14 replies to this topic

[BulldogBurt]

Just had the sad news that Blackpool Scorpions have withdrawn from NWC div 3 next year (due to lack of players) and was staggered to learn that there are now NO juniors below U16's now playing competitive RL in Blackpool or the Fylde coast. Last year, AFAIK, Manchester Storm's U13's team were the only Junior team representing Manchester (after their U12's sadly folded), that's TEAM not club, one team for Manchester (although they ended up playing just inside Salford due to pitch availability I think) I'll gladly be corrected on this, but haven't included Langworthy Reds who are a Salford club.

This for me, as coach of a Junior team, is extremely worrying since these kids are the future of RL, maybe not future England stars, maybe not even players, but fans/volunteers/investors even.

We keep hearing of the good work being done in schools etc, how do we transfer this into club RL? Is enough being done in the Blackpools/Manchesters in the schools at all? (if someone living in one of these areas knows)

I think pro/semi pro clubs need guidance and a model to follow at least, until recently at amateur level you wouldn't know Warrington had a SL club, there was no interaction with local clubs or schools. However, they have really got their act together and with their help, we could see a surge in participation and consequently, they could see a surge in attendances/merchandise sales etc.

Do people think their club does enough?

[Lounge Room Lizard]

Halifax RLFC do a great job and every school I believe gets a visit during the year from the players. Fax also work with the Eureka Kids Museum and run various projects there like healthy eating etc. In the Halifax/Calderdale Service area (The Smallest Service area in size of area) the following clubs run Youth Sections:

SIDDAL U8s, U9s, U10s, U11s, U12s, U13s, U14, U15s U16s(X2) U18s.
OVENDEN U8s, U12s, U16s and U17s.
KING CROSS PARK U8s, U9s, U10s, U 12s, U14s, U15s, U16s (X2) and U18s.
ELLAND U7s, U8s, U9s U11s, U12s, U14s, U15s, U16s, U 17s, U18s
GREETLAND U8s, U 10s, U13s, 14s, U16s (x2)
ILLINGWORTH U8s, U9s U12s U15s, U18s
BRIGHOUSE U13s, U14s, U15s U16s

Its not a surprise that Halifax/Calderdale area has such a strong amateur scene and is way better in Quality and Quantity than Bradford and Huddersfield for example.

[Bleep1673]

Excellent news for the anti-expansionist neanderthals, give it a generation or so and the only kids playing rugby league will either be Australian or Yorkshire due to the prevalence of the North-Wests Football teams in the Premiership.

[RS]

Shame as they had 2 colleges playing this last year which was a pretty good effort.

[The Future is League]

Just had the sad news that Blackpool Scorpions have withdrawn from NWC div 3 next year (due to lack of players) and was staggered to learn that there are now NO juniors below U16's now playing competitive RL in Blackpool or the Fylde coast. Last year, AFAIK, Manchester Storm's U13's team were the only Junior team representing Manchester (after their U12's sadly folded), that's TEAM not club, one team for Manchester (although they ended up playing just inside Salford due to pitch availability I think) I'll gladly be corrected on this, but haven't included Langworthy Reds who are a Salford club.

This for me, as coach of a Junior team, is extremely worrying since these kids are the future of RL, maybe not future England stars, maybe not even players, but fans/volunteers/investors even.

We keep hearing of the good work being done in schools etc, how do we transfer this into club RL? Is enough being done in the Blackpools/Manchesters in the schools at all? (if someone living in one of these areas knows)

I think pro/semi pro clubs need guidance and a model to follow at least, until recently at amateur level you wouldn't know Warrington had a SL club, there was no interaction with local clubs or schools. However, they have really got their act together and with their help, we could see a surge in participation and consequently, they could see a surge in attendances/merchandise sales etc.

Do people think their club does enough?

i'm assured by Salford fans that their club is doing a lot of work with juniors in the Manchester area. we should see the fruits of their labour soon i've been told.

