I have to say (and i'm not being patronising) that the so-called lesser clubs like Hemel, Oxford, Coventry etc who have come to Toulouse have been great this season, much better than I had imagined. There's some great coaching going on at this level which has to be good for the future.

I'm all for developing the game in newer areas. I think the people who have grasped the nettle and set up clubs in these areas need to be applauded. The issue as I see it is that there is very little support for the game in these development areas but this is probably due to a chicken and egg situation. All supporters want to watch a winning side. Even with a winning side, it's very difficult to attract supporters but when you're getting beaten by large margins, it makes it almost impossible to build a fan base. The newer clubs have a huge obstacles to overcome.



I believe all clubs have to play at a level they can be competitive at. That means a league needs to be comprised of teams of similar ability. At the moment there are too many teams who aren't competitive and that makes Championship One a poor division, coupled with the terrible fixture format we have.



For everyone's sake the league needs to be split in two to make every game competitive. Quite how this split should be done will be dependent on whether all current teams make it into the 2017 season. I love rugby and want to see it thrive but the present format will kill the game, not develop it. You only need to look at the declining attendances to see the evidence.

If C1 is split in 2 , would probably have to play each other 3 times.



I would get rid of the League Cup & play each other twice.



You know it mkes sense , about time the clubs stood upto the RFL .

I agree we need to knock the League Cup on the head. I was looking at the structure of the different leagues the other day. The Super League start in the first week of February with their Grand Final around 10th October. There are 36 weeks between the start and end date.



Super League teams play 23 games in the first part of the season (everyone home and away plus the Magic Weekend). They play 7 more games in the Super 8s bringing the total to 30. They have two more games if they get to the Grand Final, plus the Challenge cup which could be another 4 games. They have an off-season of 16 weeks.



We need to consider the players' welfare at our level as they're not full-time but we also have to play enough home games for fans to stay interested otherwise people find something else to do on a Sunday.



If Championship One was split into two leagues of eight and we played each other home and away twice, it would produce a 28 game season. There could then be a play-off semi-final and a final; that would give 30 games. We could also realistically have two Challenge cup matches, possibly three. That would bring the total to 32 or 33 games. That would be 32 or 33 games in a 36 week season, if we started and finished at the same time as Super League.



Championship sides have a 32 or 33 game season. They play 23 games (including summer bash) plus seven more after the league splits. They have two or possibly three Challenge cup games as well, bringing their total to 32 or 33 games.



Surely we could have a season that involves the same number of games as the Championship. It would mean getting rid of the iPro Cup to accommodate it.



Keep the format simple: Have an 8 team league with everyone playing each other home and away twice; ditch the iPro cup.

Yes, that would make sense DM but I would have P & R of at least one club between the new C1 & C2. I have to admit I was happy to support the present system at the start of this season but now I see the problems it causes. It's true the present system isn't great though could we expect the Canadian side to start in C2 ? I would imagine any such plan would start the season after they gain promotion to the Championship.

I agree there would have to be a promotion and relegation structure between Championship 1 and Championship 2 but the initial problem we're trying to resolve is to create a league season that will provide interest amongst fans and win back the supporters we're presently losing, before the game dies.



I take quite a tough line with new clubs. They all have to start at the bottom and work their way up. Just because they're called Toronto and potentially have a fat bank balance doesn't mean we should do them any favours. All clubs should have to prove they deserve promotion through on-field performances, not by declaring intent.



What would the criteria be for deciding which league a new team would start in? It's a smoke filled room job, with politics ruling the day. I don't like that idea. promotion by merit is the only way.



I hope John Scarrow and the other chairmen are getting to work on this issue. I don't know whether any changes to this crazy league can be made for next season but a proper plan needs to be sorted and put into place as soon as possible.

I would be very surprised to see any changes for next season, keeping the format for next season suits Toronto, as it did Toulouse this one, in minimising travel costs, which if you believe what is said, they are paying for the costs of the other clubs travel etc, personally I don't, I have not a doubt in my mind that it will change the season after, cynical I know, but that is how rugby league has got me.

