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food for thought

Offline brett kinghams mullet

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on: 26 Apr 2007, 12:39:18 pm
in light of all the recent financial events surrounding doncaster, widnes, swinton, and to some extent leigh at the end of last season start of this season(off loading there better players) its seems that full time rugby in the national leagues and the push for SL before the 2009 franchise system comes in is taking its toll.
    Donny were doomed from the start , they may have a brand new staduim and a sugar daddy who has put 1 million in to the club, but poor management and no off feild development have taken its toll, add to this poor crowds and making a poor part time team full time....then it was always going to end in tears
   Widnes have had the benefit of 3/4 years of SL cash and a new staduim built by the council, they have a healthy fan base..yet they too have come unstuck in the push to get back to SL...150k being put in last week just to keep them going for the next 10 weeks and stave off going in to adminstration...yet they still stay full time and continune to sign players WHY?

  leigh paid the price for going all out for SL in 2004 and going into SL on a less than stable finacial footing..add to this their poor display in SL it cost them in both money and fans through the gate...staying full time last year to push for SL once more,there squad under performed and was cut to bits at the end of the season due to finacial restraints

 So when you look at us at Haven our lot is not so bad...
  yes everyone is aware the ground needs to improve even if we just stay in NL1...but both Donny and widnes prove a good ground means nothing if the clubs are on the verge of going to the wall

Fulltime, last season i thought if ever we are going to do anything we need to go fulltime...looking at recent events, now im sure that Fulltime rugby in NL1 is not sustainable for more than a couple of seasons (if widnes do not go up this year then i think they will revert to part time) ...could we recover from the situation donny or widens find themselves in...i dont think so we dont have people willing or able to put in 50k/100k of there own money to save what would be a dying entity

What we do have is a good BOD who will not put the club at risk for a short term gain...we are one of a few RL clubs who for that last 4 years have made a profit...we continue to be one of the most consistent performing teams in the NL,s and have been for 4 season...we have a chance for the ground to be developed should the council and westlakes get there act together, we have one of the best player development structures in any league from scholarship throught to first team and backed up by one of the best community programmes around..

when looking at going in to SL this is what the RL should be looking at, clubs on a sound finacial footing and all the support structures in place...but as we know with of any of this ,if say Widnes or Cas or any other club win the GF  if their ground meets the standard they will be allowed in to SL regardless of there Finacial situation...because there business plan will say they will do this and that things they have failed to do on numerous occasions in the past

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Offline whitehavenRLforever

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Reply #1 on: 26 Apr 2007, 01:13:54 pm
Good  point  Brett.

I  don't  really  think  NL1  can  sustain  many  fulltime  sides  if  any.  The  money  we  get  off  SKY  is  peanuts  and  in  Donny's  case  how  they  can  pay  a  team  on  1500  gates  is  beyond  me.

At  least  being  part time  allows  the  players  to  earn  a  nice  2nd  income  without  the  club  going  into  debt.  If  we  were  to  go  fulltime  our  wage  bill   would  have  to  double  at  least.


Offline silver shadow

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Reply #2 on: 26 Apr 2007, 01:36:05 pm
good post bkm agree 100%
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haven1985

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Reply #3 on: 26 Apr 2007, 03:19:23 pm
I  don't  really  think  NL1  can  sustain  many  fulltime  sides  if  any.  The  money  we  get  off  SKY  is  peanuts  and  in  Donny's  case  how  they  can  pay  a  team  on  1500  gates  is  beyond  me.


I didnt think SKY gave any NL1 teams any money for the games which are showed






Offline brett kinghams mullet

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Reply #4 on: 26 Apr 2007, 03:21:10 pm
I  don't  really  think  NL1  can  sustain  many  fulltime  sides  if  any.  The  money  we  get  off  SKY  is  peanuts  and  in  Donny's  case  how  they  can  pay  a  team  on  1500  gates  is  beyond  me.


I didnt think SKY gave any NL1 teams any money for the games which are showed/quote]




they dont, and donny dont get 1500 average about 8/900 i think

« Last Edit: 26 Apr 2007, 04:14:27 pm by brett kinghams mullet »
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Offline whitehavenRLforever

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Reply #5 on: 26 Apr 2007, 04:01:54 pm
I  don't  really  think  NL1  can  sustain  many  fulltime  sides  if  any.  The  money  we  get  off  SKY  is  peanuts  and  in  Donny's  case  how  they  can  pay  a  team  on  1500  gates  is  beyond  me.


I didnt think SKY gave any NL1 teams any money for the games which are showed

I  think  they  give  clubs  ?4000 for  every  game  shown  which  is  very  poor.

As  for  Donny  they  normally  do  but  their  gate  against  Cas  wasn't  too  bad  which  probably  boosts  their  average.







Offline Keith

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Reply #6 on: 26 Apr 2007, 04:07:00 pm
Good post bkm.   However, the problem stems from the actual struggle to get into SL and from next season we can all forget winning grand finals as a way of getting promotion as it just isn't going to happen.  

At the end of 2008 season they will extend the SL to 14 clubs and no-one will get in for at least 3 years.   After that a club will only get in IF they can put forward a better franchise bid than the current SL clubs.    

For any NL1 club to have any realistic chance of getting a franchise under those circumstances they will have to have a full-time squad, have a ground that meets all the criteria, be able to assure the SL and RFL that they have the financial support to be able to stay in SL for upwards of 3 years, etc,.    

At present I would suggest that there is only Cas (when they get their new ground) that fit the bill especially with the fantastic support they get through the turnstiles.   Any club not able to get 3,500 - 4,000 regularly through the turnstile whilst at the top of NL1 is not going to survive in SL for more than one year, if they could get in.

The RFL and the media have played lip service to us up here when they talk about a Cumbria bid and as much as it hurts me to say it I cannot see either Haven or Town ever getting there.
Keith - Haven Legend previously a former Haven Immortal!!!