NOBODY seems quite sure how the biggest season in domestic rugby league for 20 years will pan out – but John Kear is overwhelmingly positive about the revolutionary restructure.

The Batley coach reckons it will breathe new life into a Super League competition that had gone stale and give "hopes and dreams" to every club outside the top flight.

The financial disparities between the two divisions – and even between the haves and have-nots in the Championship – have been well documented.

But the universally-respected Kear, who boasts one of the most impressive CVs in the game, said: "People make too much of the financial aspect because whatever club you are at, you're aware of the rules and you work within them.

"It's a completely new venture and there is no doubt in my mind that the game as a whole needed something different.

"There were too many Super League games where you could put the cue on the rack and say 'it didn't matter, it was a dead rubber'.

"What this new structure has done – with its perfections and imperfections – is give everybody hopes, dreams and targets for achievement.

"The RFL couldn't make it a level playing field because there isn't enough money in the game. But if that's what eventually develops, then we've just got to suck it and see.

"At Batley we've got our own resources and Kevin Nicholas is the custodian of a club with a very proud history and heritage. And we only spend what we can afford."

Kear famously guided Sheffield Eagles to a Challenge Cup final win over Wigan in 1997, repeated the trick with Hull FC eight years later and steered Wakefield to fifth in 2009 – their highest-ever Super League finish.

The Castleford-born former England coach sounds like a giddy teenager rather than a 60-year-old veteran of the game who has presided over more games than he cares to remember.

He took charge of the part-time Bulldogs in 2011 and said: "I'm absolutely over the moon to be with a club that's going to be facing the likes of London, Bradford and Leigh.

"It's the first year of this new structure and what I would like to see ultimately is two divisions of ten with one up and one down, with both those divisions being full-time.

"If this structure takes steps towards that then great, because there are currently 15 full-time clubs with the 12 in Super League and three in the Championship.

"If each year another club goes full-time and ultimately we get to 20, then I think we can have two divisions of ten with one up and one down.

"That's the fairest way and, for me, a long-term vision – but you've got to take steps towards it and I think this new structure does just that."

Significantly, Kear believes the structure will result in at least one Championship team winning promotion this year.

"If there is going to be one team going up, it will be Bradford or Leigh – but it may well be both," he declared.

"I would put money – and I don't part with money easily – on one Championship side getting into Super League next year.

"I just think this new structure has reinvigorated the game and you never know, if dreams come true, we might be full-time and playing Super League at Batley one day."

The wily Kear, who took charge of Wales for their European Championship campaign last autumn, signed former Bulls winger Shaun Ainscough and also has Cain Southernwood and Tom Lillycrop at his disposal.

Kear said: "Ainy is marvellous and I tried to sign him when I was at Wakefield. I saw him play for England Academy and he absolutely ruined the Australian Schoolboys in a game at Wakefield.

"When we found out he was available, we did everything to get him here to Batley and we're delighted with that.

"We've got two young half-backs in Cain Southernwood and Scott Leatherbarrow whose best years are in front of them.

"But we've got a nice balance throughout the squad – youngsters like Brad Day, who has something to prove, and more established senior men such as Alex Rowe.

"We've got a nice blend and we're very confident that, with the resources we've got, we've done the best we can. And we're also very confident that we can compete at that level.

"When the fixtures came out, the first ones the lads looked for were the Bradford games as there are a lot of Bulls fans playing for us.

"Odsal is a Super League stadium and the Bulls were the trailblazers ten years ago, so it will be great to play there. I'm also looking forward to welcoming the Bulls to Mount Pleasant as well."