franchising love it or hate it is hear to stay, for the time being. one of biggest sports in terms of revenue the NFL uses it as do nearly all american sports.

the RFL has franchised the SL on a 3 year term. however in reality what is the chance of any team currently in SL losing their license in 3 years? ok there are the usual this team has this stadium this attendence etc buts lets face facts certain teams are never going to lose their license, leeds saints wigan hull, hudderfield. are all to historically important in the game (apologies to the ones i havn't mentioned but you get the drift) quins will never lose their license the RFL would never give up the oppertunity of having a SL right outside the RFU's window (literally)

the fact is as mentioned on another thread most players in SL have clauses in their contracts that say they are released should the club go down. this stops them leaving the top flight and stops clubs forking out a fortune on contracts when they lose the tv revenue of the top flight.

but surely that is the nail in the coffin of any non SL team. why take the license away from a current SL who perform poorly only for the players to be released into free agency. what choice does the newly licensed side up form RL1 have but to sign up these superleague experience players.

all that will happen is you'll see essentially the same squad playing in another town in another strip.

Get over it, get on with it and get out of it (the pub that is)

But there will be many happy people around cos their club wont get relegated, even if they get spanked every week.

Even better, when interest is lost in the championship cos, however hard you try, you cant break into the cash cow of super league, clubs in the national league go under through lack of interest and there will be even more players to spread around.

Should work out fine eh?

i'm teetotal thankyou besides i like my soapbox it makes me realise what i miss being a shortarse

Not many happy bunnys in salford at the moment

It's far too early to say what the ramifications of franchising will be, the full impact, good and bad may take years to be known.

It will be good , no doubt

The RFL could put a positive spin on a nuclear holocaust

Add into the "won't be relegated" category, Celtic Crusaders and Catalans and it doesn't leave many that could be relegated. It is all just a paper exercise though as it is obvious that SL will probably go to 16 teams in 2011 with one of Widnes or Halifax plus probably Toulouse.

After that, who knows? I suspect there would be no change until they have have groomed a Scottish or Irish club for entry in about 2014 at the earliest.

Meanwhile you will get clubs with no chance whatsoever in the Championship wasting money year upon year chasing the dream and fans getting more and more disillusioned and packing in rugby league.

bit of a contradiction

such cynicism oh yea of little faith