[RS]

About the same time as the ground is built I presume.

[tim2]

Halifax RLFC do a great job and every school I believe gets a visit during the year from the players. Fax also work with the Eureka Kids Museum and run various projects there like healthy eating etc. In the Halifax/Calderdale Service area (The Smallest Service area in size of area) the following clubs run Youth Sections:

SIDDAL U8s, U9s, U10s, U11s, U12s, U13s, U14, U15s U16s(X2) U18s.
OVENDEN U8s, U12s, U16s and U17s.
KING CROSS PARK U8s, U9s, U10s, U 12s, U14s, U15s, U16s (X2) and U18s.
ELLAND U7s, U8s, U9s U11s, U12s, U14s, U15s, U16s, U 17s, U18s
GREETLAND U8s, U 10s, U13s, 14s, U16s (x2)
ILLINGWORTH U8s, U9s U12s U15s, U18s
BRIGHOUSE U13s, U14s, U15s U16s

Its not a surprise that Halifax/Calderdale area has such a strong amateur scene and is way better in Quality and Quantity than Bradford and Huddersfield for example.

Makes you wonder why the professional club feels the need to sign the likes of Stanley Gene.

Back on topic - anyone who runs an amateur club anywhere that isn't a "heartland" knows that transferring from school to club is not straightforward. We are competing with sports where the furthest you have to travel to play is about 20 miles. At North Derbyshire the nearest team in our league is 35 miles away and the furthest is 100 miles.

[bowes]

At North Derbyshire the nearest team in our league is 35 miles away and the furthest is 100 miles.

Thought Bristol was further than that or do you mean the junior league and presumably NEW Ravens or Telford?

Ce message a été modifié par bowes - 20 août 2010 - 11:10 .

[Lounge Room Lizard]

Makes you wonder why the professional club feels the need to sign the likes of Stanley Gene.

Back on topic - anyone who runs an amateur club anywhere that isn't a "heartland" knows that transferring from school to club is not straightforward. We are competing with sports where the furthest you have to travel to play is about 20 miles. At North Derbyshire the nearest team in our league is 35 miles away and the furthest is 100 miles.

Think most fans want fax to play more Halifax lads. As for Gene he has been a waste of space this year as is Aizue. Both were never fully fit and have sadly been a waste of money. The problem Fax have is that Salford, Huddersfield, Bradford and Warrington etc have signed the best young players from the area like Luke Ambler, Idam Nazir, Jacob Fairbank, Adam O´Brien, James Saltonstall, Alex Mellor, William Milner, Zak Dewhirst, Joby Murphy etc. The rest sadly are not really going to be good enough for Pro Rugby even at Championship level

[tim2]

Thought Bristol was further than that or do you mean the junior league and presumably NEW Ravens or Telford?

yeah, juniors

[bowes]

yeah, juniors

I'd like to think we could have separate west and east midlands divisions at the junior age groups in a few years, but unless we get at least say 5 teams for each it wouldn't really be big enough a division. Then again longer term we'd want full seasons and 5 teams won't give you that, it will just give the current 8

[tim2]

I'd like to think we could have separate west and east midlands divisions at the junior age groups in a few years, but unless we get at least say 5 teams for each it wouldn't really be big enough a division. Then again longer term we'd want full seasons and 5 teams won't give you that, it will just give the current 8

One way would be to bring South Yorkshire and East Midlands together.

West Mids has the greater chance of growing to more teams, with Birmingham surely able to sustain multiple sides plus Telford, Wolverhampton (*), Coventry, Leamington, NEW Ravens that already exist (* or have a CRLC) and then other large conurbations such as West Bromwich, Walsall and rugby hotspots like Nuneaton, Worcester etc. Leicester and Northampton could go with them too as easily as they would up to us.

In Derbyshire, if things went well, we could have us in the North, a Central side based in South Normanton plus Derby City. Nottingham should be able grow into multiple sides. For these clubs to work with Rotherham, Barnsley and Sheffield, which are realistically development areas, would make sense to me.

