THERE seems to be a lot of ‘behind the scenes’ activity at RFL headquarters just recently, and it is understood Super League clubs have voted to change the structure of the game, with team representatives set to replace RFL chief executive Nigel Wood.

It is believed clubs met a month ago, with 75 per cent voting to change the structure, allowing Wood, who will remain as RFL CEO, to take over as chief executive of the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF).

His departure from the Super League board paves the way to become the new RLIF chief, as he is now not affiliated with a country’s governing body.

RFL chairman and ex-Mail employee Brian Barwick is to remain on the Super League board.

Wood has been a director of Super League since it began in 1996, but his control over the sport has frustrated many and his popularity has diminished, with one fan setting up a petition of no confidence in Wood, focusing on the failings of Super League over the last 10 years.

The petition features a timeline including a drop in attendances, funding, participation, media coverage, and a general decline in the standard of the competition.

Over the last decade, player participation levels have fallen from 131,900 to 44,000, while Super League's average attendance has dropped from 9,855 to 9,134.

Something has to change and last summer a proposal which involves increasing the number of teams in Super League to 13, or even 14 was put on the table and is still under discussion.

So it came as a bit of a surprise this week that Championship clubs Toronto Wolfpack and Toulouse Olympique will play each other at the Magic Weekend at Newcastle's St James’ Park on May 19 next year.

For the first time in Magic Weekend history, a Championship fixture will kick-off the event. It was originally scheduled as a Toronto Wolfpack home game.

Playing an extra game at the Magic Weekend was one of the concerns of increasing the number of teams in Super League, so this is obviously a trial.

There were also rumours of another transatlantic team wanting to join the British game, and this week a New York-based consortium (USA, not Yorkshire!) has formally applied to the RFL to enter League One in 2019.

The consortium is backed by two investors, who will provide $10m (£7.5m) in funding and it would be a similar venture to the Wolfpack, who won the League One title this season and had average crowds of more than 7,000.

A spokesman for of the consortium, Tom Scott, said: “If we go in at League One, which is the plan, we would want a squad of around 30 with a minimum of five players from the US.

“The New York team would plan to play at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey and will be self-funded and will not seek grants from the RFL.”

Apparently, potential rugby league stars have already been sounded out to join the new venture.

Australia's Daily Telegraph reports that the consortium is ready to pay AU$1m (£592,000) a year to NRL stars.

Reported players being targeted include Jarryd Hayne, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater and Greg Inglis – imagine those four in League One.

It is getting very interesting, but are all these bold changes the answer to overcome the woes of this great game and where does this leave clubs like Barrow?

Personally, I think we should embrace the changes and establish a strategy to compete with these ambitious clubs, or else what’s the point?

The Big Apple awaits.