Adam Pearson wants Rugby League relaunch with a new concept.

[Danny Boy]

Rugby league 'dead' without a new concept, says Hull FC owner Adam Pearson
Hull FC owner Adam Pearson says rugby league will be "dead" if the game does not relaunch with a new concept.

He warns the game is careering towards becoming part-time unless it brings in huge investment from private equity.

But Pearson also told the latest BBC 5 Live Rugby League podcast that the sport could be set to reinvent itself if the right decisions are taken in the next twelve months.

"It's now or never for me this summer," he said.

Full article on BBC website

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/58264373

Robert Elstone was working on private equity investment, but resigned when his plan was rejected.

Adam Pearson is no stranger to creating negative headlines for our great game, he was the one who sacked our new coach, Lee Radford, so very publicly on a Sky broadcast.

[mart0042]

Private equity deals.Elstone had lined it up and got voted down and paid off. Now Pearson says it is a good thing.

Interestingly he talks about the sport only having 12 months to sort this. I'm not sure whether that means just him at Hull or the whole shebang.

He is really saying to cash in on super League and give each club their cut. This is when I think he'll cut and run, like he did before.

He also doesn't discount mergers. One sure way of upsetting a few teams

[Tamworth Tiger]

Wasn’t he involved with Leeds United? What sort of a job did he do there ( if I’ve got that right)

[mart0042]

From what I remember, he thought he was rich enough for football and found out he wasn't and came back.

[Tamworth Tiger]

Also, I don’t think that the Hundred has proved itself at all yet. It has been totally hyped up, everybody speaks positively about it but a lot of them are making money out of saying the right things. They’ve binned supporters of other forms of cricket along with making the other competitons second rate, they’ve filled the stadiums with free tickets in a summer when most school kids aren’t going on holiday. It all has a feel of Maurice Lindsay and the launch of Superleague at Paris San Germain with Barcelona, Rome etc due to follow.
There is at least as much danger of Pearson , Lenaghan and Richardson killing the game with their supposedly independent mates as anything else. The real Agenda is getting votes out of the hands of unfashionable clubs and the sidelining of them.

[FIat Capper]

There may be some merit in some of what he spouts but hidden in the 'speech' was that magical phrase - "Mergers"!

I also genuinely got the impression he thinks some other competition of a shorter game time and format, playing alongside the 'main' competition, will help bring in a new audience. I can tell you The Hundred has no slipped seamlessly into the cricket calendar and everyone accepts the cricket year needs to change. IN RL, that could spell the end of the CC or at least the CC becomes the new, shorter format.

[tigerfeat]

Also, I don’t think that the Hundred has proved itself at all yet. It has been totally hyped up, everybody speaks positively about it but a lot of them are making money out of saying the right things. They’ve binned supporters of other forms of cricket along with making the other competitons second rate, they’ve filled the stadiums with free tickets in a summer when most school kids aren’t going on holiday. It all has a feel of Maurice Lindsay and the launch of Superleague at Paris San Germain with Barcelona, Rome etc due to follow.
There is at least as much danger of Pearson , Lenaghan and Richardson killing the game with their supposedly independent mates as anything else. The real Agenda is getting votes out of the hands of unfashionable clubs and the sidelining of them.

Great Post agree with every word you've put there

[mart0042]

After watching the hundred (only the superchargers) I fail to see what Yorkshire get out of it, assist from the games at home. We had our best players in the England set up, the next best in the hundred, leaving juniors in the Yorkshire team. I think Durham won't even get the money from hosting a match.

[FIat Capper]

After watching the hundred (only the superchargers) I fail to see what Yorkshire get out of it, assist from the games at home. We had our best players in the England set up, the next best in the hundred, leaving juniors in the Yorkshire team. I think Durham won't even get the money from hosting a match.

Even when the Yorkshire England contingent were playing we had Root playing for Trent Rockets (Nottingham) and Bairstow playing For Welsh Fire (Cardiff). Absolute nonsense!

[mdean]

I agree with a lot of what has been said here, the hundred, jury is out, but at least it is something else to attract a differing fan base. The 100 part is irrelevant, barely being different to T20, but what it does have is a slightly different appeal to "counties", which in reality so few people watch county cricket they are creating a new route in. Setting up franchises on non-traditional areas is the basis for most of the franchise leagues around the world and they're hugely successful, terrestrial and social media exposure. One thing I admire RU and Cricket for is they're clear on the vision - the pinnacle is the international game and players are developed with that in mind and the domestic teams accept that they will be missing - it might be flawed, but at least it is crystal clear and as a result, the national team does 'relatively speaking' succeed. Which in turn serves the mass participation which has to exist to feed the pyramid.

Rugby league has no terrestrial TV exposure at all other than the CC (I am discounting SL Show on late doors) and of you're not born in to an RL family, then I have my doubts that we have a wider appeal.

Whether I agree with all Mr Pearson has said is not important, but the need to do something different is crystal clear. TV revenue will continue to fall as alternate platforms grow and unless something changes rapidly then it may be beyond recovery. The lack of any clear vision and direction is lamentable, too many fractured or personal agendas and as a result everything is suffering.... I have banged on about this many other places, so will spare the diatribe here.

[Tamworth Tiger]

Sorry to mention the Hundred but it’s the one day cup final at Trent Bridge today. It was always at Lords with a sellout crowd. Today Trent Bridge is half full if that. That isn’t down to the lack of interest in County cricket it’s down to the Hundred pulling out so many players that a popular event has been completely devalued

[jackknife]

Iv said it before n I'll say it again, give super league to Eddie Hearn to sort out because the RFL will never change anything and are just happy to plod along as long as they keep getting paid.

[lurcher]

the private equity group that elstone had lined up went bust a few weeks ago. we dodged a bullet there so hope the lesson has been learned.

[Tamworth Tiger]

the private equity group that elstone had lined up went bust a few weeks ago. we dodged a bullet there so hope the lesson has been learned.

That needs to be more widely known

[lurcher]

the private equity group that elstone had lined up went bust a few weeks ago. we dodged a bullet there so hope the lesson has been learned.

That needs to be more widely known

there was a big piece in league express about it with martyn sadler warning against falling for it again.

[Tamworth Tiger]

I missed that and I get it every week

[tigerfeat]

I've got a feeling the clubs will end up making desicions that far from saving the game will end up killing it off

[mart0042]

the private equity group that elstone had lined up went bust a few weeks ago. we dodged a bullet there so hope the lesson has been learned.

I didn't know they but we might have been able to get the money and then resell the deal. Could have been win win.

[SuffolkTiger]

Not sure why what Pearson thinks or says is of any interest to anyone. His track record isn't that great. His character is questionable.

He makes some reasonable points but the solutions he is proposing are gimmicks - just short term thinking.

The people running the game need to sort the basics out.

When you hear anyone say "We've got Gary at Leeds looking at things......" and they think that's a positive, the alarm bells should start ringing.

[Sharlotiger]

After yesterday's fantastic Hull derby, I can't understand his thinking bringing mergers back on the table. Would he rather have a combined Hull against Toulouse with half the crowd in?