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A new start?

EXCLUSIVE by Gavin Browne
23/ 7/2008

THE Roughyeds could be taking part in a new competition as the Rugby Football League seeks ways to shake up the National Leagues.

Last week’s annual mid-season meeting between the National League clubs ended with the RFL saying that there was warm support for a ‘Magic-style’ weekend.

Instead of copying Super League and staging a round of fixtures over a weekend though, the Advertiser can reveal a different proposal altogether.

The idea put forward by the game’s governing body is to have a nines competition staged on the weekend of the Northern Rail Cup final, with each National League side represented.

Oldham chief executive Chris Hamilton said: "The clubs have suggested that they wanted something that was ‘our weekend’ as it were with either a collective competition or a round of games.  It’s not finalised at this stage but we’re hoping some meat will be put on the bones to make it an event we can develop, and from the Rugby Football League’s point of view, they’re hoping to develop it into an occasion where it would see a sell-out crowd for the Northern Rail Cup final."

It was also revealed that the total prize fund for next season’s National Leagues would rise to over £200,000.

Whoever wins the 2009 National League One Grand Final would take away £100,000, although they would not be promoted to Super League following Tuesday’s announcement of the 14 franchises from 2009-11.

The RFL has also announced that following the admission of Celtic Crusaders and Salford City Reds into Super League in 2009, the National League will have two divisions of 10 teams next year.

Three teams will be promoted from National League Two this season – two automatically and one through the play-offs which will involve the teams finishing third down to eighth. Only one team will be relegated from Co-operative National League One.