Defender1

Unfortunately that was what was supposed to happen but it hasn't worked, there will always be a bit of an overlap, last years winter wasn't very good, this years summer possibly worse

Our lads play £5 per game if working and £3 if they are not

So why have we had all the upheaval, as the NWC had introduced a winter break You are correct Yorkshire juniors and Hull have a summer break, NWC do not, also because of the Yorkshire and National cups at Youth the players are not having a break. The thing is summer is summer and as I say why change if we don't play in the summer months, not playing because people are away is what people said. In the old season we always managed to fit all the fixtures in and have a break before pre season, now teams start in Jan for preseason and friendlies, don't play in the summer months but usually train, and some are finishing in December, it's all year rugby for the players, coaches, parents and volunteers without the volume of matches

GHGH I think you miss the point a little, we changed to summer for all the benefits it is supposed to bring, thought winter was that bad nobody wanted to play. West Hull under 15s last game of the so called 2014 season is Dec 6th, they then sart pre-season after Xmas and play friendlies, as well as the school and college games, oh and by the way with the same players. The clubs are now having to keep them interested or they are going off playing football or RU, as I have said before there are more RL players playing football and RU in the winter than football and RU players playing RL in the summer. Most of the good youth players are playing all year round it is only a matter of time before they get fed up and have a well deserved rest from the game

To keep them interested!

It will be interesting to see if the money materialises but their pledge not mine

Sports England still only ring the same people and the RFL said over 1500 (I think) schools entered the cup, and you don't get many rounders clubs

But when you enter the Merit now you only commit to 8 games so why is it good now but not in the past when you committed to 10 games, you keep saying it is the preference so why are there so many call offs, teams folding, drop in participation, drop in revenue, at proffessional level the attendences have a least leveled out and possibly on the decline, I would even say now the juniors play summer it has affected the gates

So David Gent must have thought there was no need for development officers as there was going to be that many people playing summer rugby, believe it or not the seasons still overlap what we should do is play May-August so players can play both, oh sorry that already happens in leagues outside the heartlands Should we not have the management of the Rounders Association running our game, they do well without the funding and backing of a professional game that RL enjoys

So where is the £11 million coming from and to be spent on and by whom as stated by the RFL on their Development Plan? Sorry but we have been playing summer for 3 years

Bowes summer rugby is not new is it 15-20 years outside the heartlands and in the heartlands. It is not many years since Yorkshire had a summer season if I remember Bridlington, Northallerton, Cottingham Phoenix, etc the RFL did not push it as they possibly thought it may be detrimental to the winter game, now they promote and it was their idea they seem to see winter as a distraction to their summer game. Forget the development officers I know this has not helped but they were around for years why has the summer game never really taken off, also you say about the NWC but when you looked at the last few weeks of the season there were a very high proportion of called off games. You say about RU but I would say there are more players at all ages playing RU since we have switched seasons, than come to play RL in the summer, please speak to coaches at West Hull, Cottingham, Myton Warriors, Skirlaugh, who have all voiced their concerns, someone must like the wet and cold, even Lewis Moody said the other week on radio he could not wait to stop doing tag at RU so he could get tackling and getting muddy

The Operational Rules springs to mind, this is unfortunately what we said could happen and why initially BARLA were against them. Some people will say we need one governing body but when they don't listen to the clubs and in the main are making the wrong decisions or won't listen to reason what chance does the game have.

Sorry to say (As it ain't good for the game) but you are right!!

We have one governing body don't we? The RFL and the Chair of BARLA who sits on the Community Board they make the decisions for the Amateur game, so two bodies but one end result. Since the appointment of the new chair of BARLA there has been little or no negative comments against the RFL as used to be the case, she is also a leading light in the Pennine, conspiracy theory's spring to mind

Bowes you just don't seem to get it, nobody has said the game was not in decline in the old traditional season, I agree the reduction in development officers has not helped but there have still been people in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Midlands, North East and London, as well as semi pro clubs out of the heartlands, being watched I may add by 1-200 people at the most, you used to get more than that at an NCL game before the switch, but the whole point of changing was to increase players, clubs, volunteers, revenue, playing standards, less call offs I am sorry to say the game is in more of a mess than ever. As I said earlier we don't have an all game cup competition, which makes the whole game weaker and more devided, are the winners of the Pennine being allowed in the Challenge Cup now the league have signed the operational rules,nobody seems to want to comment on the £11 million pound committed by the RFL till 2017 to increase participation or the £4 million for the pathway project, where is it coming from, where is it going to be spent and who by? Why do we have 2 governing bodies in the RFL and BARLA who seem to not want to comment and how is it rounders has more participants without the funding the RFL gets and no professional game or publisicity that is provided by Sky and the BBC