THE man leading the bid to get York back into the Rugby Football League has rejected the idea of new clubs being allowed straight into Super League.

Steve Ferres, who is the likely chief executive of the proposed new York Rugby League Club, was speaking about the reported moves by Bridgend RFC to be admitted automatically into the sport's top flight.

He reckons teams should instead get to Super League on merit after working through the leagues - just as the new York club is aiming to do.

"It's unfair to comment on their actual bid because we would really need to see the plan and the people behind it," he said. "There are a lot of questions to be asked that I don't know the answers to.

"I think it would be great for anybody to be admitted straight into Super League, but in my opinion they should come through the leagues."

Bridgend, more famous for rugby union, have applied for a Super League franchise for the 2004 season.

The South Wales town briefly hosted rugby league in 1984-85 when the Cardiff Blue Dragons moved along the coast, and a South Wales team operated out of the Arms Park in 1996.

Rugby league is otherwise new to the area but the RFL are known to want to expand the game into the Principality, with Bridgend having seemingly stolen a march on Cardiff, who had previously been touted as Wales' first professional RL club.

The proposed York club have applied for a place in next year's National League division two, which will effectively become the bottom flight of professional rugby league when the Northern Ford Premiership is split into two divisions after this season.

"I would not think we're in a position to go straight into Super League and I don't think it would be fair on anybody for us to do that after what has happened," said Ferres. "How would Huddersfield or Leigh, for example, feel about it?

"I think that would be wrong. You need to go in through the divisions and play for the right to get there. If the criteria can then be met you should then be admitted."

There was controversy when Paris St Germain then Gateshead Thunder were admitted into Super League in the 1990s straight after forming.

The RFL wanted to boost the sport in France and broaden the game out of the traditional rugby league heartlands in England, but both attempts ultimately failed, with PSG now not even in the French Elite One and Gateshead now struggling in the Northern Ford Premiership having reformed after financial woes.

Ferres added: "If they make it available to Bridgend, they've got to be make it available to anybody, although there are probably not many who could apply and get in."

Updated: 09:00 Friday, June 07, 2002