the best way forward

[brett kinghams mullet]

right this may hit a raw nerve with some fans but i think this would be the best thing for NL1 and for Haven

i think this season both Cas and Widnes should be promoted to SL...the reason being that the gap between the full time teams and part time teams in NL1 is getting wider, Sunday proved this and no one wants to see a one sided cup or league .Year on year since leigh went full time in 2004 the Full time teams have being getting better and better and it shows when it comes to finals etc etc

they should do away with the franchise plan but have  3 years with NO P&R..at the end of the 3 years the top 2 teams from NL1 (as long as grounds and structure and finaces etc etc is in place) should replace the 2 teams in SL who on a basis of results, finances, structure etc have performed the worst over the 3 years....this means all clubs both in SL and NL1 have 3 years to get everything running right and demonstrate they are a viable option for SL...this should be repeated every 3 years


doing this would mean NL1 would be a part time league...leigh are on about going partime next year and if this did happen i could not see Fax carrying out there plan to go Full time...so the league would be more balanced and it would stop situtations like donny or swinton which weaken our game as whole...the NR cup could be played at the end of the league season as  replacement for the GF

from Havens point of view it would give us time to sort out the ground, and develop a team towards a three year goal instead of the usually player merry go round in October November...it would also allow the NL1 clubs to bring through the local amateur players who do not get the chances in SL cause of pressure to avoid  relegation etc etc

i would rather be a in a level competative NL1 doing well than in SL getting thrased every week

[MorbidFlorist]

BKM,
          interesting post and you've obviously spent some time thinking about this. I agree the present structure is unworkable and something needs to be done about it. However there  are 2 main stumbling blocks to implementing any kind of change to the present structure;
1, The RFL/Super League monolith. These boys just aren't interested in smaller/mildly obscure clubs in joining the party at the upper echelons of the game. There are too many vested interests in keeping the game centred around the same old clubs/geographical area.
2,The Recreation Ground. To call it a stadium really badly misrepresents stadia elsewhere in all sports. I've been to a few away grounds where the clubs concerened have employed a business plan and spent wisely to improve their ground. What do we have after 3-4 years of hot air from various sources around the town ? The same old ground with the same facilities that were in place when I started watching many moons ago. I'm still visiting the same urinals my dad was when he was a teenager - he's now retired.

A lack of money to invest in the club will always be a major hindrance to the expansion of the club as a whole. There are not enough big businesses in the area to provide the necessary funding. Big firms should be in competition with each other to provide cash - they are in Lancashire/Yorkshire.

So while agree with your ideas I find it a bit far-fetched that Whitehaven RL will ever be able to anything more than a decent part-time club.

MorbidFlorist.

[HavenMascot]

the best way forward is get rid of DR

[Keith]

I can't see that working bkm, because :

a)  If you say no P & R for 3 years and then promote the top 2 in NL1 (providing everything else is in place) then what do you see happening in the two years in between this year and the year of promotion?    Teams will not be unduly bothered where they are in the league as they build up resources (money) to have a determined go at the 3rd year.    So, you may as well leave the franchise system in place.

b)  The franchise system is as good as in because all the SL clubs are wanting it for their own greedy benefits plus the head man Richard Lewis is all in favour of it.    Next year will be the last year Haven, Town or Barrow will have to get into SL on merit.   After that we will all become mediocre part time National League teams.   Even being top of the NL1 won't mean a lot after 2008.

c)   Haven may have a new stadium in 3 years time, maybe not, but as it as been pointed out our clubs will need more than new stadiums if they want to get into SL.    Both our clubs and catchment areas are not big enough to support either of our present clubs in SL.    I think more and more people are now coming to realise this.   We all have to make our minds up if we want to be mediocre NL teams or try to find a way of combining (not a merger) in some way to put in a joint team in SL like Les Catalans in France.

There are and never have been any conspiracies afoot to keep Haven out of SL the reason you are not there is through lack of finance, a stadium, and major sponsorships.   The team on the field is now and will be in the future just a small but important part of getting into SL together with all the other parts of the package.

[Maca]

id say if either town or haven got in the SL the gate would increase big time alot would like to see the big guns on home ground and there away support is alot more too.
Well not sure about town gate lol

[Keith]

id say if either town or haven got in the SL the gate would increase big time alot would like to see the big guns on home ground and there away support is alot more too.
Well not sure about town gate lol

I don't think so.    Look at Town's gates when they were in SL.   They were around the 3,000 - 3,500 mark and that was a struggle.   Ask yourself "how many Haven fans would travel through to Workington to watch Town play one of the top SL clubs, and vice versa?".   The answer is not many, certainly not any where near as much as would travel for a West Cumbria team playing one of the top SL teams.   And therein lies the problem.    We are not big enough on our own and too stubborn to look for other ways of doing it.

[Maca]

how many does the town ground hold max keith?

[WHITEHAVEN RLFC 4 EVA]

10,000 aint it lol ours is 7,500

[Keith]

Honest answer is I don't exactly know BUT I seem to recall that the county council put a limit on it of about 9,500 after the work was done when AMEC caused some problems undermining the grandstand.  

[Maca]

7,500 i dont know where all them would go at ours lol it lookd full at a couple of games and it wasnt nowhere near lol

[WHITEHAVEN RLFC 4 EVA]

we had 6,500 for cas in 2005 and was packed but there was space for a few more lol