You tickle me your lot you want stability then want change icon_smile.gif" alt="icon_smile.gif" title="Smile" /> you say the games stagnating but for the first time in a generation you have different teams at the top how about the every game matters is actually bringing the change you want but you don't like what's happening to your own favourite at the moment but you want to go back to Leeds Wigan and saints go on why this is the fantasy island thread let's throw Bradford back in as well icon_smile.gif" alt="icon_smile.gif" title="Smile" /> so it's back to the great days of super league were these 4 battled it out year after zzzz year zzzz after year

You tickle me your lot you want stability then want change icon_smile.gif" alt="icon_smile.gif" title="Smile" /> you say the games stagnating but for the first time in a generation you have different teams at the top how about the every game matters is actually bringing the change you want but you don't like what's happening to your own favourite at the moment but you want to go back to Leeds Wigan and saints go on why this is the fantasy island thread let's throw Bradford back in as well icon_smile.gif" alt="icon_smile.gif" title="Smile" /> so it's back to the great days of super league were these 4 battled it out year after zzzz year zzzz after year

Quote ="shinymcshine"We need to look back at Super League Year Zero (aka 1995) where RL international crowds were decent and RU had yet to come to terms with professionalism. The influx of TV money to RL should have set the platform for us to become the dominant code, yet opportunities were squandered, and really the game doesn't seem any better off than it was all those years ">ago.'" It was never (and probably will never) be the dominant code due to the RU home nations plus, it's International program. Also, Union is part of the Establishment and even IF we could get to the stage where we had more to offer, we would still be coming second in this country. Having said that, as a full time pro sport, we should be ahead of Union in many other areas but, due to the gulf in revenue coming into the respective sport's, League will always be trying to play catch up and getting "mocked" by the media as it keeps on with it's innovative ideas.

Quote ="shinymcshine"We need to look back at Super League Year Zero (aka 1995) where RL international crowds were decent and RU had yet to come to terms with professionalism. The influx of TV money to RL should have set the platform for us to become the dominant code, yet opportunities were squandered, and really the game doesn't seem any better off than it was all those years ">ago.'" It was never (and probably will never) be the dominant code due to the RU home nations plus, it's International program. Also, Union is part of the Establishment and even IF we could get to the stage where we had more to offer, we would still be coming second in this country. Having said that, as a full time pro sport, we should be ahead of Union in many other areas but, due to the gulf in revenue coming into the respective sport's, League will always be trying to play catch up and getting "mocked" by the media as it keeps on with it's innovative ideas.

Ok, an 18 team league.

The current 12 teams plus:

Toulouse

Toronto

Newcastle

Leigh

Bradford

London



This increase would mean each club would get around £1.8m a year from the TV money rather than £2.5m. Which sounds like a big drop but IIRC it's about what they were getting before the "new" tv deal.

Play every team once.

Play half the teams twice.

Gives 26 games per year.

Top 8 playoff like in NRL giving a max of 4 additional games.



No P&R.

Clubs will be assessed properly every 5 years. With proper targets given for growth/improvement in certain areas.



Lower division clubs can apply to enter and would expand the competition, not take someone else's place. Same goes for if a club goes under, it's not automatically replaced by someone else.



SL clubs must run a reserves side.



SL clubs to be entered into the Challenge Cup 2 rounds earlier than at present.



Standard club season tickets (as we know them) to be abolished. You now buy a Rugby League season ticket that includes the home SL matches of the club of your choice. It also commits you to buy a ticket for cup and playoff home games (like in football).

The price will be raised to also include entry to events such as Magic Weekend, Cup semi finals, mid-season internationals, Championship summer bash etc.



At the start of every season a 40/50 man England initial squad will be selected by the England staff. The players selected in this squad will then be restricted to playing a max of 25 games for their club in that season (excluding Cup & Grand Final).



Increase the number of marquee signings to 3 per club but include a 50% tax that goes to central funds specifically for marketing and development in specific areas. So say if Leeds wanted to sign a top player and pay him £200k per year as a marquee player, they'd have to pay £100k to this central fund too. The tax would be reduced to 20% for clubs in the bottom half of the table.



