casfanforlife wrote:
it is about time the RFL realised that London do not want Rugby League.
The number of new amateur clubs in London springing up every year, plus the number of youngsters playing the game and coming through to Super League (and international) level would indicate otherwise.
Before you mention crowds, you need to realise exactly where Harlequins are based and how long it takes to travel through London. It would take be an hour and a half at least to get to a Quins home game from my home in South West London (Quins are based in the South West). So simply saying that 'London doesn't want RL' is akin to saying that 'Manchester doesn't want RL' just because Salford's crowds are poor.
No doubt running and improving Quins is an expensive job, but so is spreading the word of the game across an entire county - which is exactly what they're being expected to do. It's perfectly legitimate to ask the governing body for support in expanding the game. It isn't fair to ask them to pay for the direct running costs of getting a team on the park, but that isn't what they're asking for is it?
As for Whitehaven, I do believe the RFL should aid Cumbrian clubs in promoting the sport across the counties, but the Cumbrian clubs don't have to do the same work on turning people onto the game as Quins have had to do in London.
