Super League 2025

[Harryflashman]

What’s everyone’s thoughts on this proposed NRL take over of super league? Sounds very interesting to say the least. Going to an 8 league competition with

Wigan
Warrington
Leeds
Catalans
Hull FC
Hull KR
London
Toulouse

It’s going to be very interesting to see if they get clubs to merge. Rumours that Huddersfield and Halifax potentially merging and Huddersfield moving to the shay.

The alleged list keeps on changing , vossy’s list was almost completely different . I’ve seen lists without Leeds , both hull clubs all kinds .

I think we have to wait and see but to exclude a team that’s won the most GF’s including 4 in a row and won the WC is Oz would seem a crazy .

I think there is a long way to go and who knows we’re it’ll end . One thing is for sure the super league need to adapt or it simply won’t exist .

 

[Rita_Poon]

Just signed up for ticket details, be great if we can push old Trafford out in the long run for league

OT has larger capacity, and fewer transport issues. We're in the honeymoon period atm, euro 28, a first WC tour in 20 years by the aussies turning up, everyone wants a chance to give the newest stage a whirl. The novelty eventually wears off, it's about longevity. Events have to be perfect and affordable, BMD is fortunate OT has been managed into the ground, reckon ratcliffe would have got more traction for a wembley of the midlands, especially with hs2 stopping there. But manchester aint birmingham.

The new stadium for us is a chance at a brighter future, you're only as good as your last game, if BMD is a success there'll be others that want to usurp that position. It's business.

I do think over saturation is a concern, NFL, rugby union and league, football, summer music events, gonna need to work 3 full time jobs to keep up with all the entertainment.

Corporate deals will have a whale of a time though letting the company pick up the tab tax free.

 

[widnesblue]

The alleged list keeps on changing , vossy’s list was almost completely different . I’ve seen lists without Leeds , both hull clubs all kinds .

I think we have to wait and see but to exclude a team that’s won the most GF’s including 4 in a row and won the WC is Oz would seem a crazy .

I think there is a long way to go and who knows we’re it’ll end . One thing is for sure the super league need to adapt or it simply won’t exist .

I found it interesting that St Helens wasn’t included at first. I thought it was to do with them owing the taxman close to 3million. Leeds and Warrington both owe a big amount too.

 

[Harryflashman]

I found it interesting that St Helens wasn’t included at first. I thought it was to do with them owing the taxman close to 3million. Leeds and Warrington both owe a big amount too.

They owe £3m in tax ?

 

[widnesblue]

One thing which I have felt is an issue for a while now is the relatively homogenous range of national teams - yes you have the Home Nations, France, Australia, New Zealand, a handful of Pacific Island nations and some less established sides (e.g. Lebanon). Yet, you don't see the same variety of teams as there is in union (Argentina, South Africa, Japan etc.), which is something that I feel legitimises union as a format (make no mistake, I prefer league to union). That issue stems from both the grassroots, but also a lack of targeted expansion. My preferred option would be to expand Super League to 14 teams and grow a competition in France, whilst also tapping into areas which union has not touched. I would also keep at least one relegation place in Super League.

If Rugby Union wasn’t so powerful in the international game, it would be on the same level rugby league is. Why Rugby Union is so powerful is because they’ve got leagues in countries and strong leagues. They produce there own players who can play for the national team and support there own people. Rugby league hasn’t got that. That’s why it will never compete with Union on a world wide scale. Also you add in the fact most of Union clubs in this country are based down south where most of the media is based.

It need to expanded to 16 teams at least in this country. They aren’t playing enough games as it is. Some of these clubs are running there business on 13 days of the year and they are wondering why they are struggling for money. You can’t bring Toulouse in because they are in so much debt as it is. The isn’t another club with a set up or finances to be playing over here every other week. Best option is to build there league up like you said. To be fair, there is also a huge political movement to stop league from growing in France too. It’s been happening since the 1940’s.

 

[widnesblue]

They owe £3m in tax ?

from rumours that’s been going around. Also told by someone very close in the club that they are struggling for money. The chairman is struggling with a cash flow. I wonder if that’s got anything to do with Lewis Dodd getting a nice thick brown envelope with wages before he left for Sydney.

