Ainscough, Farrell and Davies sign for Widnes

[exile in Tiger country]

Yeah totally agree, I think they will be aggrieved with the rfl first and foremost but I also think the RFL are moving in the right direction and Quins know they are running out of chances. Quins are a total waste of time and would have been better off staying as broncos. They alienated potential fans from union in london by taking the name harlequins. If another sport came along you'd never watch a team called st helens would you.

Surely they'd be called Orrell?

Also, we need a team in London. Its vital. A good team with good crowds is a bonus.

Why is it vital? Why do we need a team in Wales? There are plenty of existing clubs in areas where RL is already loved, why not give one of them a chance?
SKY deem a team in London vital so the RFL go along with it because SKY are pouring money in.
If London/Broncos/Quins RL haven't attracted a following by now, they never will. Let it die and move on.
The next team in SL will be Toulouse, the RFL will see to that somehow, and another heartland club, probably Widnes, will again be left out in the cold to allow it.

[ancientnloyal]

Good deal it's better for these guys to play against men rather than at reserve grade. Still the championship is a very competitive league and only benefits will emerge. Ainscough will score tries for fun IMO which will lead to him being given a chance in our first team around Easter I reckon as the fixtures pile up.

[gpartin]

Totally disagree with Mike on team in London being vital. We don't benefit from it in the national press because they are not interested. rugby league will survive as it always has being a quality sport. Ok so we might not get so many fans as rah rah to the internationals but at least we get proper followers and not posh turds who go once a year. I believed the need for expansion in the hope we would get better press. It doesn't work and never will and quite frankly I don't care.

[Mike]

Why is it vital? Why do we need a team in Wales? There are plenty of existing clubs in areas where RL is already loved, why not give one of them a chance?
SKY deem a team in London vital so the RFL go along with it because SKY are pouring money in.
If London/Broncos/Quins RL haven't attracted a following by now, they never will. Let it die and move on.
The next team in SL will be Toulouse, the RFL will see to that somehow, and another heartland club, probably Widnes, will again be left out in the cold to allow it.

Without SKY's money (TV money in general) RL would be semi-pro at best now. An ailing regional sport ignored by everyone outside the M62 coridor. SKY have no realistic competitor for the rights to the sport even now. The more attractive we can make the league for TV the stronger our position to obtain a good deal for TV rights. Wider geographical spread equals more potential audience equals more value. A national braodacster is not interested in broadcatsing a sport that only has interest in one specific part of the country.

It may be hard for you to accept, but those are the financial conditions that all sports operate in. Without TV money RL cannot survive in its current form and for TV we have to have wide geographic spread.

Let me ask you a question. WHy do you think the RL favour expansion clubs? What is the conspiracy theory?

[medlocke]

Just hope Mr Dictionary doesn't nobble them

[exile in Tiger country]

Why is it vital? Why do we need a team in Wales? There are plenty of existing clubs in areas where RL is already loved, why not give one of them a chance?
SKY deem a team in London vital so the RFL go along with it because SKY are pouring money in.
If London/Broncos/Quins RL haven't attracted a following by now, they never will. Let it die and move on.
The next team in SL will be Toulouse, the RFL will see to that somehow, and another heartland club, probably Widnes, will again be left out in the cold to allow it.

Without SKY's money (TV money in general) RL would be semi-pro at best now. An ailing regional sport ignored by everyone outside the M62 coridor. SKY have no realistic competitor for the rights to the sport even now. The more attractive we can make the league for TV the stronger our position to obtain a good deal for TV rights. Wider geographical spread equals more potential audience equals more value. A national braodacster is not interested in broadcatsing a sport that only has interest in one specific part of the country.

It may be hard for you to accept, but those are the financial conditions that all sports operate in. Without TV money RL cannot survive in its current form and for TV we have to have wide geographic spread.

