Promotion-Relegation, Salary Cap..Your thoughts

[abu]

94 why cant it happen.

[haven94]

94 why cant it happen.

well it could happen what i mean a lot in both camps dont want it to. what about you abu

[spacecake]

To be honest shaun as for SL if us town and barrow where there one of us could win grand final every season but would have no chance of promotion when your up against teams like leigh halifax and prob wakefield but as a merger then i reckon if not 2015 then deffo 2018

[spacecake]

To be honest shaun as for SL if us town and barrow where there one of us could win grand final every season but would have no chance of promotion when your up against teams like leigh halifax and prob wakefield but as a merger then i reckon if not 2015 then deffo 2018

made a mistake there i meant if us town and barrow where in the champ

[recre]

I've said often enough that I'm against a merger. This fanciful idea of Haven & Town becoming feeder clubs to a Cumbria team in SL is even more laughable. In the current economic climate how many people would go and watch two clubs if such a thing happened. Some people struggle to watch one never mind two.

(By the way isn't this another topic because we seemed to have digressed from what was in the title of this one  )

[abu]

I am all for it with all the local talent around here it would  be great to see them playing for a cumbrian team and i dont care were it his.

[chocbluegold]

taking promotion and relegation away was a stupid move by rfl its probably cost teams a drop in crowds i know of a few that dont go coz of that.as forv the salary cap well if they stick by it ie not break the cap it is a good thing and keeps teams on a reasonable level

[TheCollier]

The anti-merger 'stalwarts' need to open their eyes to what is happening.

Super League clubs are now cherry picking the best local youngsters.

In merging the area could potentially gain the facilities and expertise to help local youngsters progress. West Cumbria has the raw talent but lack the tools with which to shape it with.

Lets be honest Town havent won anything of note for half a century and we've never won ANYTHING.

But long may that continue eh, until both teams end up as glorified amateur clubs playing in front of 2 men and a dog.


Id be interested to hear the inteligent reasoning behind so many of your anti merger sentiments?

[recre]

I'll give you my fears of a merger. Firstly the only thing thats keeping both clubs going at the moment are the hardcore fans who've always gone and no doubt always will. Some of those would be lost in the merger, not all but a fair few. Then we get a SL franchise (the holy grail to some) for 3 years. After the initial feel good factor I think the team would struggle. Crowds do dwindle watching teams getting beat week in week out. Now this SL team (say call it West Cumbria) has only got weak bonds with a lot of people due to it being a 'NEW' club, those bonds are broken easily if they're not strong. Then we could get fewer and fewer coming through the turnstiles leading to financial worries leading to the RL then after 3 years withdrawing the SL franchise (how much do I hate that word) and hence we then have West Cumbria in the Championship, Haven and Town buried 3 years previously (By the way if it is a mergered team there is no way that Haven and Town could possibly continue and anyone who thinks they could is also not wanting to see whats in front of them) and so what then? Getting a SL licence aint going to solve everything. Some things do have to change but not to the detriment of all others. People wanting a merger for the sake of it ALSO need to open their eyes to what could happen as well. The grass isn't always greener.

[haven94]

I'll give you my fears of a merger. Firstly the only thing thats keeping both clubs going at the moment are the hardcore fans who've always gone and no doubt always will. Some of those would be lost in the merger, not all but a fair few. Then we get a SL franchise (the holy grail to some) for 3 years. After the initial feel good factor I think the team would struggle. Crowds do dwindle watching teams getting beat week in week out. Now this SL team (say call it West Cumbria) has only got weak bonds with a lot of people due to it being a 'NEW' club, those bonds are broken easily if they're not strong. Then we could get fewer and fewer coming through the turnstiles leading to financial worries leading to the RL then after 3 years withdrawing the SL franchise (how much do I hate that word) and hence we then have West Cumbria in the Championship, Haven and Town buried 3 years previously (By the way if it is a mergered team there is no way that Haven and Town could possibly continue and anyone who thinks they could is also not wanting to see whats in front of them) and so what then? Getting a SL licence aint going to solve everything. Some things do have to change but not to the detriment of all others. People wanting a merger for the sake of it ALSO need to open their eyes to what could happen as well. The grass isn't always greener.

very good post recre i for one would like to stay as haven and leave them up there were they are. im sure the fans at swinton on sunday will feel the same way.

[Haven Lad]

my view on it is exactly the same as yours JD, Couldnt agree more, its important to have a salary cap to keep things fair, but promotion and relegation is a must! its just not the same anymore knowing that theres nothing to play for except a cup and some money, but the main prize that use to grip everyone was the oppourtunity to get into superleague which is were every side wants to play and that is the level of rugby that the fans want to see. However since relegation and promotion was taken away i think a lot of sides have improved, non more so than in the championship, even in championship 1 we need to be on our game every week

[random2]

My thoughts :

Promotion / Relegation (or lack of) will kill the game at the lower levels as most people I speak to can't see the point of supporting Haven or Town as even if they got all their friends to go along, got huge crowds and won every game there is no reward at the end. Also I remember watching a great relegation battle in SL last time there was one where two teams ( think it was Wakefield and maybe Cas?).

Salary Cap - I really don't understand this as I agree with the theory and think there should be something similar in football to stop owners risking the existence of clubs by throwing everything at one attempt at success (e.g. Portsmouth) but I don't understand why so many RL clubs go into financial difficulties with this in place?

Thanks

[J.D. Raaz]

Haven Lad:

Its important to remember that Super League door isn't closed, the RFL has just built a few bridges that we have to cross before we walk through.

Some of those I think are absolutely positives. Financial stability, youth development, community engagement, etc. should be required. It makes for a much harder working Board but a stronger Club.

If I was Queen of Rugby League one change I would make is how the stadium requirement is addressed. If a team like Barrow proved themselves, as they have in the past, on the pitch and they ticked all the other boxes I would allow them into Super League with the proviso that they had to have their stadium requirement fulfilled within two years (and I mean completion...not plans) or they would be automatically demoted.

Do I think Des and Barrow would come together as a community to get that stadium if it meant they were able to keep their Super League franchise??? In a heartbeat. As it is now communities are being asked to invest in something they may never receive. Just my thought.

[Keith]

My answer regarding the salary cap was for a certain percentage of earned income to be paid out in salaries, that is gate money, sponsorships, fundraised money.   Any "unearned" income coming in to a club (i.e. from wealthy backers) should be directed at improving the stadium and other areas of the club.    Such a system would have seen Des J at Barrow putting more effort in to getting the stadium and possibly other areas of the SL criteria up to scratch.

People know my views on SL for this area and I have never ever been in favour of a merger because of all the baggage of both clubs from the past.   My view is and always will be that it would need to be a new venture in a neutral venue if it was to succeed.   That is not likely to happen in the foreseeable future with Haven/Copeland going ahead with the new stadium because for Town now to merge with Haven would be the same as what Haven fans were calling a "take-over" when SL was first introduced, in reverse.

For those who are opposed to that sort of new venture it does not necessarily follow that such a venture would fail.   That is looking on the black side but their could be a rosey side as well which you choose to ignore.   Where would our two clubs be today if it had not been for the foresight of the likes of Mitchell and Graves or Pickthall and Madine?     Surely, they must have been looking at many defeats when they first started the clubs up?

Let's face it, Town won the RL Championship and the RL Challenge Cup within 6 years of being formed.   No club has ever done that since but who is to say that new club could not in the future?    If the RFL gave us development status and guarantees that they have given to Crusaders, Catalans and Quins, who knows what the outcome could be.   It just needs a bit of foresight and the will to make things happen.

[sonicrebel]