 

[widnesblue]

I have to throw a curve ball in here, both France and Italy are now producing enough rugby union bodies, and just by sheer numbers there must be capable or better RL players in that mix. If there was money in being a RL player there, then there'd be a path to making it as a pro.
Some gooseberry that runs twickenham was recently meowing on about there not being enough events to maximise earnings for the stadium and the national game for development and interest and blah blah. Maybe league needs bringing into the fold and utilising to keep interest there, after all, the SH sides and players can find a career and an audience.
The chop and change nature of the tv deal didn't help matters in league, and tampering with the classic and authentic roots of a sport doesn't always fit right. Cheapen a sport and see the fans leave, look at boxing and the exodus to the mma codes.

There isn’t any pro clubs in Italy for RL and only one pro club in France. It’s hard for players to earn money in a sport that’s dead in them countries. You need league structures with pro teams to make it work. That would take decades to build up to be something. RL missed the boat on this when they broke away from Union back in the day. Alright, they had blockages from RU in those countries for RL to grow. RL has shot itself in the foot for decades and it’s why the sport is dying. Like you say, RL with the constant chopping and changing of the way they operate hasn’t helped. RL needs freshening up like Boxing did over the last decade and half, it might stand a chance of surviving but be very slim.

 

[Harryflashman]

from rumours that’s been going around. Also told by someone very close in the club that they are struggling for money. The chairman is struggling with a cash flow. I wonder if that’s got anything to do with Lewis Dodd getting a nice thick brown envelope with wages before he left for Sydney.

Oh they aren’t owned by a mega rich owner so they’re not in position to spend like others but I’d never heard anything about £3m owed in tax . Which given the state of the game is an astronomical amount .

 

[Rita_Poon]

There isn’t any pro clubs in Italy for RL and only one pro club in France. It’s hard for players to earn money in a sport that’s dead in them countries. You need league structures with pro teams to make it work. That would take decades to build up to be something. RL missed the boat on this when they broke away from Union back in the day. Alright, they had blockages from RU in those countries for RL to grow. RL has shot itself in the foot for decades and it’s why the sport is dying. Like you say, RL with the constant chopping and changing of the way they operate hasn’t helped. RL needs freshening up like Boxing did over the last decade and half, it might stand a chance of surviving but be very slim.

I think my point is that there are more natural league players out there that'd like to be league stars than union stars, but a viable career just isn't there.
I hark back to a point I made about the university system in the u.s. and how talent that doesn't make it in athletics or nba/nfl have been tapped especially in the womens side of things into the soccer they run.
By accident or design the scale of union means there's league players there to be found.

 

[Harryflashman]

One thing which I have felt is an issue for a while now is the relatively homogenous range of national teams - yes you have the Home Nations, France, Australia, New Zealand, a handful of Pacific Island nations and some less established sides (e.g. Lebanon). Yet, you don't see the same variety of teams as there is in union (Argentina, South Africa, Japan etc.), which is something that I feel legitimises union as a format (make no mistake, I prefer league to union). That issue stems from both the grassroots, but also a lack of targeted expansion. My preferred option would be to expand Super League to 14 teams and grow a competition in France, whilst also tapping into areas which union has not touched. I would also keep at least one relegation place in Super League.

Funny enough however outlandish it seems Andrew Voss on his Aussie show amongst other things mentioned an Italian side and the potential of two French .

It’s certainly wait and see .

 

[widnesblue]

Oh they aren’t owned by a mega rich owner so they’re not in position to spend like others but I’d never heard anything about £3m owed in tax . Which given the state of the game is an astronomical amount .

It’s a crazy amount but other people have heard the rumours too. It’s probably that they are 3m in debt and not owed in tax. There is a lot of kids from Widnes on the books at Saints including my 16 year old lad, and they are such a great club. Hopefully it’s just rumours but 100% they are struggling for cash.

 

[widnesblue]

I think my point is that there are more natural league players out there that'd like to be league stars than union stars, but a viable career just isn't there.
I hark back to a point I made about the university system in the u.s. and how talent that doesn't make it in athletics or nba/nfl have been tapped especially in the womens side of things into the soccer they run.
By accident or design the scale of union means there's league players there to be found.

Yeah that’s true. The fact that Union plays with a league style now of attacking rugby. A lot of Union players would make great league players. They’d struggle with the defence and fitness side of it but given time could adapt. Defo good points you’ve made.

 

[widnesblue]

Funny enough however outlandish it seems Andrew Voss on his Aussie show amongst other things mentioned an Italian side and the potential of two French .

It’s certainly wait and see .

Vossy said about an Italian team? Crazy. Logistically sounds like a nightmare.

I think they convince clubs to go back to winter rugby over here. Makes sense if they are trying to do more tests. Players could play all year round and make better money.

 

[Walken]

FYI priority for the Ashes is supposed to be on the 2nd of April