Let's talk about the Championship

I'll start this by saying I've seen a fair few comments flying around about the Championship mainly negatively. I thought I'd give my thoughts on it.

I'm a Newcastle Thunder supporter and relatively new to rugby league having got into attending games when rugby league came back after lockdown.

It's not perfect but is enjoyable

I'll admit that yes the current system isn't perfect but from someone who spent the last two years watching League 1 this is a hell of a lot better to have regular fixtures. League 1 clubs were playing very irregularly, even more so after the sad demise of Cornwall. That wasn't sustainable for anyone. The games I watch are enjoyable and you get to meet and chat to some real rugby league people and visit some weird and wonderful grounds. So far this season alongside Blaydon, I've visited Midlands, Doncaster, Whitehaven, Workington, Goole and Hunslet. I've met some really friendly people who care about the game.

I understand the concerns about the fixtures and in an ideal world everyone would play everyone but there are too many teams for that but not enough for League 1 to come back. It's the best of a bad situation in my eyes and a lot better for League 1 clubs last season.

What does the future look like?

This is something that I think everyone involved would like clarity on. What's the purpose of the Championship? What does the future look like?

Should the purpose of the Championship be to develop players for Super League? You get to see some future stars of the game and they get to play at a better level than reserve grade to get them ready for the future. With my Newcastle hat on, I'm all for this. Our performance pathway with York is giving us a chance to see a competitive team, these young players need to play to develop. Chopping and changing from club to club week on week with different patterns of play is no good for development. Likewise, I don't think that the reserve league is good enough to develop players.

On the development side, Newcastle Lightning have joined the Yorkshire League and this gives a prescence and a pathway for local players to develop and grow. It's crucial for the growth of the game in the region.

I understand the concerns from clubs that stand by themselves but this could be a way forward for North Wales and if new teams are formed that could be a way forward. If London do go to Super League next season they could look to put a London based franchise into the Championship as a way to develop players.

It would make sense for expansion teams especially as at Thunder we've always struggled with players having to travel long distances twice a week for training.

The fixture list is tough and it's a relentless season, I'd seriously consider getting rid of the 1895 Cup to give rest weeks.

Given the financial struggles of the likes of Salford, North Wales, Halifax, Barrow and Featherstone that we definitely know of, what should the second tier look like? A rumoured salary cap could help. There should be a path to Super League for clubs but beyond London who else could actually afford to fund a Super League club on less funding than the rest of the clubs as York and Toulouse have had to?

A lack of promotion and relegation doesn't put me off watching the games live as you would still see competitive action week on week. Currently I think the gulf is too big between Super League and Championship beyond London.

I'd like to explore the option of expansion if there is interest from teams as growing the game gets more eyes on it but is there enough money in the game to support expansion at the moment?

Resistance to change

I get that traditional clubs have stood firm on their own for many years and I fully respect that and if they want to and can there's no reason why they can't continue to do so in the future. Clubs have to try things and evolve to survive in a difficult time with the cost of living. I see the comments around the performance pathway with Penrith, York and Thunder and yes it's different but this was the best way for rugby league to survive in the north east. We had a couple of difficult seasons where volunteers and young players stepped up to keep the game alive in the north east. They deserve an immense amount of credit for that but it was a tough environment to be learning the game.

To me, I see the players on a match day and they give their all for the club. That's all that matters to me. From my understanding, Midlands don't train in the midlands and North Wales don't train in Wales so it makes no difference to me.

The game has to evolve

We've seen Bradford, York and Toulouse move into an expanded Super League and arguably especially losing Bradford has taken eyes off the Championship as they have been a sleeping giant of the sport. They also probably took the most away support to clubs.

I find the IMG gradings give you a good benchmark but does it matter to me if there's a big screen at a ground? Not really. But it does give clubs something to work towards and improve on year on year. If you're not aiming for Super League at the moment then your IMG grading isn't the most important thing.

What we currently see in the Championship is an exciting league and I think we're going to see a race to the play-offs given how tight it is and it'll create real excitement. Will London run away with it? Quite probably although you'd expect Doncaster might want to have a say about that. If they then go to Super League then the race to the title next season could be class. But clubs and supporters do deserve some clarity on what next season might look like and not just a few weeks before the season!

Are people falling out of love with the game?

Are people falling out of love with the game? Quite possibly. We've seen the rise of the popularity of non-league football and if you enjoy watching rugby the Championship and leagues below offer that opportunity to be closer to the game and a really friendly atmosphere.

As I've said I'ver only really been watching the game live in the last few years but used to watch the Challenge Cup on terrestrial TV and yes there were star names and maybe it felt bigger at the time. But if you feel you're falling out of love with the game, get to a new venue and be a neutral, you'll find yourself falling back in love!

Fans and clubs need to pull together

This season we've seen the issues at Salford, Featherstone, Halifax and North Wales. Alongside honesty from the likes of Barrow, Whitehaven and Oldham around finances and the need to be realistic. My message is clear, supporters and clubs need to support each other.

It's entirely up to supporters what they do on a match day, but a couple of examples I've seen are a supporters bus turning up at a ground and the fans walking to a nearby pub. The other, the supporters got off the bus and went into the rugby club bar. If you're going to a club, support that club. My message for anyone coming to Blaydon is we have a marquee for Thunder, get to the ground and come in and watch the teams warm up and spend your money with us. I'm sure it happens at other grounds too and I've got no problem with supporters buses stopping on the way, but if you're getting dropped at the ground use the club's facilities!

Clubs do it tough, especially in the Championship and I've witnessed some very hard working volunteers and staff. At Newcastle, we're in a non-traditional rugby league area which makes it even tougher! We all want the game to do well and have different ideas and opinions which is fine but on a game day if you're going to a game enjoy it and support rugby league!

Enjoy it

Yes, this season might be far from perfect but get yourself along to a game and support rugby league. I've made friends through rugby league and our Thunder family, it really is a good sport. If you are making the trip up to Newcastle or we're coming to you. You can reach out on my socials or in the comments.

I'm always happy to chat and share ideas. At the moment we're working on getting more people along to take in rugby league at Newcastle from a supporters side of things, if anyone has any ideas on this feel free to reach out. I'm enthusiastic about the game up here and it's genuinely an exciting time and challenge to grow things!