If I Were In Charge of the GP

[DC]

Well ive been discussing with charlie and decided to create a thread to outline what i would do to make the GP the kind of league that rivals the EPL in terms of having the top talent playing the top talent and so on.

What i would do if i were ahead of the GP is simple.

* Make an attempt to break down the Magners League, and divide the top squads from that into a league with the top squads from the GP. The same 12 team setup.

* Make an attempt to reorganize the lower leagues. National 1 could be filled with squads who didnt quite make the cut from the Magners and current GP such as Mid Table squads like London Irish, Newcastle, Wasps along with teams from the Magners who are in a similar position. Make this league 10-12 teams as well.

* Make the "National 2" and stick the current bottom feeders of the Magners and GP in with a few teams from the current National 1 (leeds etc.) and make that a 12 team setup.

* Keep going with that current plan until its a well organised plan for a tiered promotion and relegation league.

* Secure sponsorship for the top 3 leagues here and try to get some form of sponsorship for the lower league teams as well.

* Make particular regulations for top league teams such as stadiums over a certain set amount of capacity and also make the lower leagues have a certain capacity (unless of course the team that moves into say national 2 are so small that they cannot afford it, a special dispensation would be made for that case.)

* Secure TV rights, thats a big one. Not just one channel on Sky, but try to get a good public broadcaster and carrier of games so that as many people as possible can watch the games.

* Ditch the one foreigner rule. Sure there is need to develop the homegrown talent BUT people want to see good top talent rugby not a bunch of guys who are being groomed for the RFU and are only in there because they are 1.) English and 2.) Have potential. I'm sure that if the guy is good enough he will make the grade to get into the squad, if he's not good enough he'll have to play for the reserves. Plus with more leagues more guys will gain the opportunity to play, 1st, 2nd or even reserve team rugby.

*Set up an ALL EUROPEAN challenge cup similar to the one in the engage Super League. Fashion it similar to the FA Cup so that there can be that chance for the little giant killer to step up with the big boys and make some good money. Not only will it be good for competitive status, but it will be good for the little guys bank account and a good wake up call for the big teams.

I will edit this post further on as i think of more ideas.

Discuss below!

 

[Prestwick]

* Make an attempt to break down the Magners League, and divide the top squads from that into a league with the top squads from the GP. The same 12 team setup.[/b]

Regionalisation under a different name. And like the ideas of regionalisation that have gone before it will be met with anger and fury from the English fans who see their clubs being tampered with.

Impossible.

* Make an attempt to reorganize the lower leagues. National 1 could be filled with squads who didnt quite make the cut from the Magners and current GP such as Mid Table squads like London Irish, Newcastle, Wasps along with teams from the Magners who are in a similar position. Make this league 10-12 teams as well.[/b]

You could do this, but there would have to be a financial incentive and a gaurantee that the RFU isn't messing with something which the clubs feel is directly under their center of operations: that of the transfer market. The RFU can set the salary caps, they can even set how many SH players can play in a rugby team, but one thing that the clubs will never allow is the RFU telling them what players they will and will not take.

Again, the idea is sound on paper, but it will not work in a highly liberalised system such as Englands. New Zealand, fair enough. Ireland, perfect. But England? Nope.

* Make the "National 2" and stick the current bottom feeders of the Magners and GP in with a few teams from the current National 1 (leeds etc.) and make that a 12 team setup.[/b]

Again, good idea, teams like Orrell, Moseley, Waterloo, Borders and..er..Celtic Warriors will be best pleased by this.

* Keep going with that current plan until its a well organised plan for a tiered promotion and relegation league.[/b]

Very difficult if you had to bludgeon the English Clubs into submission. Good will and trust will be at a premium and bitterness will be rife. Just look at Wales after...er...Celtic Warriors.

Anyway, I'm not saying they are rubbish ideas, in fact they are excellent ideas borne out of logic and common sense. The problem is that the English Club Owners will fight tooth and nail to prevent anything like this from taking place.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

You clearly don't understand English rugby the way those living within the system do. Like Prestwick says, they are not all awful ideas, but would not work.

I would be one of those fans firmly set against regional teams. You have to understand this isn't New Zealand or Australia. The rivalery among many of England's top clubs is huge. If you had more of a first hand knowledge you would realise that asking Northampton and Leicester, Bath and Gloucester etc, fans to cheer for the same domestic team is too much. Rugby fans are not the thugs of football who will thump any other supporter in a different colour shirt, but at the same time they are not going to simply drop such massive local divides.

You also can't just boot some clubs into a lower league. Who decides who drops and who stays? Wasps may not be on a great run of form, but they are traditional heavyweights. Same with Saints. There are enouhg English clubs and players to warrant an all English league, mixing with the Magners is totally unnecessary.

 

[DC]

You clearly don't understand English rugby the way those living within the system do. Like Prestwick says, they are not all awful ideas, but would not work.

I would be one of those fans firmly set against regional teams. You have to understand this isn't New Zealand or Australia. The rivalery among many of England's top clubs is huge. If you had more of a first hand knowledge you would realise that asking Northampton and Leicester, Bath and Gloucester etc, fans to cheer for the same domestic team is too much. Rugby fans are not the thugs of football who will thump any other supporter in a different colour shirt, but at the same time they are not going to simply drop such massive local divides.