Why can't it be that at the end of the normal league season in all three leagues that at the very least the team that finishes top of there division are automatically promoted to the higher division & the team that finishes at the bottom of there division are relegated to the division below them.

Don't talk daft man,.the Rfl don't do common sense

There has to be a change soon before supporters are permanently driven away.



As I have commented on other threads, as a result of the crazy fixture set-up which means that potentially more than a third of the matches paid for as part of the season ticket are a lottery, I have already missed two home play off games.



The net result of that is that I am unlikely to purchase a season ticket next season through no fault of the Club I support. Reading some of the comments of this forum, I am not alone. Multiply that club by club and what you end up with is less people committed to attending rugby league on a regular basis.



It then becomes a slippery slope for attendances, as the more people do not commit to a season's worth of home games, the bigger the temptation to miss fixtures not already paid for when other choices present themselves especially if the team you follow isn't winning games.



For me, without a return to a set of fixtures that are at least 90% known at the outset, the RFL and the Clubs risk permanently losing supporters to our great game.

I believe the team that finishes top of Super League should be crowned Champions. I don't agree with the Grand Final concept. I believe the teams that have proven themselves best throughout the season should be recognised as the best team. There are a number of reasons why the RFL won't change their present way of thinking though on the various issues. We can split the issues down into three areas:



1) Having a Grand Final in Super League creates commercial interest that keeps fans interested in the competition until the last kick of the last match of the season. Do away with the Grand Final and things would peter out once the league champions have been decided. In a close season, the race could go down to the last couple of games but in a more one-sided season everything could end early. I do not believe the Grand Final concept will not change. It suits Sky TV too.



2) Automatic Super League promotion and relegation. The class gap between the Super League teams and the teams in the Championship grew to huge levels where the promoted team was simply out of their depth. This was mainly due to the full-time versus part-time nature of the game at the two levels. Automatic promotion and relegation didn't work. Until the RFL funding of clubs means that teams at the top of the Championship get almost as much in funding from the RFL as the bottom teams in Super League, this class gap will remain. "The Million Pound Game" says it all. If that is the difference between being in Super League and the Championship, Championship clubs will find it hard to catch up with the Super League teams.



The Middle Eights concept is an interesting one where ability levels of the two leagues can be directly compared. Leigh have been an outstanding team over the last couple of seasons. They may be good enough to bridge that gap but for the most part teams at the top of the Championship are still a long way behind Super League level. Would it be good for the game if Batley or Featherstone had been top of the Championship pile and got automatic promotion? They'd be having cricket scores against them every week.



Bridging the gap between part-time and full-time clubs is huge. Until the RFL can be sure that the best in the Championship will be able to compete with the Super League clubs automatic promotion and relegation won’t return



3) Promotion rules from Championship 1 to the Championship. The issue here is whether the teams that finish first and second in Championship 1 should be promoted automatically or whether there should be a play-off system to decide which teams go up. From a fairness point of view, I believe the teams that finish first and second should go up.

If that were the case, the interest in the season could end early with quite a lot of meaningless end of season games. The current method keeps everyone interested for longer.



How harsh would it be if Toulouse were to hit by an injury crisis at the end of the season and didn’t get promoted because they lost two matches? It would be totally unfair. They fully deserve to go up. I don’t like the way the current system works but I can understand the RFLs reasons for doing it.



I can’t understand why the RFL should want to continue with the ridiculous design of Championship 1 as it will drive more and more people away from the game very quickly. I guess nothing will change for next season as the arrangements for Toronto’s arrival will have been put in place. Something concrete needs to be sorted for the 2018 season or else we might not have any fans left if we don’t get out of this league.

Rugby League can’t afford to lose any fans. The current arrangement of getting short notice for home fixtures is poor. Watching rugby is a habit. A season ticket keeps people in the habit. Once you get out of the habit, other things start to take priority on a Sunday. As we’ve seen on here, quite a lot of people have walked away and don’t miss it. This is one of the reasons why I fear for the game: supporters need to be respected and not taken for granted.



Have an eight team league with everyone playing each other home and away twice. All the fixture dates can be sorted for the full season before a ball is kicked. We’d have a really good competitive competition that more people would want to see; season ticket sales would go up.