Gareth Ellis – Pay-per-view can bring in the cash rugby league so desperately needs

I read the initial idea raised by the agent Craig Harrison and I liked plenty of aspects of it.

Since then, Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Tony Smith are just some of the people who had added their weight to the proposals in order to help save the sport and help clubs raise much-needed income following the coronavirus.

Sky would obviously get to pick the two games they want each week but the prospect of getting the other four opened up to pay-per-view is just the sort of bold, innovative idea we need.

We can’t just rely on going back to games and thinking that everyone is just going to turn up to watch it and it will all go back to normal after this pandemic.

Safely returning to play –probably behind closed doors to start with – and televising every single Super League match in some way is the way forward and a really viable idea.

In fact, I don’t think it will be too far away from the thoughts of the powers-that-be. When you are thinking of what’s going to happen, every club will have projected they are going to lose X amount of pounds this year.

Now’s the time to start thinking how they can recoup some of that. Yes, it’s difficult as we still don’t know when and how the sport will start again.

But surely now must be the time to start thinking about those innovative, exciting, get-behind-us ideas for the games and that sort of attitude so that we hit the ground running as soon as we get the go-ahead.

Because I don’t think we will get long before we’re told ‘that’s the date you can start playing’ and then you are there playing again. If we’re playing with no fans in grounds, we have to be ready with alternative ways of bringing in that revenue.

We might have to be fluid but extra income will be needed to try and buffer the losses that are inevitable due to Covid-19.

Like Kev, JP and Tony, I am behind this or any idea that thinks a little bit outside of the box. Pay-per-view, for me, adds some excitement. It brings more coverage and the public and the fans are so desperate to watch some rugby that they will be keen to do it, too, if it’s set up right and well-thought through.

I’m sure the people at Sky will be desperate to have some live sport on their channels as well as people will be cancelling subscriptions left, right and centre. To get some live sport on would be massive.

Obviously, I’d imagine they would have a big say on allowing that to happen but as long as they got their pick of their games I don’t see why it would be a problem to pay-per-view at least some, if not all, of the remaining fixtures.

Meanwhile, it was great to see Andy Last, our coach at Hull, be named as England assistant last week. He’d known for a few weeks but had not let on. We were in the dark although there was the odd hint dropped.

He asked some advice about things that got me thinking. Me and Lasty are the same age – we played against each other as kids – so we have quite a good, strong relationship.

I could tell with the way he was asking a few questions that it sort of inclined he was certainly in position to get the job.

But I think it’s fantastic for him and for the club. Knowing that you have someone so well regarded by new England boss Shaun Wane is great for Hull FC.

The challenge for Lasty will be marrying the two up if he’s going to take on Hull and England.

But it’s certainly do-able and it could benefit the club working with the elite players and elite coaches to get different ideas that he can then bring back to FC.