northernbloke wrote:That was not my understanding of the central funding issue! Toronto were not refused central funding they elected not to take it! So nothing was stolen.
As for TV deal and rights, pretty sure catalans deal to tekevise hime games did not involve a sky buy back, the french managed a tv deal so why couldnt the canadians?
My view is toronto thought they could get a better TV deal and generate there own income from that! Problem being like catalans that would have been to televise home games in Canada!! Big problem with that! Even with a normal season schedule they were not going to have many home games.
Maybe its time to recognise that it is a regional sport! Its the same in France, look where RL is played, thats why catalans keep going where PSG failed.
London will always struggle
Not true at all.
TWPs agreement with the RFL was not to take central funding in Championship and League 1, but nothing had been agreed for SL. When promoted the SL clubs refused to give them the 12th share of funding, keeping it for themselves instead. They told TWP they could sell the North American TV rights, but then it emerged that those had already been included in the SKY deal, so TWP needed to buy the rights back from SKY and then try to re-sell them. But they couldn't pay SKY what they were asking and sell them at a profit. So they were stuffed.
Catalans is completely different. They get a full share of the TV money, just like the other clubs. Always have done. That's the deal SL (under the leadership of Richard Lewis) and Catalans brokered when entering the league. There's a separate deal that sees French TV show Catalans home games, and essentially give the live feed of that to SKY in return for taking the live feed of the games SKY cover in England.
As to your comments on London always struggling - that's arguable. But the truth is the game will always struggle to expand because the northern clubs don't want it to. Contrast to the NRL, where Melbourne have received around $100m more than the other clubs over the past 20 years simply because the game knew it needed to expand and to thrive. Now, obviously the RFL/SL don't have that amount of money to use, but over my 26 years watching London the club has not received one penny more than the other clubs. Not a penny.
The game is still run by people with the attitude of 19th century mill owners. They're incapable of seeing, never mind understanding or adapting to, the modern sporting landscape.
