THE ongoing spat between the National Conference League and the Rugby Football League has been described as being at ‘stalemate’ following a meeting between RFL officials, members of the NCL management committee and clubs on Saturday.
Martin Coyd, who is chair of the RFL’s Community Board and a director of the RFL, had invited clubs and league bosses to the gathering, at Rochdale Mayfield, to further explain the National Community Rugby League initiative which, as it relates to the NCL, would leave the top two divisions remaining intact next year with teams in the bottom two sections finding themselves playing ‘Regional Conference’ football.
Those sides will include King Cross Park and Kippax Welfare, whose applications for inclusion have been accepted by NCL bosses and whose memberships would, in normal circumstances, be ‘rubber-stamped’ by existing clubs at the next annual general meeting.
Coyd told League Express: “Marc Lovering, Kelly Barrett and I met NCL clubs and management for a long discussion that was always passionate, always insightful and an opportunity for all present to have their say and listen to the vision and plans for the whole community game as we go into the second quarter of the century.
“More dialogue is needed and we look forward to this with both NCL management and clubs, before and after the holiday break.”
Mike Denning, the chair of the NCL, said: “The meeting ended in stalemate.
“Despite the clubs desperately seeking a commitment to a 2027 launch of the proposed NCRL at open-age level, Coyd and Lovering were having none of it, seemingly driving relentlessly to their intended 2026 start.
“When clubs stated that they needed time to adjust and manage the expectations of their players, coaches, volunteers and sponsors, the only response was ‘why?’
“The formation of the NCRL is part of the RFL’s Whole Game Strategy, ostensibly to standardise the playing regulations across primary, junior and open-age Rugby League.
“The vision is for all 19 playing leagues to sit under the one central administration and the removal of various league constitutions to be replaced by ‘terms of reference’.
“It is a vision thrust upon the game in September 2025, and for which a lengthy consultation process is being claimed – over a six week period.
“‘We’ve been accused of not governing in the past’, stated Coyd, ‘but we are going to govern now'”
Denning reflected: “The number of open-age players leaving the game is cited as the driving principle in the reorganisation at the top of the pyramid.
“The four NCL divisions are to be halved even though an RFL-issued survey showed that over 70 percent of the clubs (34 out of 46) wanted to remain in a national competition. But it seemingly counts for nothing.
“The desire for an NCL of three divisions was overwhelmingly demonstrated at Saturday’s meeting, with clubs declaring their fears of player migration, and an undoing of years and years of hard work to establish them as top amateur clubs.
“The meeting got quite heated at times as Martin and Marc constantly refused to consider the claims of the clubs with regard to the impact of a 2026 start.
“They seem to have a theory that despite the NCL having built a reputation for being the exemplar for others to follow that the NCL is the root cause of the slow decline in the numbers playing open-age Rugby League.
“It was claimed that players being called up to first teams from clubs’ second teams can create issues for regional leagues, but that was few and far between, in fact established regional clubs are more likely to duck a fixture.”
He continued: “Overall the NCL clubs stated they understood the ‘evolution’ message, but there was no support for the speed of the roll-out.
“Coyd’s claims of consultation were also refuted, and the lack of a change management process was very much in evidence.
“He even stated that a 40th season celebration for the NCL was very much a priority but he’s apparently adamant that the NCRL will commence in March 2026 in its current proposed format.
“The management has always been willing to talk this to a mutually beneficial resolution. We’ve held off legal action in the hope of compromise but will meet with the clubs on Monday to seek their agreement to proceed.”
Ash Simpson, the chair of Skirlaugh, said: “A clear majority of NCL clubs, including Skirlaugh, have expressed significant concerns, most notably around the lack of direct consultation, the pace of the changes, and the absence of detailed planning or supporting infrastructure to underpin such a major shift.
“For Skirlaugh, and for many other historic clubs within the NCL, the announcement in September this year was a shock.
“To be presented with a complete structural redesign — one that would end over 40 years of the current format — and to be expected to adapt, plan, and commit within just a few months was seen as unrealistic and unfair.
“The clubs were not opposed to progress. They simply asked for more time — time to digest, to plan and to ensure the long-term sustainability of their organisations and the wider community game.
“During the three-hour meeting, clubs repeatedly pushed for clarity, dialogue and a willingness from the governing body to mediate or compromise.
