Now, there's all sorts of suggestions on how we're best to expand as a code. Some think don't bother; some think we should expand the heartlands; others say just be bold.



But here's something to consider.



Castleford and Featherstone are small towns with big rugby teams. Lower down the scale, towns like Swinton support teams whose presence seems more than the town itself.



In other sports, you see the same. Poole in Dorset is obsessed with speedway. Small Welsh towns are obsessed with rugby union.



In League, we see places like Hemel fly the flag for expansion.



So could it be that mid-size towns with little competition from football are worth the effort and investment for expansion-especially if centrally driven? I'm thinking places like Basingstoke, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Redditch, Cannock, Stafford, Newark, Melton Mowbray. You'd need focussed RFL and private investment on a particular place, flood it with marketing, a generally big effort.



Local pride + only game in town = success? Worth a thought...

That actually sounds like a good idea.



There wouldn't be much competition from other sports but RL would spread around the surrounding areas when it's been picked up.

Exactly what I'm thinking. This isn't my own original idea, it's based on what a friend pointed out about speedway being strong in towns where football is non-existent or the only game in town. Only problem- it needs the RFL to be brave and break out the cash.

True. It would make a massive difference to the game as we would be spreading out loads. If towns don't have any sport they are likely to want to see one.



Would the RFL do it though?

I have always said that some of the towns away from the main soccer areas should be looked at. The way to do it at first is to get the union sides into the summer game with a short summer league based local areas so as to cut down travel costs, push it at them as a way to keep interest in the club during the off season(Union) for this though the RFL would have to stump up cash for training of coaches Refs. If any show growth or real interest push them to go to the national conferance or consider the semi pro rout through the championship. But two words of caution it would be along haul 20 years plus, secondly the main super league clubs to stay viable need to get crowds well above 10,000 so it means towns of 75,000 population still would be to small, the push to full time pro has just about made the top league to costly unless you have enough people in the area, hence the struggle in Cumbria to get a super league side.

Using the conference as a kind of natural selection has always appealed to me. Allow clubs to establish an organic foothold in the community and use that as a base.

To establish and run a semi pro RL club , you need



A stadium , possibly council controlled non league footy team



£ 250,000 a year to pay for , a player coach ( possibly a near retirement SL player ) , a general manager ( possibly a retired SL player interested in staying in that side of the sport ) , 6 dual reg players from SL clubs , 4/5 quota players tied in through your community dept , the rest made up from local possibly RU players



You look to locate close enough for your primary personnel to be able to commute , as you have suggested in a town that doesn't have a top tier existing sports club



Yes they will need funding for several years , but you are attempting creeping expansion rather than satellite expansion as we seem to be currently attempting

I suppose Hemel looks a decent idea, small town but if badged as Herts would have a huge potential catchment.

No



Not viable and never will be

The problem is that the RFL couldn't advertise a jolly up in a brewery. They must spend millions sending marketing about Millennium Magic and Wembley and the GF etc to RL fans. Surely their computer shows that I attend anyway. I'm a rugby fan. I know when the cup final is.



They should have spent the money sending MM adverts to every house within 10 miles of Cardiff not to people in Wigan, Hull and Leeds. 5 I got.

I'm willing to invest £100,000,000 in Maidstone.







When I get £100,000,000

Not convinced it would spread throughout the region.



I could give various examples of where this doesnt happen with clubs that have been existant for over 100 years. Go a couple of miles south or east of Salford and the interest in rugby league is zero.