A few good performances and all of a sudden the debate on here has died. So seeing as everyone loved the political thread on here a few weeks ago, I thought we'd have a go at discussing the policies and politics around Rugby League.



The first issue that came to mind was finding out where this forum's members stand on expanding the game from outside the M62 corridor. Are you a expansionist? Do you believe events like The Magic Weekend are good for the game? Are teams like Harlequins, Celtic and Gateshead doing enough to 'spread the gospel' so to speak? Given time, will France, Wales and Scotland etc become forces on the international stage



Or are you a traditionalist? Were Widnes wrongly snubbed in favour of Celtic and Catalan, and is it damaging the game within its heartlands? Are we wasting our time with countries like France, Lebanon and Malta? Or is the international game already dead on its , and isn't worth reviving as its too much of a farce in the way its run?



Discuss.

I think Widnes should be in place instead of Salford.



But prefer expansion. Weekends away in France, Spain, Edinburgh, Cardiff, London etc make the season much better and you have a number of away games to really look forward to.

The debate on here hasn't died due to good performances, there a few other reasons.

Swine flu?

I agree but would like to see Halifax in.

Whats the point in having teams scattered around Europe with the inevitable reliance upon Australian/ New Zealand players - and therefore little connection between the team and the supporters?



For me it was a better game when it was semi-professional and quite often the characters in the team were a reflection of the local population. Those days I suspect have gone forever - but the nostalgia's still as good as it ever was!

expansion needs to happen in some form or another. however, it needs to be tied in with junior development and a massive marketing budget. i think a lot of the expansionist clubs have been short changed by the rfl when it comes to marketing. gateshead were sold down the river when it came to the hull merger, and celtic were in place 15 years too late. when more kids are playing in schools, which they are in all expansion areas, crowds will rise and the game will have as much of a foothold as it does in other regions.



the international game is on the increase, and we have some very talented players from fiji and png playing in the competitions in both australia and europe, and don't forget, the new zealand warrors and catalan are both expansionist clubs, and both have appeared in major domestic finals. this has transcended into the international game, with new zealand being the world champions, and france entering the 4 nations.

neither halifax or widnes are financially vaible at present. they would no doubt add to the competition, but they have to prove they can first. their results, this year had they been let in would be no better than celtics

Surely its like a business, you look for a viable market before you make an investment.



Ideas like take an SL franchise to Scotland are pie in the sky. RU in Scotland struggles, even football which is a national obsession, has got serious problems, there is not much money there and they don't have enough players hence they rely on imports. If Rangers and Celtic join the Premiership then the SPL won't be able to afford a pot to mickey in. So an RL franchise there is not going to make money or grow.



Same thing with a lot of the towns the traditionalists talk about, there's no point giving Featherstone, Dewsbury etc a franchise because there's nothing there, there's no money or potential catchment area on which to grow.



France is a good market to go for, there's a long tradition of RL there, they've got a great sporting culture of junior development which includes government and local authorities as well, and its a potentially very lucrative market. Look at the French RU clubs, they have got far more cash than anyone else which is why they have Gasnier, Sonny Bill, Luke Rooney and co there.



For me its not about being an expansionist or a traditionalist but identifying areas which have got good potential and going for them.

i think it would of been good to see the magic weekend in gatehead at there ground or up in cumbria were 3 teams are hosted from to try and get the locals around there into rugby league instead of finding new fans why carnt we try and help the smaller citys which have been around for a long time and dont really get much help.

But what ground would you get 30-40k fans in? Plus accomodation etc

gateheads ground is big enough and im sure there will be a 30k ground upthere somewhere mybe a football ground just a idea and hotels and camps sites are plenty up in cumbria