Just a few thoughts...

I reckon the game needs cleaning up first to increase intensity in matches. There is too much time wasting and conning the ref during the game these days, the PTB is a total mess and probably needs a few rule changes in these areas. It's not a consistent high pulsating game anymore and not very attractive to promote as an exciting dynamic sport.

Agree with most of this, I think we'd need to see how Toronto progress for a couple of years before putting them in Super League though, Toulouse would probably be the safest bet for an expansion team and we should really be looking at having them in Super League by 2020, London need a couple of years to regroup in the Championship and figure out what the best way forward is but I do think that a London SL team is viable if run properly. I think Newcastle would be a bad idea currently though, there doesn't look to be too much desire for a top flight team there. I would keep the Magic Weekend there, it's doing pretty well so far and if it can keep growing the game there then who knows one day.



I'd take your 25 games rule a step further though and extend it to every player, it's madness that in this day and age as the game gets more and more physical that players are being asked to play more and more games and I think the standard is suffering as a result.



I think everyone involved in Super League in any capacity needs to go on some kind of marketing course though as it's currently woeful at best.



I read someone suggest once that we should have a second Magic Weekend for the Challenge Cup quarter finals which I think is one of the best ideas I've heard in relation to the Challenge Cup in a long time.

Quote ="Judder Man"I reckon the game needs cleaning up first to increase intensity in matches. There is too much time wasting and conning the ref during the game these days, the PTB is a total mess and probably needs a few rule changes in these areas. It's not a consistent high pulsating game anymore and not very attractive to promote as an exciting dynamic ">sport.'" That's purely down to how strict the ref's are. It can be stopped instantly if that is what the game wants to happen and it's got naf all to do with how many clubs are in the top flight. The reasons given for reducing the number of clubs in SL was to increase the intensity in the weekly rounds but, the demise in form of Leeds and Huddersfield (plus maybe, Saints) has let everyone else off the hook and we have seen very few games so far, where both competing teams have been at the top of their game for the full 80. Maybe it will happen in the super 8's but, if this is the case, then, this is no different to the old play offs. This may be an early indicator that the new system is not working as expected. Clearly, every minute doesn't matter. However, we have seen THE most unpredictable season in SL history and perhaps in RL history. Going back to how many clubs should be in the top flight. Again, the game must have a strategy for expansion and growth of the game and not just make it up as we go and the governing body needs to sell the idea to the current fans of the game and then to new fans but, don't hold your breath. It wont happen. a054.gif" alt="icon_biggrin.gifEPRESSED:" title="DEPRESSED" />

Quote ="Judder Man"I reckon the game needs cleaning up first to increase intensity in matches. There is too much time wasting and conning the ref during the game these days, the PTB is a total mess and probably needs a few rule changes in these areas. It's not a consistent high pulsating game anymore and not very attractive to promote as an exciting dynamic ">sport.'" That's purely down to how strict the ref's are. It can be stopped instantly if that is what the game wants to happen and it's got naf all to do with how many clubs are in the top flight. The reasons given for reducing the number of clubs in SL was to increase the intensity in the weekly rounds but, the demise in form of Leeds and Huddersfield (plus maybe, Saints) has let everyone else off the hook and we have seen very few games so far, where both competing teams have been at the top of their game for the full 80. Maybe it will happen in the super 8's but, if this is the case, then, this is no different to the old play offs. This may be an early indicator that the new system is not working as expected. Clearly, every minute doesn't matter. However, we have seen THE most unpredictable season in SL history and perhaps in RL history. Going back to how many clubs should be in the top flight. Again, the game must have a strategy for expansion and growth of the game and not just make it up as we go and the governing body needs to sell the idea to the current fans of the game and then to new fans but, don't hold your breath. It wont happen. a054.gif" alt="icon_biggrin.gifEPRESSED:" title="DEPRESSED" />