Let me ask you a question. WHy do you think the RL favour expansion clubs? What is the conspiracy theory?

as I said, the RFL want it because SKY want it.
SKY probably want it for the reasons you give, but that doesn't make moving RL to areas with no interest in the game hapen.
Catalans are successful because the thirteen a side game was already popular in that part of France/Spain. They weren't trying ot force a different sport down the throats of the general public.
I speak as someone who a few years had only the vaguest inkilng of the differences betwen RL and yawnion, and little or no interest in either. I was born and brought up in Middleton, a bus ride away from Wigan at the time. None of the schools in that area play any sort of rugby, except for one posh Catholic school that had a union team. Football was the be all and end all, you were a blue or a red. Then I had nothing else to do one evening an saw the game where Morley got sent off in 12 seconds. I watched that and was hooked.
The following season I watched Superleague on SKY, and picked a team to support for each gameusually the underdog, then I decided I needed a team to support and follow properly.
It was either Wigan or Salford, and being a footballing blue, could never support a team called anything reds.
The point I am making is, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the M62 corridor that have no idea about Rugby League.
Let's get them on board before we start trying to get people from hundreds of miles away involved.
RL is the best team sport going, bar none.
Market it properly in the heartlands first, then try to take over the world. Workington and Barrow are hardly M62 corridor, but the Cumbria side for Superleague is a whole other debate.

[jaws1]

Totally agree with you exile about Cumbria its crying out for a SL side but there is so much friction between the clubs it will not happen.I know a lot of fans travel from Cumbria to watch the warriors,give them there own team and I think it will take off no end.One major factor with a Cumbria side is the rail link little used but could be utilised on match days as Northern Rail sponsor the competition in NL1 and 2 and specials could run between Barrow and Carlisle wherever the ground will be situated on that rail corridor .

[DaveO]

Totally agree with you exile about Cumbria its crying out for a SL side but there is so much friction between the clubs it will not happen.I know a lot of fans travel from Cumbria to watch the warriors,give them there own team and I think it will take off no end.One major factor with a Cumbria side is the rail link little used but could be utilised on match days as Northern Rail sponsor the competition in NL1 and 2 and specials could run between Barrow and Carlisle wherever the ground will be situated on that rail corridor .

A Cumbrian SL side is a none starter. There isn't an RL town big enough to support one. Whitehaven is a tiny place, Workington not much bigger and a Cumbrian side would have to have a base in a specific place and so would alienate the rest.

Wales is IMO the best place to expand but I have no faith in the RFL's ability to manage it.

I think a side as successful as Les Cats in Wales would sell out each week. I don't think Wrexham is the place to do it so I hope the Neath side talked about in NL2 can rescue something from what's happened down there.

Dave

[Mike]

as I said, the RFL want it because SKY want it.
SKY probably want it for the reasons you give, but that doesn't make moving RL to areas with no interest in the game hapen.
Catalans are successful because the thirteen a side game was already popular in that part of France/Spain. They weren't trying ot force a different sport down the throats of the general public.
I speak as someone who a few years had only the vaguest inkilng of the differences betwen RL and yawnion, and little or no interest in either. I was born and brought up in Middleton, a bus ride away from Wigan at the time. None of the schools in that area play any sort of rugby, except for one posh Catholic school that had a union team. Football was the be all and end all, you were a blue or a red. Then I had nothing else to do one evening an saw the game where Morley got sent off in 12 seconds. I watched that and was hooked.
The following season I watched Superleague on SKY, and picked a team to support for each gameusually the underdog, then I decided I needed a team to support and follow properly.
It was either Wigan or Salford, and being a footballing blue, could never support a team called anything reds.
The point I am making is, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the M62 corridor that have no idea about Rugby League.
Let's get them on board before we start trying to get people from hundreds of miles away involved.
RL is the best team sport going, bar none.
Market it properly in the heartlands first, then try to take over the world. Workington and Barrow are hardly M62 corridor, but the Cumbria side for Superleague is a whole other debate.

The people in the M62 corridor are already catered for by the many clubs that exist. Those clubs can grow their fan base by expanding into this untapped market. I don't see how this affects geographic expansion. If say Oldham managed to bring in a 10,000 crowd in the Championship each week the door of SL would be swung open to accomodate them. Salford are only in becasue of the potential of the Manchester market.

Cumbria needs a team, but they need to sort themselves out. Whitehaven tried to gain promotion for two seasons but failed on the playing field. Their club now has a policy of not applying for SL even if they qualify because they can't afford it. THey need a cumbrian joint side to be big enough, probably leaving the original clubs in teh Champioship as feeder clubs. Will this happen? I hope so, but probably not.

[jaws1]

The only way Cumbria will achieve a SL club is for Workington Whitehaven and Barrow to bang their heads together and form a club Catalan Style put it in a neutral place like Sellafield or Gosforth.