I can only go off those I know and my MD and his family plus others I work with where concerned but it’d not be the first time that I’ve been wrong.





However it’s no wonder I get confused……………..

Although your comments and opinions are welcome, they are about as accurate as if I was to tell Wigan RL how to run its business. To fully understand a clubs/towns culture you must be a part of it.
Leigh was a RL town but in the past 20 years it has spent 2 seasons in the top division, this has eroded both the player and supporter base - especially with the monolithical rise of Soccer during that period and the access to two Manchester and Liverpool clubs, Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan for Premiership soccer for most of that period. If you go into a street in Rochdale does little Jimmy want to be/watch Jim Green Dales number 9 or Wayne Rooney? That is the task facing a lower league RL club - the only way you can change it is by getting into SL and the FT cultural benefits/opportunities that brings.
Our fan base is dieing, literally, and getting older by the year - we are the ones with LRLFC running through our veins, that scenario gets rarer as we get older.
Can we do more to increase gates and attract investment - of course we can. Can we survive another 5 years as a non SL club looking to attract 2000+ gates who PAY to watch - I don't think we can. Can we attract the gates we need without a clear SL mission statement and supporting consistent and sold strategy - NO CHANCE.
Is it all doom and gloom -NO we have so much going for us but we need to find that way of unlocking the door.

Maurice, I agree with you about the competition, but to suggest that only a Leyther with 25 years of supporting the club can know how to market it is, frankly, preposterous. If those were the only qualifications needed, we wouldn't be having this debate because you and others would have solved the problem and be enjoying bumper attendances in the Super League.

It is a common belief that the demise or troubles of a business are due solely to outside influences when, in reality, the major problem usually lies far closer to home. That fact has to be recognised before any progress towards recovery can be made.

Its not a case of doing it it is reality and what is happenng in front of our own eyes.

There doesnt seem to be investment on the level required to fund a full time club available nor sufficient hope of increasing revenue streams in the time frames for the next bid.

We are scratching around for 40k thats not signs a buisness is stable and ready to kick on to the next level.

I am not saying that, what I am saying is that to sell any product you must understand your market and the LRL market is a fairly small radius.
In any business you reap what you sow, and when things don't go to plan you look in the mirror first - every one knows that.
The vast majority of our income will come from within that small radius, fans and corporate and a 10% drop has huge bottom line impact unless alternate streams are found. The key to our success in the short term is a unified club with a clear strategy that its stakeholders want to be a part of and invest in. The Goal must be SL, the timeline 2014 for 2015 - the rest is built around that but we are running out of time, although the box is ticked this time..