Okay, so Tuesday 22 July 2008 may not be as big a day for the sport as when the Northern Union broke away in 1895 to form what eventually become the game we all watch today, but for some clubs, this date is set to become etched in their history as the day things changed forever.

Now whether you are a believer in the licence system or promotion and relegation - and you can hear vociferous arguments for both in pubs around grounds and internet forums the land over - one thing is for sure, at 10am on Tuesday, at certain clubs the air is going to turn very quickly blue, then dark grey and then probably descend into shocked silence before somebody’s work really begins.

Played out simultaneously, and hopefully here at The Willows, scenes of triumphant joy and no doubt a fair bit of a-whooping and a-hollering and plenty of back-slapping all round will be on display as club’s applications and efforts are vindicated.

Whatever the outcome here, and believe me I’m hoping to have my back slapped big time, personally, in the back of my mind I hope the successful clubs can spare a thought for the unsuccessful ones and I especially hope the fans of each will do the same to each other as people may well be fearing what the future might hold.

This process has been a long one and over the last six weeks or so an air of ‘licence weariness’ has crept in among supporters, staff, players, rugby league journalists right throughout our game but these last few days has seen a change and people I speak to are out-and-out nervous. This isn’t just fans but friends I have working at other clubs are having last minute nerves and in a way it will bizarre to think that in just a few hours everybody will at least know where they stand and what they have to do in the immediate future.

If the Reds are successful I am excited by the opportunity to build for the next three years, knowing that the Stadium will arrive well in time for the next application, which if our business continues to be run as well as it has been for the past quarter century and beyond, will help immeasurably when it comes to the work that needs to be done by all in 2011.

I personally believe the game is being shaken up for the better. What happens on Tuesday isn’t just about the next three seasons, it is about the next 30 and beyond. Fundamentally we have to look past the “why did they get in, they only get a few thousand fans etc” - you all know the arguments that rage, I don’t need to go on - we have to look at what the likes of the Dragons have achieved in just three years - the length of a licence in fact.

Everybody will tell you they want what’s good for the game but often that’s only if it includes what they actually want in it.

Twenty20 cricket in India made a bold move and can look back at a hugely successful inaugural season, with media frenzy following it everywhere. I think Twenty20 in this country has just made a muted, half-hearted attempt at change and we’ll have to see how well it works but given the choice I would have gone, as a sports fan too, for the more extreme idea that was on offer.

I believe the Licensing system is another such bold move, and to that end, deserves success and, perhaps more importantly, to be respected enough not to be judged in just two or three years.

So here’s to Tuesday, I look forward to seeing plenty of you down here for a moment of history.

Now try and get some sleep this weekend

Paul