Quote ="rupert bear"The point i am trying to make is how do we know how committed to an RL team will a soccer chairman be when it starts costing him money for possibly not much return attendance and success wise.'"

You can say that about anyone that takes over a club though. And your track record on this subject has shown that you'll look for anything to talk them down.

Quote ="Wembley71"A new venture, run by Northampton Town FC.'"



I wonder how long this will last when they discover that you won't make any money out of RL at this level?'"



If they can support their existing brand at break-even, it's still a win for them.



There are 3 ways for any business, in any sector, to increase its sales:

1) sell more of your existing product to existing customers;

2) sell new products to existing customers;

3) sell to new customers



A RL team in summer at a winter pro sports club ticks at least the last two of those three boxes. To football clubs, our salary cap makes RL a strategically attractive option. I've costed a C1 club, and I think it's affordable at break-even, maybe even with a small profit margin. But we're only talking plus or minus ten grand. And if a club progresses to SL in, say, 20 years, those clubs turn over 20 times as much, and as the sale of Hull FC shows, they can be worth £2-3m. Bloody good return for a soccer business.



I hope Northampton succeeds, and I'd extend that to all the expansion clubs. If nothing else, it will draw hundreds of talented, ambitious teens into

our game in new areas.

Quote ="rupert bear"