More sensible ideas on this thread than that daft plan. With Wood in charge, it seems we get the worst of all worlds.

It's just ridiculous that we are constantly changing the top tier of the sport. I guarantee that in 4 or 5 years we'll have another structure or process in place, probably in the form of a buyout from the NRL if this doesn't work. It's very tiring as a fan.


Yes loop fixtures are rubbish, but if the fixture planning wasn't so stupid, it wouldn't be so problematic. Most teams end up playing the same team two or three times before they've played another once.


These changes are always very reactionary to the TV deal renewing. The problem since 2019 has been no serious competition to Sky bidding for SL in the UK and our obsession with free-to-air, not how many teams are in the league or the performance of social media. Now the sports streaming market has completely changed in the last couple of years and is extremely competitive due to Netflix, Amazon and a couple of others spending huge amounts.


We need to do a much better job tendering the product to every service possible to create another bidding war. That's the only thing that will drive the financial state of the sport. The other thing is advertising but right now we are so far away from any attractive brand sponsorships that it's not worth wasting time on.


Stop bothering about the sport being on free-to-air and just make as much money as possible in the next deal. Netflix and Amazon already have 15-17m subscribers in the UK, probably 1.5-2x what Sky have. Just get The RFL and at least 12 clubs into a strong place financially, improve our grass roots, the marketing of SL and the professionalism of everything.


Oh and stop caring about the league and all teams being equal - literally no other sport cares about it. Every single league in the world has 2 or 3 teams that lose every week, it's just part of it.

Listened to Woods on 2 separate podcasts he simply won’t give a straight answer lots of waffle but no straight answer I fear for our sport

Reported Manchester radio that Wigan abstained from voting 

Both Hull clubs voted against expanding, and Wigan abstained from the vote in terms of the expansion to 14 teams

i think all clubs voted NW in, as it was going to go through on a majority, so pointless Wigan voting against him, as he'd just be an awkward B****** and set against anything Wigan would propose moving forwards. Its just shocking to see both Him and Rimmer back involved in the sport, after serious failings and subsequent payouts. And in the main the club owners who voted to get rid, have voted them back in, you really couldnt make it up. Added to those 2 we also have Hetherington off to London, so thats the 3 of them in cohoots and if i was a betting man Bradford and London miraculously (now the IMG ratings for 13&14th placed clubs have been scrapped) end up back in super league

This seems to be just all about Woods' coup in parachuting himself to the top job & his power-grab at the expense of the French clubs. He & his cohorts don't want either Toulouse or Catalans in SL because they don't bring in Sky revenue & don't send more than a couple of dozen supporters over here (if that many). Which are valid arguments until you think about the wider game. If league is to properly move forward & expand it has to include the French (and the Welsh, Scots & everyone who wants - yes, I know the talent pool is tiny) or we become an insular, inward-facing sport doomed to ever call on a shrinking audience with concomitant TV, sponsor & advertising revenue reducing year on year.

One argument is that the contract negotiations would be bolstered by a 14 team league, with the theory that more diverse games would mean more advertising etc.. Except that Sky don't broadcast French home games, so it would have to be 2 new English teams (& with all the will in the world I very much doubt London would be able to sustain any sort of interest & profit for any length of time - so we're back to the M62 corridor again).

Notwithstanding Sport England who have questioned the transparency of Woods' appointment & the governance of the game, have threatened to withdraw funding.

I did think when IMG arrived we'd have a few years' stability. That's gone up in smoke.