New Chair - Rugby Football League, Red Hall, Red Hall Lane, Leeds LS17 8NB.
An open letter to the new chair of the Rugby Football League.
Congratulations on your appointment – we look forward to working with you to build our great game. With that in mind, we wish to place one issue at the very top of your in-tray: namely, the return of a proper annual system of promotion and relegation to Rugby League. We believe this is urgent and essential to the long term health of our sport at every level and we cite the following specific reasons to support its re-introduction.
• It’s ‘the British way’ of doing things. Do we really think that the same old sides year in, year out playing in the top flight is good for the game? If you take away the dream of top flight Rugby League from the Championship clubs, you take away their lifeblood. Where is the incentive to invest in the squad if there is no prospect of promotion?
• Likewise, without the threat of relegation where is the incentive for Super League clubs to improve, knowing they can and will remain in the top flight year on year.
• Promotion and relegation adds excitement and drama to the season at both ends of the tables. Currently bottom of the table fixtures are played out as meaningless games.
• The loss of competitiveness, threatens in the long term to damage spectator and TV audiences for the sport. Too many predictable, one-sided games will make people switch off or not bother to turn up.
We are lucky to have a number of towns across our heartlands where RL remains the dominant sport and we understand the RFL’s desire to spread our great game to new areas. A comparison with top flight football is relevant here. The FA Premier League’s open approach has brought top-flight football to new areas (Hull, Wigan, Reading) and at the same time has improved the competitiveness of both the Premier League and the Championship beneath it. In particular, Wigan Athletic have disproved the theory that clubs must be given top flight security or face relegation.
We urgently need to engender the same open and competitive culture in Rugby League or the game faces slow decline in the long term. We wish you well in your endeavours as the steward of the sport we love and look forward to your active consideration of this crucial issue.
Yours faithfully,
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
October 4, 2012
October 3, 2012
I honestly never thought this would gain so much ground but looking at these updates today has me completely reeling. It really feels like the powers that be might finally have to look at this properly because the sheer volume of people who care about keeping the dream of promotion alive is just massive. I need to figure out the best way to get this into the right hands now since the momentum is actually starting to feel real.
October 3, 2012
We are creeping up on that one thousand mark and I really need you all to send this link to anyone you know who cares about the game because if we hit that milestone before the board meets it will be impossible for them to ignore us. Honestly just imagine the look on their faces when they see the sheer volume of names piling up on this list (my coffee is already cold and I have been staring at the screen for hours obsessing over the count). Just get it done today so we can actually force a conversation about why these stale fixtures are killing the sport.
Reached 100 supporters
May 22, 2012
6 Comments
The championship clubs deserve a fair shot. How can they grow if the door is slammed shut on them?
Bring back promotion! Rugby league needs real stakes to keep people interested. This closed shop nonsense is rubbish.
Without the fear of relegation the players just go through the motions. Get it sorted.
Its just not rugby without the promotion battle. Fix it now.
The franchise system is killing the soul of the game. Bring back proper competition or the fans will just stop showing up.
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New Chair - Rugby Football League, Red Hall, Red Hall Lane, Leeds LS17 8NB.
An open letter to the new chair of the Rugby Football League.
Congratulations on your appointment – we look forward to working with you to build our great game. With that in mind, we wish to place one issue at the very top of your in-tray: namely, the return of a proper annual system of promotion and relegation to Rugby League. We believe this is urgent and essential to the long term health of our sport at every level and we cite the following specific reasons to support its re-introduction.
• It’s ‘the British way’ of doing things. Do we really think that the same old sides year in, year out playing in the top flight is good for the game? If you take away the dream of top flight Rugby League from the Championship clubs, you take away their lifeblood. Where is the incentive to invest in the squad if there is no prospect of promotion?
• Likewise, without the threat of relegation where is the incentive for Super League clubs to improve, knowing they can and will remain in the top flight year on year.
• Promotion and relegation adds excitement and drama to the season at both ends of the tables. Currently bottom of the table fixtures are played out as meaningless games.
• The loss of competitiveness, threatens in the long term to damage spectator and TV audiences for the sport. Too many predictable, one-sided games will make people switch off or not bother to turn up.
We are lucky to have a number of towns across our heartlands where RL remains the dominant sport and we understand the RFL’s desire to spread our great game to new areas. A comparison with top flight football is relevant here. The FA Premier League’s open approach has brought top-flight football to new areas (Hull, Wigan, Reading) and at the same time has improved the competitiveness of both the Premier League and the Championship beneath it. In particular, Wigan Athletic have disproved the theory that clubs must be given top flight security or face relegation.
We urgently need to engender the same open and competitive culture in Rugby League or the game faces slow decline in the long term. We wish you well in your endeavours as the steward of the sport we love and look forward to your active consideration of this crucial issue.
Yours faithfully,
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
October 4, 2012
October 3, 2012
I honestly never thought this would gain so much ground but looking at these updates today has me completely reeling. It really feels like the powers that be might finally have to look at this properly because the sheer volume of people who care about keeping the dream of promotion alive is just massive. I need to figure out the best way to get this into the right hands now since the momentum is actually starting to feel real.
October 3, 2012
We are creeping up on that one thousand mark and I really need you all to send this link to anyone you know who cares about the game because if we hit that milestone before the board meets it will be impossible for them to ignore us. Honestly just imagine the look on their faces when they see the sheer volume of names piling up on this list (my coffee is already cold and I have been staring at the screen for hours obsessing over the count). Just get it done today so we can actually force a conversation about why these stale fixtures are killing the sport.
Reached 100 supporters
May 22, 2012
6 Comments
Need more excitement at the bottom of the table. Watching the same teams every year is getting so boring.
The championship clubs deserve a fair shot. How can they grow if the door is slammed shut on them?
Bring back promotion! Rugby league needs real stakes to keep people interested. This closed shop nonsense is rubbish.
Without the fear of relegation the players just go through the motions. Get it sorted.
Its just not rugby without the promotion battle. Fix it now.
The franchise system is killing the soul of the game. Bring back proper competition or the fans will just stop showing up.
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Need more excitement at the bottom of the table. Watching the same teams every year is getting so boring.