EssexRL

….but how do you build amateur clubs and get players to the standard necessary to compete at L1 and above? I’d argue that successive pro/semi pro clubs act as a catalyst for that community clubs. That’s what Skolars have done.

The problem all expansion clubs face is the same - where do you get players from to be competitive? Until that’s addressed whether you’re WWR, Skolars, Hemel, Cornwall, Oxford, All Golds, Midlands you will struggle. Skolars are well run but we where do we get the players from to compete in L1 (not excusing the poor way WWR seem to have been run, but this is the core issue)? Being able to pay good salaries isn’t enough, you’ve got to support players to live in non heartland areas.

Well that was good....lots of engagement on social media too (if you've not Liked C4Sports RL tweets get on there an d do it!)

Atmosphere is fab!

Adam Hills great. Enjoying the way they are presenting the sport. Imagine Betfred are happy.

His latest Tweet about C4 and RL has 4,500 likes.

Indeed. I was just making the point that HM didn’t walk out. I think he’s always been realistic about the challenge of making RL work down here. Perhaps that’s something the WWR hasn’t been about making RL work there.

Yes that’s right. It’s been more a transition than revolution.

Hector is still around the club as a fan (literally last Saturday) but yes he ended his role as owner. There was a managed handover. There’s no drama about it, although everyone is aware of the challenge of this season.

Just read through it. Reads like a belated facing up to reality and something that looks like a strategy to make the best of a (very) bad situation. Does feel like last chance saloon. How many people actually watch WWR?

I suspect survival will be the aim for Skolars this season. A squad that has been gutted by Broncos, and the loss of central funding does not bode well. If there’s a club the deserves help for all they’ve tried to do for the sport in London it’s Skolars. Big credit to Hector for all his time and money. If we don’t survive I certainly won’t be shifting my allegiance to Broncos.

…because that’s all they’ve got. This is one of the key barriers to expansion - where do players come from. TS + I suspect armed forces rosters mean that they wouldn’t be able to feature in a league.

This is a really important point. Non heartland teams struggle to find players that can compete at L1. Skolars benefited from Broncos when they were full time and from a link with Wigan but not longer. The model of recruiting from student/community teams does not make you competitive - as All Golds and Hemel.

Trouble is the level of L1 doesn't really make this viable. When LB were in SL it worked better when we got some of their players and (occasionally) we filled some of their gaps but not now. The truth is (probably) there are not enough players down here to sustain two completive teams and the worse case scenario is neither are viable.

Spot on and that includes everyone on Twitter liking and retweeting C4 tweets.

If nothing else Cornwall are generating media interest.

I wouldn't be against that

Can't say this fills me with tonnes of confidence. They hope Cornwall will embrace both codes. They hope there are enough local athletes who would like to play RL and/or that people from the heartlands will move to the SW - even though the anticipation is that this will be a PT team. They hope local media will be interested and the RL fans living locally will connect*. I really want RL to expand but I am not confident that developing a club so far away from a solid base at the level proposed will work - - but I truly hope I am wrong. *I have met a fair few away fans at Skolars some of whom live in London. If you are a London based Workington fan, say, you are not automatically going to start watching another club. In saying that how many RL fans are there in Cornwall?

Whilst I have loved the fact that there has been a RL presence in Cornwall for some considerable time and that, like Devon, seems sustainable at its level and through the schools engagement is taking the next step, the creation of a L1 club there and now makes little sense to me for reasons set out in this thread. I hope I am wrong but I stuggle to see how it will work (work in the sense of getting people through the gates and being competitive particularly given the long journeys to away matches). This feels too much too soon. Maybe if it was located in Penzance or Plymouth (is Plymouth Devon or Cornwall) but....

Me too. We were talking about him with friends a couple of days ago and had to look up whether he was still alive or not.

yes they are. says all you need to know

Listening to it now. Depressing the story of expansion and the sports inability to learn from experience. Great podcast.

The brilliant Andy Gill of Gang of Four. It’s hard to think of many modern musicians who’ve influenced as many people as he did, and made such fantastic music. An incredible guitarist.

I saw Brian Noble by Tesco’s in Highams Park. This is slightly impressive as its an outer borough of London where you don’t frankly expect to see anything even remotely connected with RL.

It’s the run up to Xmas so it’s The Box of Delights by John Mansfield for me.