CHAMPIONSHIP clubs met this week to discuss the proposed restructure of professional rugby league’s leading tiers – though York City Knights were unfortunately unable to proffer their tuppeneth.

Clubs met on Wednesday, when backing of sorts apparently came for the Rugby Football League’s favoured plan to start the 2015 campaign with a Super League of 12 clubs and a Championship of 12 clubs and, towards the end of the season, split the 24 into three divisions of eight.

As this column has discussed in the past, this convoluted plan will see the top eight fight it out for the title, the middle eight fight it out for four Super league places for the following season, and the bottom eight battle to avoid relegation to Championship One (or a new-look Championship One).

The Knights, though, had other engagements this week – see today’s Back Page story.

Knights general manager Ian Wilson reckons this proposal, which is up against a considerably simpler one up one down (or two up two down) system, “has mileage”. But he agreed with this column’s suggestion three weeks ago that it all depended, really, on how central funding is dished out.

Proponents say the four leading Championship clubs will have the chance to win a place in Super League by finishing in the top four of the aforementioned middle tier. And, to be fair, a chance is what Championship clubs want, having been denied that by recent Super League licensing.

However, critics say this “split league” system does not actually overcome the problems of straight promotion and relegation unless funding is more even between the tiers.

If the Championship four are going to start to the season with wildly less funding than the Super League four that join them in the middle eight, then there is little real chance of them finishing in the top four. Look at last week’s Challenge Cup tie which saw top-tier whipping boys London Broncos beat Sheffield, the Championship champions, comfortably enough.

Furthermore, if they do pull off a notable shock and finish in the top four to win a place in Super League, how is that different to going up through straight promotion? How does it tackle the problems associated with straight promotion any differently? They’ll still have to start the following season with a much-changed team and office set-up if they are to compete.

Wilson proferred one reason – “at least they have shown they are better than a team in Super League” – but he said: “Ultimately it (the league system) does not matter until they confirm what’s happening with the financial distributions.

“That’s the most important thing in whatever system they decide to go with. If one team at one level will get 13 or 14 times more than a club in the tier below, there will always be a big disparity.”

That central funding probably becomes even more important to the Knights now given the whammy they have suffered in the courts this week.

It can’t be too long until league structures are finalised, given it will come into play in little over a year’s time.

 

• DON’T forget, York rugby league fans, that you can still get your name on a piece of history – but don’t leave it too much longer to do so.

Following the positive reaction to news that the club are to play in a commemorative amber and black shirt in the match against Hunslet Hawks next month, Knights chiefs decided to change their away strip next season to those classic old colours as worn by York before the club died and was reborn as the Knights.

Their 2014 second strip, therefore, will be of amber and black hoops – which will no doubt go down well with long-standing fans. And here’s the next good bit – supporters can have their name imprinted into that shirt in return for squad builder funds.

The idea was put forward by a supporter as a way of boosting the coffers. It means that, basically, the first 100 supporters to pay £30 or £50 for two will have their names sublimated into the design. Many of the slots have been taken but some remain – so put your name on it.