Whatever the new league structure (3 leagues of 12, 4 leagues of ten, the 3 leagues of 12, with top two spitting into 3xicon_cool.gif etc, once implemented in 2015 it should be left in place for at least 50 years.

Stability and simplicity will attract more new sponsors to Rugby League and breed success.

In addition, the Salary Cap should be scrapped with immediate effect.

I would not put anything complicated in its place. It all has to be administered and Clubs get round it anyway.

What is needed at the same time as scrapping the Salary Cap are just a few high level rules:-

1. All clubs to submit audited accounts made up to 31 December each year to the RFL by the following 30 June. Failure to do this = 6 points deduction
2. One-up, one-down automatic promotion and relegation between the leagues
3. Go into Administration = 6 points deduction
4. Go bust and transfer club to a new company = relegation to the bottom division
5. A simple limit on the number of players any club can have registered at any one time.

If you want a 6th point (beyond 5 main rules you are tinkering though) I'd say

6. 13 of the 17 named for each match have to be EU born or trained.

Put that in place for 50 years as well and then just leave the clubs to it.

Totally agree,

The main objectives of the salary cap were to stop clubs overspending and operating beyond their means and to level the playing field for all clubs and make SL more competetive.
Both these objectives have failed miserably.
Time for the RFL to stop acting like big brother and allow the clubs to administer their own destiny.

I disagree. It has prevented clubs spending too high a percentage of their turnover on wages, and Super League is more competitive than it was. The salary cap's effectiveness has been stifled because not every club can afford to spend up to it. Eliminating the salary cap will only result in a wider disparity. And it's downright two-faced for fans of Salford, of all clubs, to start demanding a free rein just because they've come into some money.

Yep, it's tempting to think that the salary cap should be scrapped, given that it would allow us free rein to get more players that we want, but it would be an absolute disaster for the sport in the current climate.

Very few clubs make profit. The salary cap is low when measured against the NRL, but we need more money across the board in the sport before we can think about raising it. Getting rid of it shouldn't even be an option.

I do like the idea of having a marquee player that isn't counted on the cap though. If teams have the option to bring in a superstar that could generate interest and bring in more fans then it can only be a good thing.

I agree with your point about the disparity this would create between clubs in Superleague but the bigger issue now is the disparity in pay for players in Superleague compared to the NRL and Union. The goalposts have moved over recent years and the question is do we just sit back and accept it or allow clubs who can afford to react to react?

If we do nothing we risk losing more of our best players, more paying spectators, more sponsors and this will enevitably lead to an even bigger disparity in television revenue going forward.

This.

If you get rid of the cap is there enough money in the game to keep players from going to the NRL or Union? There seems to be an assumption that existing owners of some clubs have the cash to compete when that may not necessarily be the case.

If the likes of Moran and Koukash do have the money to compete with the NRL and Union then there would soon be a total disparity between the haves and have nots in SL that will make blow out scorelines an even more common occurance than now. Would that really keep supporters interest and attract sponsors? The 10 years or so that Wigan won everything saw the game lose money hand over fist until it had to be resuced by Sky.

Couldn't agree more.

Its got nothing to do with Salford coming into money.Its a reality that if something isnt done about the gulf in earning ability between SL and the NRL/RU then we will lose more and more star players.This will dilute the quality of SL and make it even more unattractive to outside sponsorship which will seriously affect the long term sustainability of SL.

As for SL being more competetive than ever then you must be watching a different SL to me.I believe only 4 teams have won a Grand Final since SL started.Its the same teams year in year out.Doesnt seem very competetive to me.
There have also been plenty of instances of SL clubs ending up in financial trouble throughout the SL era so how exactly does that show that a salary cap works.
Isnt it time to let the guys who run their clubs take responsibility for their own finances and not have others dictating what they can and cannot do.The RFL can have penalties for clubs that end up in financial trouble and leave the ball in their court.If they break the rules then they pay the price for their own failings.

Different clubs winning things is not the definition of being competitive.

Thats all very Zen of you,

So your definition is just losing to the same top teams but just not by as much as before.As long as you put on a good show.Sounds great.
Sorry but i want to see more teams winning or at least having a realistic chance to do so.

Is there not a massive disparity in Premier League football between the wealthy clubs like United, Chelsea and City compared to clubs like Southampton, Crystal Palace and Norwich City etc, etc??? In my opinion the wealthy clubs in football help the finances of smaller clubs by enhancing the profile of the league, gate reciepts, sponsorship and television revenue.

A question, how do you think the Premier League would rank now against la liga and the bundersliga if a salary cap and overseas quota has been brought in several years ago?