The launch of the RFL’s new National Community Rugby League structure has been welcomed as a major step forward for the amateur game, although clubs in the south admit the financial and logistical challenges of national competition remain significant.

“WELL it has taken exactly three decades for the sport to introduce what I proposed as Chairman of the Rugby League Summer Conference in 1996 – namely a well-structured national pyramid of promotion and relegation throughout the land.”

That’s the view of Lionel Hurst on the launch of the Rugby Football League’s National Community Rugby League initiative.

Hurst is chairman of Bristol All Golds, who are one of eight teams contesting the National Conference South (NCS); all of whom now have a clear pathway to the pinnacle of the men’s amateur game.

The veteran administrator said: “We are fully supportive of the RFL’s plans and congratulate them.

“The clear aims of Bristol All Golds will be kept under wraps: deeds not words.”

Leading sides in the various Regional Conference leagues will, towards the end of the season, embark on play-offs, with a couple of places in National League Division One up for grabs.

Hurst continued: “The RFL produced one of the best documents I have ever seen, which sets out clearly how many clubs from each region qualify for the last 16. The final piece of the jigsaw will be promotion and relegation between the winners of the National League Premier Division and the Betfred Championship.”

Rugby League World sought the views of all clubs in the NCS on the new structure.

Ricco Caligiuri, of reigning champions Hammersmith Hills Hoists, said: “In pre-season discussions, the national play-offs were seen as a challenge due to travel plans and the length of the season.

“The season is already long and with a lot of the lads in the league also playing union through the winter, the additional weeks do pose more difficulties as we operate on a small squad without a second grade.

“We are a relatively small club with a high player turnover each year. We usually have a strong core, but many are based in London short term – often Aussies using it as a base to travel Europe in their 20s.

“It means we can put together a talented side but not one with the long-term foundations or appetite to be travelling up north every other week.”

He continued: “On the pyramid system, the Southern Conference works well for us. There is a good mix of London clubs and teams just outside the M25, so most games are manageable day trips. Bristol is the exception, but that is one the boys enjoy turning into a weekend away.

“That level of travel every other week is also hard with many blokes working on the weekend.”

He concluded: “Longer term, we would love to be in a position to push for play-offs and test ourselves at national level. Realistically, that would need a shift in culture, focus and how the club operates day to day.

“We ultimately want the best for the sport and will do what we can to support it, and if that means adjusting we will.”

Wests Warriors, also of London, can, on past form, expect to be among the front-runners, having been Grand Final runners-up to Hammersmith in each of the Southern Conference League’s last three seasons.

However, head coach Kimbo Parkinson admitted: “To be honest I’m not yet sure that if we qualified for the Cross-Conference Play-Offs we would participate, as it’s already a very long season and then there’s the additional travel costs to take into account.”

The RFL had told Parkinson: “Should the teams that finish in the top two places of the NCS not wish to opt into the Play-Offs, the positions will not be offered to other teams in the league. We will look to deliver a league play-off like in previous seasons, with normal semi-finals and finals in September.”

Peter Le Marquand – the coach and driving force of Eastern Rhinos, who are based in Colchester – told Rugby League World: “Recent trends in form tell us we will struggle to break into the top two this year, but our aim is to win the league; failing that, we want to compete.

“If we finish in the top two we will have a crack at the play-offs and try to win every game.

“Reaching the National Leagues would cause us to make large-scale changes to the club’s first-team operations.

“Facilities are not an issue, our issue would be squad size to deal with the competition – and travel.

“Ultimately we would need drastically more sponsorship, higher membership fees or some sort of travel bursary from the RFL.

“Going north every other week in a 12-team National League One or Premiership competition would mean circa £14,300 just to cover away travel costs! We do not generate that much income.”

He continued: “I agree with most of the sentiment expressed regarding the new pyramid system, where people don’t think there has been an appropriate consultation process.

“In the long term there may be huge effects, for example if a team gets promoted from the Southern Conference, who will replace them? There has been a valuable application process to enter the league and currently no teams in the south meet the requirements.

“Also, what happens if a team can’t afford to travel in the play-offs? And what will happen if northern teams refuse to travel to play southern teams?

“However the restructure, although painful, is something that needed to happen. You can’t take a sport seriously that does not have a standard pyramid system where teams can see where they can progress to (and, if they are not up to the required standard, they can drop down and play at the right level.)

“Also, in the south, we have clubs that have applied for League One in the recent past. Southern Conference League to the professional leagues is a crazy jump, so this gives a clear pathway to progress for such teams, it gets them to put their money where their mouth is and evades the cash-grab that central distribution caused.”

He concluded: “Now, if a club wants to ‘go professional’ they can have a real go by being promoted, playing all the top amateur teams in the country and creating a track record that shows they can compete and have the infrastructure to go from the National League to the Championship.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 521 (June 2026)