Leagues of 8-10 teams in each area would be spot on, playing 16 league games. Add in a pre-season 9s and friendlies and you ahve a good enough season.

Leicester Storm
Leicester Lightning
Nottingham Outlaws
Nottingham Arrows
Derby City Dragons
South Normanton Knights
North Derbyshire Chargers
Hilsborough Hawks
Hoyland Vikings
Rotherham Giants

Also expansion into Lincolnshire would help

[bowes]

yeah I suppose putting teams up your way in with Soith Yprks and Leicester/Northampton in with us to begin with. Birmingham could aim to have juniors in different areas maybe as lots of travelling even within Birmingham.

Lincoln I don't know what will happen as there were 5 clubs this year but some of them are looking shaky for the future (Barton are better than ever and Sleaford seem to be doing well for a new club)

[Hornetto]

Just had the sad news that Blackpool Scorpions have withdrawn from NWC div 3 next year (due to lack of players) and was staggered to learn that there are now NO juniors below U16's now playing competitive RL in Blackpool or the Fylde coast. Last year, AFAIK, Manchester Storm's U13's team were the only Junior team representing Manchester (after their U12's sadly folded), that's TEAM not club, one team for Manchester (although they ended up playing just inside Salford due to pitch availability I think) I'll gladly be corrected on this, but haven't included Langworthy Reds who are a Salford club.

This for me, as coach of a Junior team, is extremely worrying since these kids are the future of RL, maybe not future England stars, maybe not even players, but fans/volunteers/investors even.

We keep hearing of the good work being done in schools etc, how do we transfer this into club RL? Is enough being done in the Blackpools/Manchesters in the schools at all? (if someone living in one of these areas knows)

I think pro/semi pro clubs need guidance and a model to follow at least, until recently at amateur level you wouldn't know Warrington had a SL club, there was no interaction with local clubs or schools. However, they have really got their act together and with their help, we could see a surge in participation and consequently, they could see a surge in attendances/merchandise sales etc.

Do people think their club does enough?

Interesting: especially as a condition of a professional club receiving its funding from the RFL is that part of that funding must be used to employ a community development officer. So any community work done by the Panthers is clearly not translating into participation.

With no immediate teams to play against, the situation requires a bit of a roots-level momentum: regular mod leagues? School competitions? Coaching camps in different bits of town with each playing off against each other?
Touch/Tag competitions?

Depends of course on what sort of base you're starting from: anyone know what schools/community participation numbers are? Even if you only have 24 kids, you've got four six-a-side tag teams and an instant mini-competition.

[BulldogBurt]

They played in NWC division last year and therefore compete against teams from Warrington, Oldham, Rochdale, Widnes, Wigan, etc (depending on division) so whilst not massive journeys they do have to travel more than most. I'm not sure this is a major factor though, and wonder what impact the promotion of the football team to the premiership has had? It will certainly have provided a boost to local junior football teams, and maybe some of the kids playing league have been lost to the round ball game.

I find it more worrying that big cities like Manchester/Salford and Liverpool are yet to see any significant junior activity. Last I heard Liverpool Lions (U14's last year) were the sole Liverpool team and Manchester remains similarly barren as mentioned earlier. I know these are cities where football is hugely popular but the sheer number of kids in both is such that there must be enough kids we're not reaching who don't like (or aren't good at) football. I have a lad who travels from Liverpool to my team in Warrington every week and has fallen for the game completely, he came and tried it out because his dad works with our chairman, and now his brother plays for us at a different age group too. It shows that if we expose kids to our game they really enjoy it and it's easy to pick up, after all, at it's most basic level, you just need to catch and run!

It takes time and effort but it just goes to show that even people who have had no prior exposure to our game can be extremely receptive. Local pro clubs need to target these areas though because the potential gains are huge.