EssexRL

Skolars 6 Newcastle 66 We'd moved to Enfield FC's ground whilst New River's new pitch was being laid, which was a bit of a pain to get too and that afternoon it poured and poured with rain and it was cold and there were about 200 people there (including 20 or so Newcastle fans who did the congo around the ground). My son and I retired to the bar when they hit 40, only to be cornered by a RL fanatic who just had to tell us for for what seemed like for ever, everything that was wrong with the game and what he would do to put it right.

Although London Skolars is my team, I am looking for a second team in the pro/semi pro leagues. Not minded to follow Broncos given their behaviour towards us in recent years and frankly shaky future prospects. So I need a new team….

Saturday night in London. My one year old grandson’s birthday. Watched the game with family (some of whom watched the RU international). Everyone loved the game. Skill, physicality, tension.

I thought they do make some (they certainly would t run it if it lost money) and I am pretty sure sponsorship has resulted from it.

...that exactly.

PS. Really like the new strip too!

Good to hear the crowd held up and I gather the hospitality sold out so will give the club. Although I couldn't go, due to work, it was nice to get an email from the club with an e-version of the programme. Hopefully this marks the beginning of the rebuilding of the club back into the semi pro league.

This is really good news for the sport (and me personally as I don't have Sky).

Pleased to see this back although as ever tricky for me to get to as it is (understandably) during the working day.

Thoroughly enjoyed watching this game. Good commentary. Good referring. Excellent competition.

I’m no expert but actually becoming an owner might bring with it tax and other legal issues. Maybe a better idea would be to set up a fund that overseas clubs could bid for. if you want to own a club I’m sure there are a few in the Uk who would be interested!

A post from Twitter today that shows the work the club is still doing raising the profile of the game which the funding will help continue- Islington primary Tag Rugby League festival,played a stones throw from Kings Cross Lndn,120 players Supported by 5 Skolars staff and expert advice given to players/teachers. Challenge Cup on display and the kids loved having photos taken with it.

This is not just about transitioning to playing in SCL but also to retain infrastructure to hopefully find resources (investors) to maybe return to the semi pro level as well as keeping wider activities like schools engagement going.

Great to see the club are half way there and some lovely comments from fans.

Just to bring this discussion back on point: as a southern based fan what is the future of RL mean to me? Do the powers that be care? In terms of a professional experience is it a sport that is limited to Humberside, Yorkshire and Lancashire?

I’m seriously thinking that any one involved in RL from say Stoke southwards needs to break away fro the RFL and try to build the game on our own. The powers that be seem to be a hindrance not a help.

I have a more expansionist view than you but I think you hit the nail on the head. Is the future about a West Yorkshire derby or about including people like me? Putting it crudely at the moment the future feels a lot more about maximising the potential of a West Yorkshire game than raising engagement with the game in East London! (There is a separate debate about whether we are delivering that - in my view - narrow vision, eg many watch Bulls, Halifax, Dewsbury, Giants etc ?) I’m not sure looking back is the best way forward.

Sorry wasn’t taking the pee. Given I’m 60 “hoist” made me think of mobility aids! Possibly not inappropriate.

As a RL die hard living in north London where it will take me nearly two hour to get to Broncos who what ever they do next year probably won’t be in SL the year after and whose last international (WC aside) was 5 years ago - what should I do? Ifs RL a sport for people who live in 3-4 counties of England?

Fair enough. Tell me what you think will change my mind - I really want to believe the best

Hoist? Lol.

I am, I hope, an open minded chap but looking at all that has happened recently it seems to me, in stark contrast to 6-7 years ago, that the sport has decided to essentially focus solely on where SL is played (or nearby*). If one is asked - what is the game doing to support RL in the south or Cumbria, or Wales or Scotland or London, the answer is "nothing". It seems a real disconnect that IMG were bought in to help is think about the future but we end up with a future that is a (much) narrower version of the present? Is this fair? *It feels that Broncos promotion doesn't fit the narrative and the ridiculous grading criteria, particularly in respect of catchment area, means that London is unlikely to have a major presence in the sport after next year,

There are shareholders (like me) and then there are Directors (and some ex-Directors like IM2). Most, maybe all, Directors are shareholders. I am not a Director. As with any company shareholders own the club but Directors run it on their behalf. People have supported the club in lots of ways including one off funds to help. The thing that impressed me about the club when I first came along was the overall passion for the game the people who run it had and how open they were to fans. It always felt much more than being just about Skolars. They were - and remain - committed to building the sport in a sustainable and sensible way. Although well off by many people's standards there was no way the owners could grow the club given the costs they faced, as explained. The last 4 years have been about trying to get new investment in. Twice we nearly got there but were let down. I am biased and I am sure that things could have been done better. I might also have offered shares rather than donations and I think it would be good to be specific about what the money will be used for on the funding page as IM2 has explained above. As an aside I do wonder if the latest era of RL in the capital had started with Hector and Skolars rather than Fulham whether things would have been different.

The circumstances of the last season or so has landed Skolars in a different position to other amateur clubs - hopefully temporarily. However if you want a positive incentive - today the club are hosting primary school children from Haringey in a tag RL tournament. There are 33 teams! I am not sure anyone else in London is doing that. As I have said before, keeping Skolars going is about more than the club. The club promotes RL in a borough with a population of 265,000. That is bigger than the pop of Oldham and Rochdale, for example. Honestly donating is voluntary; so if you don't think it is a good idea don't do it but if you are thinking about it think more widely than the club.

This isn't just about saving the club; it is also about the sport having a presence in one of the most populous areas of the UK. For the future health of the game, we need to keep a foothold in the capital beyond Broncos. The club has done an amazing job linking with the local community and raising the profile of the game. Please help if you can.