ccs wrote:I reckon their owner could bail out the whole of SL and still have a bob or two to spare from his billions of dollars.
"Billions," yeah, well, how much money has he really got? And IMO Canada should have their own league if they want to play rugby, it's too far and a 5 hour time difference is too much. I think France shold have their own league too, if there were two French teams in SL fine, but Toulouse are not big enough, and probably never will be.
ccs wrote:I see SBW is being "encouraged" to find another club.
It's sad for SL really, we sign the most famous rugby player in the world, amid a lot of publicity then a global pandemic hits and he doesn't even play a home game. The sport gets no luck.
Think it's game over for Toronto though, pulling out at last minute hasn't gone down well with the RFL or fans, had they admitted defeat a month or so ago people might have been more sympathetic.
I guess this was always going to happen really. The fact is this two tier system is in operation and there is bound to be conflict of interest and priorities between the self managed Super League Europe and the rest of the clubs under the RFl.
The RFl have over many many years failed to grasp the administration of the game by the scruff of the neck lost credibility for it and so it was not difficult to see how the Money men of the Super League Clubs wanted to be masters of their own destiny. SLE was created and Putting the decision making in the hands of those who stand to lose the most (the owners) was eminently sensible. For it meant that the competition had to succeed for them to succeed and that, in the long term, benefited us all; the owners the fans the governing body and the TV company without whom there would be no full time professional league. t.
The big problem was always when a club moved from the RFL controlled Championship to the Super League controlled top division and vice versa. Look how many have gone straight back down! The gulf in costs, wages, player quality etc is far too great, because all the TV money is in the top Division because to keep the broadcaster sweet that is where the quality has to be.
A parachute payment from the top tier clubs helps demotion but when a promoted team comes up they normally just become part of the 'Sky Club' but with inferior players (what's left) and the need to play catch up all the time. The two leagues are too small which increases the jeopardy but limits the ability to forward plan, recruit youngsters and find stability.
However, because of the increased buggerment factor I don't think most of the Super League Clubs particularly wanted Toronto in the League anyway because of the obvious travelling costs to go there visa issues etc etc it was I think they thought all too unfeasible, but when the RFL told the Canadians that they would have to pay the other Championship clubs travel it was sort of sorted in the short term. That was fine whilst they were in the bottom two leagues but once they came up and because they are outside the Sky agreement the Big boys for some reason withheld their cut of the TV money and split it amongst themselves instead. That was for me a receipe for eventual disaster for however generous and committed he was, a sugar Daddy owner would not sustain that situation forever. They relied on big tv deals at their side of the pond which didn't seem to be forthcoming as the season started but then along came Covid and they were stuffed.
why do I say all that well that's how I see it has all come about. It is what the solution is that's is the real bone of contention. Perhaps the RFL should think twice before agreeing to all and sundry joining the competition, their record on expansionism is hardly a glowing one yet still they plough on. But, unless the RLF runs everything on their own as the sovereign administrative body there is always going to be conflict. But we all know that if the RFL run the lot their equatable approach to everything would see a more even distribution of the Sky money across the game but that would mean that the quality that TV demands would not be there in Super league. The other alternative is to increase Super league to 13 or 14 teams and then pull up the draw bridge and base the game on the lines of the NRL. That suits a lot at the top but not many of the smaller clubs down below, for they live on the dream of Super league, and it is a dream, because on the whole it is totally impractical under the current rules.
I guess the one thing that might change the picture could be the fact that once the furlough scheme is put to bed a lot of the smaller clubs with no meaningful games and preci0os little income until next February, March time, might unfortunately go to the wall anyway.
I hope they don't but I think this whole situation is far from over and Toronto is just the start of it all, I hope I'm wrong but there must be a lot of uncertainty around for all the lower division clubs and quite a bit of worry for the Super league Clubs too. A major restructuring of the whole British game may be inevitable before long. As for Toronto well, surely they can't just walk back into Super league next season can they? Personally I doubt that by then they will still exist.
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ccs wrote:So SL is rolling in money and should have bailed out a club which can afford a $10m player contract?
I don't think so.
I agree and I'm not sure it would have been legal for them to get any of the government loan money either. I'm assuming that has to be spent on English clubs.
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