents will steer their athletically gifted children away from RL. Why get your body bashed to bits in RL for peanuts when you can make 10 times the money in soccer? This combined with RUs outbidding the salary cap contrained clubs means less and less players in RL.

Exactly right, Mathew. I posted something along this line, on an Australian Forum, when Wigan were announced originally as having a case to answer.

Rugby league will be nothing more than a "Shop Front" for Rugby Union in the future. That is, as you have already stated, IF youngsters want to "earn", some of the smallest wages in a "Professional" sport.