Two-tier Super League?

[Mike]

In response to this non-story: http://www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... -1-5098595, how about a real idea.

What if we had a Super League with two divisions each with 10 teams with playoffs and promotion and relegation between the divisions each season? An idea that that has been gaining ground recently.

[BriH]

Mike, I recall John Kear saying this a while ago.
At the time I thought it a bit daft but, on reflection, I think it's a great idea if properly though through.
The second tier could allow Championship teams to be promoted.
As always, it will be decided by Sky money not by the RFL. But......?

[CasWigan]

This idea is nothing new and has been put forward many times.
The main problem being finance. The Sky TV money would have to be divided between 20 clubs against 14 at present, therefore each club would receive less revenue.
Secondly this system would generate only 18 fixtures and in turn does not raise enough money from spectators through the gates. Addition games would have to be somehow arranged to compensate for loss of fixtures.

[moffsta]

if new games need generating then why not a new cup comp to run alongside the league called maybe "the sky sports cup"? replaces the lost monies from the missing games???

[CasWigan]

In the distant past there were 5 trophies that could be won I.e. Challenge Cup, League Champions, Play-Off Champions, Lancs/Yorks Cup and Regal Trophy/BBC2 Floodlit Tropy/Players No6 Trophy.
I have argued before that at the moment there are simply too few trophies to be won.

[moffsta]

Wont happen tho Cas coz they already bleat on about us playing too many games :conf:

[Mike]

There is no issue with the number of games. The competition is decided on playoffs, so there is no need for an systematic set of matches - you can play some teams twice and some more. But how about this for a more interesting fixture design:

Play teams in your own tier twice, home and away.
Play teams in the other tier once, either home or away.

That way the lower teams get a shot at the higher teams and their potentially bigger crowds and the higher teams don't get bored playing the same teams too many times. Just like the inter-conference matches in US sports.

[medlocke]

rename it as well as Super League sounds proper shody like, also each team in both leagues should be allowed to have 1 marque player that doesn't count on the cap also any player that has been at a club for over 10 year is not counted on the cap and 5 players who have come through the academy are cap free for 3 years from their first first team appearance, loads of cap space could be freed up,every team could have a superstar Aussie player come play, players could be paid more thus stopping many leaving, obviously the cap would have to be raised a little and other wrinkles would have to be ironed out but it would make for a better league

[Sutty]

rename it as well as Super League sounds proper shody like, also each team in both leagues should be allowed to have 1 marque player that doesn't count on the cap also any player that has been at a club for over 10 year is not counted on the cap and 5 players who have come through the academy are cap free for 3 years from their first first team appearance, loads of cap space could be freed up,every team could have a superstar Aussie player come play, players could be paid more thus stopping many leaving, obviously the cap would have to be raised a little and other wrinkles would have to be ironed out but it would make for a better league

I think that's all great, and agree with it all, in principle.

However, the problem is that a lot of clubs can't afford to spend up to the limit of the current cap, without getting in to financial difficulty.
Therefore, I think the cap should be raised to, say £1.9m, but a club can only spend a maximum percentage of their income on players wages.

ie, If Wigan had an income of more than £1.9m (incl Sky and TV money), then they could spend up to the cap limit of £1.9m. But if a club like Wakefield only has an income of £1.2m then they can only spend 80% of that on the salary cap. If you know what I mean?

This would mean that clubs have GOT to go out and promote themselves, in order to get more income. At present Wigan are leading the way with money making initiatives. The Big One and the Heinz tickets being just two examples. This may also have a knock on effect in making our game bigger and possibly exposing it to the wider populace.

Obviously, it's not just as straight forward as that, but there are a number of things that can be done to improve the league, playoffs and what it all actually means, because at the moment it's total dog poo (see my posts on the season ticket and Hansen threads).

[DaveO]

In response to this non-story: http://www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... -1-5098595, how about a real idea.

Well I am glad someone else tagged this as a non-story because as soon as I read it that was what immediately sprung to mind. They don't know what IL's idea is so they speculate. Nothing there at all.

It has been mentioned based on feedback I have seen on rlfans from a Hull fans forum that P&R is on the cards with a 12 team league.

I am sorry but that is just returning to a failed format not applicable between leagues so far apart financially.

Fiddling with the league structure is missing the point anyway.

It won't bring in any more money. Until they stop messing about with altering the play off structure or league format or whatever and instead start to look at the commercial side of things nothing will change much for the better.

It's all about money and so any gathering of SL bosses and the RFL should have one thing alone on the agenda - how to get more money into the game.