Mailbox: There are more downsides to scrapping relegation

Mailbox gives you the chance to get your voice heard and start the debate with the rugby league audience. Want to be featured? Email the editor: james@loverugbyleague.com

Dear Editor,

I’ve just read (last week’s) mailbox about the promotion/ relegation topic whilst shaking my head the whole way through it in total disagreement.

Try telling the Widnes / Fev / Halifax / Bradford etc … fans , coaching staff and anyone associated to these clubs, who’ve been playing the game for over a hundred years that they’ll never get into the top flight ever again and wait for the response you get.

Promotion and relegation are part of the most exciting things of the season in most sports. Remember the Cas v Wakey game last game of the season years ago.

The whole end of season phase would be completely pointless with a few games left and the bottom two or three clubs nothing to play for and no relegation to worry about. I could go on and on but i won’t.

Scrapping promotion & relegation would kill the game completely. It will be interesting to see the response you get taking into consideration which supporters of which club respond. Don’t put too much money on Leigh going down, I’m not.

Steve Johnson

Editor’s comment: I think it’s fair to say that given the amount of changes to the “structure” in the past 15 years, the game has probably alienated more fans than it has gained. There are pros and cons to licensing and to promotion and relegation; rugby league’s problem seems to have been trying to find a hybrid of both, which clearly doesn’t work. If it wants “franchises”, then it needs to see it through properly and not accommodate the chosen ones that are there now, who actually wouldn’t tick the boxes that a “franchise” league would be created to fulfil. You’re exactly right about the removal of promotion and relegation being a complete killer to fans of those who aren’t in the chosen group.

Mailbox gives you the chance to get your voice heard and start the debate with the rugby league audience. Want to be featured? Email the editor: james@loverugbyleague.com