Quote Pepe="Pepe"It is indeed. Therefore, they are not desperately trying to find a new name, in a vain attempt to generate a broader interest in it. '"
Indeed they aren't. They are the dominant code of football in the most populous areas, therefore they can call it that. However, they wouldn't try calling it that in AFL strong areas, they call it something else. So why do we insist on "rugby" in the rugby union strongholds I don't know, and we definitely can't call it footy!
Quote Pepe="Pepe"Gaining and losing. Those we have already are struggling, even with a lowered salary cap. Just because we are adding new clubs, doesn’t mean everything is rosy. That is a very naïve view. '"
How many clubs have we lost in the last decade? Blackpool.
What about the decade before that?
How many clubs have we gained in the last decade? Skolars, Crusaders, Scorpions
How many clubs did we gain in the decade before that?
I never said it was all rosy. I said that we were gaining clubs, and we are. You said we were losing clubs, and we aren't. We've lost A club. We lost more clubs in the decade before. So how are things much worse?
Quote Pepe="Pepe"Clubs have indeed struggled for years, but things are even tougher now. There were all kinds of competitions that gave lower league clubs games with top class clubs: Yorks & Lancs Cup, Challenge Cup, Regal & Floodlit Trophy, &c. Now there is only the Challenge Cup, and that is slowly losing its appeal to SL fans; appalling attendances over recent years a proof in point. Some SL club chairmen and players have talked about wanting to get involved in a later round, to avoid extra games against lower league opposition.
Add to that the impetus generated by P&R in the lower leagues, which has now been lost, and it is causing an apathy amongst communities where the game was once so strong.'"
Once the top league became full time, it was always going to be harder for some of the small town clubs to compete. It's about finding your level, and clubs have struggled trying to get to a level they clearly aren't ready for.
Quote Pepe="Pepe"I don’t recall ever seeing so many clubs go to the wall, as I have in the last 3 or 4 years.'"
Blackpool? Who else?
A lot of clubs have been in administration recently, but a lot in the past have as well.
Quote Pepe="Pepe"It is not merely down to recession.'"
How can you be so sure? Sports clubs across the country are struggling. Why are RL clubs different?
Quote Pepe="Pepe"There is a much deeper malaise amongst lower league clubs which cuts much deeper than that. The lower leagues seem to be treated as an afterthought in Red Hall and all it ever gets in help are ridiculous gimmicks that it would never introduce to Super League. (Although, to be fair, SL does have ‘Club Call’)'"
Apart from the different points system, what other gimmicks have been introduced?
What amazing treatment do lower league clubs in other sports get that RL clubs are missing out on?
Quote Pepe="Pepe"I think that there is a certain amount of weary cynicism, but I really do not have to look too hard to see the problems. I admit that I don’t have the answers but neither, it seems, do those at Red Hall. I guess that’s why they are putting all their eggs in the Super League basket in the hope that this alone will increase interest in the game nation wide, and away from small industrial towns and pit villages. Throwing the baby out with the bath water is always a massive risk. You can lose a lot more than you gain which, in time, could weaken the sport even further.
The lower leagues have been cast adrift and left to rot, and do not receive enough central funding, as almost everything is put into Super League. That is where Red Hall is concentrating its effort. It is now the be all and end all of the sport at a pro level. '"
Super League is what makes the money, gets the attention and is going to help the international team. It's the same for any other sport that their top league is the be all and end all. And isn't there more central funding for lower league teams now than ever?
Should we just call football "Premier League"?
Quote Pepe="Pepe"Rugby League, in this county, [iis[/i Super League.'"
No, it is not. When people play the game, are they thinking SL?
You're just thinking from purely a spectator point of view.
