Promotion.

I'd like to know the answer also , if my caldy did get promoted I think we would really find it hard ( not as hard as Manchester though ) and would you get the club who would of been relagated parachoute payment ?

Good point - one could argue promotion into what is today the Championship ripped Waterloo apart and as I have posted in the past, only to be shot down by the Caldy faithful, you need serious money and an infrastructure to generate regular weekly income, unless you believe in unknown divine intervention. As people have discovered this month you need to promise (if not deliver) a lot of cash to build a good squad. To be top half in the league above you need at least £250k when you take travel, medics, coaches etc (on top of players) into account, the league above that who knows?

Originally posted by clieves As it stands today National One is perhaps the worst league to be in with regards to revenue. You travel far and wide - have several overnights and can have your one local derby over 100 miles away   For me it has to change, two national pro leagues, then go semi pro north and south, lots of local derbies, lots of chat on here, bigger crowds, what more could your treasurer want!

I agree Clieves. So did the RFU a couple of years ago. But despite their efforts at persuasion clubs at level 3 & 4 clearly don't. Even my own club has changed its view on this. It did favour your model but then switched to back a fully national level 3 league. The main argument for the continuation of the existing system is that the quality of rugby is sacrosanct - and that this can only be maintained by a national league. I have my doubts.

To me, Tynedale & Blaydon playing fixtures against Redruth & Launceston in front of a couple of hundred people is the economics of madness. But we're fighting a losing battle Clieves.

Odd situation really cos I've never really seen the point of N1 and, having been totally taken aback by Clieves recent utterances about senior and junior clubs and Caldy's lack of infrastructure, now seem to find myself in complete agreement with him on the need to find a competition model offering more games of local interest.

I can only rely on my paltry memory but I thought I recalled that promotion was automatic until you got to what was regional rugby up until this season. Even more unsure now with the new structure.

It could well be I am confusing this with the option to turn down a move between leagues for level transfer purposes.

On the subject of which, the regional rugby mentioned above has its merits of course.

Just notice how sick and tired cricket counties are of playing the same sides in regionalised competitions.

And in the Midlands, regionalisation as suggested gives us nothing.

If clubs plan properly with a good business plan then this should not be a problem. When clubs rely on one or two major sponsors with no back up then they will eventually be in trouble. Even when clubs do have these major backers they should still be going out and bringing in as much revenue/sponsorship as possible however big or small it may be. I do feel a lot of clubs execs dont do this.

Agreed princes !!!!!!!!!

Is there a club in Nat 2 North that has the structure and finance in place to be competative in Nat 1?

Originally posted by Mersey View Is there a club in Nat 2 North that has the structure and finance in place to be competative in Nat 1?

Fylde has the infrastructure and business potential to survive at N1 level but it would need a lot of hard work and improvement on facilities use/performance to deliver on it. The new clubhouse, all-weather pitch, tenancies for Blackpool Panthers RL & Blackpool FC for their training facilities all contribute to provide a sustainable revenue stream, irrespective of sponsorship which would also need to be increased. The business performance of the clubhouse is being improved, as it needs to be. Gate attendances are about the best in the division - although this contributes relatively little as a proportion of total funds needed - and we are in a strong RU area.

Most of all though, we would need an improved playing squad, even to get promotion to level 3, let alone be good enough to stay there.


Edited by Allan Foster - 22 Oct 2009 at 12:55

Originally posted by Mersey View Allan,  Most of what you identify is already in place.  If Fylde can not build a squad now, when the travel costs are limited.  I can not see Fylde getting near what will be needed to partake let alone compete in the level above.   I have little knowledge of the teams east of Manchester, but I do not see how any of the North West sides can survive if promoted.

The fact is Mersey View that we haven't made sufficient profit on the facilities, particularly the clubhouse. We have to 'make the assets sweat' more. Efficient management would turn our almost £1M turnover into a much greater surplus to plough into the rugby budget. We just have to be more innovative in attracting new business and in controlling costs. Much easier to say than do, of course, but we've got some new people in place now tackling this. And there are conflicts, of course, between strategic and operational alternatives in a rugby club. For instance, are we trying to keep drink and food prices rock bottom, for instance, or price them at a level that will generate greater profits?

N1 is populated by a number of clubs with no greater revenue potential than Fylde (perhaps other NW clubs too), maybe less. As has been stated, Wharfedale, Blaydon, Tynedale, Nuneaton etc manage it, why can't the clubs in the NW? There are lessons to be learnt, and quickly, if NW clubs are to maintain their existing status, let alone improve it.

Anyone got any views on the possibility of National One going regional with the decreasing levels of funding available?

I think the top teams in N2N would hold their own in N1 without too much change in personnel. For me, the tough fight Tyne had to finally get out of the division stood us in good stead for the higher level of rugby. Admittedly we did rather run away with the league after narrowly missing out the previous year, but I see no reason why this year's champions of N2N should not be in the top 10 next year in N1, building on that for the future. Don't be misled by the current positions in the N1 league table, There are a handful of clubs that are expected to struggle. Some of them have secured wins by virtue of playing each other, whilst other, possibly stronger teams have had really tough fixture lists to date and are artificially lower down the league than they will be at season's end. Judge the table at Christmas and see how it is then.