You also can't just boot some clubs into a lower league. Who decides who drops and who stays? Wasps may not be on a great run of form, but they are traditional heavyweights. Same with Saints. There are enouhg English clubs and players to warrant an all English league, mixing with the Magners is totally unnecessary.
[/b]

I think you and prestwick misunderstood the first part. It had nothing to do with regional teams, i think should have worded it better what i meant was take the teams say leicester, gloucester, bristol, sarries,
wasps, and combine them into a league with say leinster, llanelli, munster, ospreys like that, nothing with breaking the clubs apart but rather just moving them into a league with the best that the magners league has to offer. So basically a league consisting of the top clubs from the Magners and the GP nothing with regionalizing the teams or breaking them apart.

And to decide i would suppose you would need to look into the history books at whos been traditionally towards the top and whos been traditionally towards the middle, and whos been traditionally towards the bottom. Either that or you'd have to go based off a single year, whateve worked better. But i think putting some of these teams in a lower league wouldnt be a bad thing it'd deffinately give them a drive to get to the top league, sure theyd **** and moan but thats the reward theyre going to get is being promoted to the top division.

 

[Gulli]

The best way would be to take the final season of the GP and split it in half or whatever. then if teams are good enough to make it into the top flight they will. after maybe one or two seasons the teams will sort themselves out.

 

[Cymro]

I say a Super 14 type of system needs to be incorporated into the game.

But instead use leagues like the Wales Division 1, GP and Scotland and Ireland can form together or create separate leagues just like the NPC, Currie Cup etc!

 

[Prestwick]

I think you and prestwick misunderstood the first part. It had nothing to do with regional teams, i think should have worded it better what i meant was take the teams say leicester, gloucester, bristol, sarries,
[/b]

What you are suggestion is regionalism through the back door. You are suggesting imposing a system where some clubs will be shoved into a top, trans national league while others are asked ti languish in obscurity. Fans will be given a stark choice (especially those in the South West) : find another team to support or fart around for a few years in Division 2 or 1.

Come to England, talk to any Rugby fan and suggest that system and you'll be laughed out of the pub or house you're in.

I mean, sod the Super 14, they're artificial, they wear the same crappy team kits all made by the same kit maker and they're all the *****es of their respective Rugby Union. The only teams who have the balls to argue back are the South African ones.

What Europe needs is to just pool its leagues (the GP, ML and the Top 14) and just do away with ALL cups except ONE. Essentially just have a playoff system just like the NHL or the NFL for their Stanley Cup and their Superbowl. Simple, easy and keeps all the existing leagues intact. Perfect.

 

[DC]

<div class='quotemain'>

I think you and prestwick misunderstood the first part. It had nothing to do with regional teams, i think should have worded it better what i meant was take the teams say leicester, gloucester, bristol, sarries,
[/b]

What you are suggestion is regionalism through the back door. You are suggesting imposing a system where some clubs will be shoved into a top, trans national league while others are asked ti languish in obscurity. Fans will be given a stark choice (especially those in the South West) : find another team to support or fart around for a few years in Division 2 or 1.

Come to England, talk to any Rugby fan and suggest that system and you'll be laughed out of the pub or house you're in.

I mean, sod the Super 14, they're artificial, they wear the same crappy team kits all made by the same kit maker and they're all the *****es of their respective Rugby Union. The only teams who have the balls to argue back are the South African ones.

What Europe needs is to just pool its leagues (the GP, ML and the Top 14) and just do away with ALL cups except ONE. Essentially just have a playoff system just like the NHL or the NFL for their Stanley Cup and their Superbowl. Simple, easy and keeps all the existing leagues intact. Perfect.
[/b][/quote]

Ah then what hypocrites the fans of those particular clubs would be would they not?

"Oh we love our club with all our hearts no matter what."

Just goes to show what hypocrites they would be if they decided to stop supporting their club because they were in a lower league. And languish you say? I don't see how that would happen considering they'd still make good draws to their games, also say you live in Newcastle for example, all of Newcastles games would be broadcast on your particular station. Similar to what they do with the NFL, MLB, NBA here. Instead of showing a particular match per week, you would get your cities clubs match and the national matches of the week. So say that Saracens played Leicester, the people in London and the Leicester area would receive the Sarries vs Leicester match and a few more throughout the day of say for example Newcastle vs LLanelli and Leinster vs Munster or something. But the bottom line is if you live in a city you get your clubs match as a priority.

So you get your cities club match, plus the national broadcast ones. Then this open doors for bigger TV deals to take place like TV Packages like Guinness Premiership Full Pitch where you get ''X'' amount of games for ''X'' amount of money. Similar to our NBA Full Court or NFL Sunday Ticket packages.

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

The article is food for thought but I really can't see it happening. The Guinness/Magners/Top14 rivalry is something to be encouraged I think....as long as the Heineken is made sacrosanct. As I've said before I'd bin the anglo-Welsh...it's an unescessary distraction and adds too many games to the season. There is no need whatsoever for a British league. It'd benefit the Scots but no-one else. They'll have to get it's house in order som other way.

 

[stormmaster1]

We couldn't join the magners to form a new league.

1. HC would then be pointless.
2. How would you split the celtic nations? bottom half go into the lower division. Munster will love that? English club rugby needs relegation: we have more than 12 sides who want to be in the premiership. The celtic league is centred around developing for the national teams with european competition most important and the final Magner's league table fairly unimportant to most teams as there is no relegation/promotion.