How to save Rugby League

[THE 18th Man]

i think it would be a good idea to have a place where people say what the RFL should do to improve the sport, any ideas will do as they are bound to be better that what we have in place.

i would make a 10 or 12 team SL. take away the playoffs and grand final, have more internationals and get them on channels like BBC One on a friday, saturday or sunday night. i know BBC wouldnt change their schedule around for us like Union but we just need that one chance on prime time tv and promote the hell out of it. just get that one chance and who knows where it could go from there. also take all players who are English born and graduated from the academy i.e. 3 years or more in reserve or academy level and take them off the salary cap to stop Union sniffing around. just 1 season with that implemented or something similar could see RL's popularity rise just in time for the RL World Cup. also another small one cheap tickets for international matches £10 for normal fans, £5 for SL season ticket holders.
what does everyone think and what would you add/remove?

[yoda warrior]

The profile of the international game needs a massive lift, particularly outside Australia. The NRL is so massive that there is no real threat to the game over there. Here though, our top players will continue to go to union, not only for the money, but for the far higher profile it promises them. Internationals are almost an after thought in RL and that is why the sport will struggle for a long time.

People say that union players used to go the other way but they stopped that by turning the game pro. What can we do to reverse the trend again? We have to increase the profile of the international game but when Australia are so powerful, and it doesn't matter as much to them (administrators not players), it will be very difficult. The game has always been innovative but something very drastic needs to happen. The attitude of alot of people, that we have nothing to worry about, is scary.

[josie andrews]

Get rid of the current RFL board - easy

[josie andrews]

Get rid of the current RFL board - easy

Oh, and all the hangers on :sly:

[BriH]

Get rid of the current RFL board - easy

Oh, and all the hangers on :sly:

"Here, here" to that!!

John Kear (who I don't like very much) came up with - what I thought was a good idea.

Have 2 Super Leagues Div 1 & Div 2. I haven't a clue about the structure, but it went something like this:

For example, 10 teams in each Div (or maybe 12 and 8) Div 2 initially being mainly Ch 1 teams.
Relegation from one to the other.
The idea being top make Super League 1 more competitive and fewer matches to play.
I know there are massive financial problems associated with this plan i.e Sky revenue distribution - less money for the Clubs etc. etc.
But, it's an idea.
What is going to happen with these ideas? Is someone going to correlate them and pass them on to the RFL?
No, I'm not volunteering!!!

[slimshady]

Thing is until the playing field is level between RL and that other shite our game is stuffed, too many ex public schoolboys involved in the BBC who consider RL to be a working class sport. If you consider the money involved in Union we will never compete, if you establish yourself at international level for England at Union its a licence to print money and you will be on your way to becoming a millionaire. If you establish yourself at international at RL you may get a new car and get booed playing for your country!

[yoda warrior]

Thing is until the playing field is level between RL and that other shite our game is stuffed, too many ex public schoolboys involved in the BBC who consider RL to be a working class sport. If you consider the money involved in Union we will never compete, if you establish yourself at international level for England at Union its a licence to print money and you will be on your way to becoming a millionaire. If you establish yourself at international at RL you may get a new car and get booed playing for your country!

One of the reasons RU has a lot of money is the huge profile their international game generates. Until people in RL wake up and realise that the international game should come first, we will always lag well behind.

[Locker's #1 fan]

Take it back to Winter, get rid of the RFL idiots and do away with the play off system, top 2 to contest the cup, move CC final back to its original time line, get rid of the MM weekend and have a 3 game series in the middle of the year like the Exiles game, get rid of the 40-20, reinstate the opposition making a play for the ball at the play of the ball rule, free paper/card hats for the children, pull out of London and try to expand the game in the North where there is already plenty of supportr for the game, limit the yorkshire clubs to 4 in the league and bring back Greg McCallum.

[platt-warrior]

Nice one Locker's,agreed with a lot of that(must go for a liedown) :eusa18:

[eccywarrior]

no matter how many topics us fans make about state of the game it will never change beacause the problem is not superleague or international. its the rfl, barla, and other organisation in the game who are the problem...

in union its like a big christmas tree where at top its rfu then they send money down to premiership and it goes down to bottom to likes of wigan rugby union and then back up to whoever needs it.

in league theres like a few bushes with sl, championships, conference, barla and other organisation where money doesnt spread out other the bushes.

sorry if few of you dont understand my way of saying lol