“Instead, the RFL quickly closed down those avenues. When NCL representatives asked the entirely reasonable question ‘why now, and why so rushed?’, the response they received was simply: ‘Why not?’.
“For many present, that answer summed up the wider frustration — a sense that this process has been driven through at pace rather than built on collaboration.
“Despite all this, Skirlaugh remain open-minded. We are willing to be part of a well-planned and genuinely constructive restructuring of the community game.
“We can see potential benefits in aspects of the RFL’s long-term vision. But as things stand, this project has felt railroaded, lacking the necessary planning, communication, and partnership that clubs deserve after decades of commitment to the sport.
“With better preparation and meaningful dialogue, we firmly believe the situation could be very different — and far more positive for everyone involved.”
One club delegate, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The fact that Martin Coyd was ready to stand up in front of everyone and speak was admirable.
“However, the ignorance and condescending attitude shown to clubs by him and Marc Lovering was quite shocking.
“They gave short shrift to everything that was put to them, including the ‘option four’ proposed by the NCL’s management, which would involve three divisions.
“In addition, they repeatedly shot down questions, including the perfectly valid one regarding why the restructuring has to take place from next March, rather than in 2027, which would have allowed time for proper debate and which could help ensure that the whole thing could be done properly.
“But the 2026 launch is, said Coyd, ‘set in stone’, and there was no vote, although he did say that there’s ‘room to talk’.
“I’ve been in this game for around 50 years and I’ve never previously left a meeting so disappointed.
“Sadly, that was the mood shared by many others, including those who felt that if their respective clubs were forced to revert to regional rugby they would inevitably lose players to those neighbouring outfits that remain in the National Leagues. These are very worrying times.”
Liam Hourigan, Kippax Welfare’s chair, added: “We originally applied ahead of the 2025 season and, rightly, the NCL’s management said we weren’t quite ready, which was fair enough, and asked us to resubmit for the 2026 season.
“We had a clear vision for where we wanted to be by next year and we had a good 2025 in the Yorkshire Men’s League, reaching and winning the Division One Grand Final, so we submitted our application again and in September we were subsequently informed by the NCL’s management that we had been approved.
“It was explained to us that the next step was for a vote to be taken regarding our inclusion at the annual general meeting by existing member clubs.
“The following month, in October, I contacted the NCL again to check on the date of the AGM and for clarification as to what was happening, given that the RFL had announced a new structure for the amateur game.
“From our point of view, we had been rewarded for our efforts and based on the credibility of the club, elevated to the top level of the grassroots game, we were looking forward to playing against some the best amateur clubs in the country.
“The NCL have been really good to us and have kept us in the loop as far as is possible, and we were invited to a ‘virtual meeting’ of clubs a few weeks ago.
“Then there was the meeting of clubs with the RFL last Saturday (December 7) at Rochdale Mayfield although, as we’re not yet members, we obviously weren’t invited to that.
“However, we – and not least our coaching staff – have done so much with the squad to achieve NCL status. Not to be part of the league that we see as the pinnacle of amateur Rugby League in this country would clearly be disappointing although, having said that, it’s beyond our control so we can only focus on what we can influence.
“If we are to remain in the newly-formed National Conference Yorkshire Division, which will still be full of top-tiered clubs, so be it. It will still represent positive progress for the club and provide a real challenge on the field.”
The ongoing uncertainty is, naturally, causing concern at most if not all of the teams currently in the NCL.
Kippax are no different and Hourigan reflected, on the club’s application and the unexpected aftermath: “We’ve done our bit to respect the wishes of the NCL’s management and we haven’t told the players too much, we’ve tried to keep everything under wraps until there’s something concrete to announce.
“However, the well-publicised news of the amateur game’s potential restructuring has inevitably had a slight impact on our recruitment plans.
“We have a very young squad, with most of our players in the 18-22 bracket, which is a great position to be in.
“A couple of experienced players with professional experience had expressed and interest to join us and they will have a crucial role to play in the NCL in steering our young lads on the field of play – and off it. All that is now up in the air though.
“Like many amateur clubs we run what is in many ways a large business, with responsibility for a significant number of teams.
“The current uncertainty, which is putting our ambitions to join the NCL in jeopardy, is detrimental, but we can’t do anything about it and will continue to thrive and prosper regardless of the outcome of the dispute between the Conference management and the RFL.”