Hull FC and Hull KR to merge...

[Old Frightful]

...their academy sides.   

 

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hull-FC-Hull-KR-merge-academies/story-26820439-detail/story.html

 

"What's going on?" asked one diehard Hull FC fan, "I'll never support this new team" commented a lifelong Robins' supporter.

 

"I told you so" remarked another local RL fan who said he didn't support either team but was "delighted to see common sense prevail" ,although he wouldn't give his name he just wanted to leave the rather cryptic initials DSK to keep people guessing.

[Spidey]

Just halved the pipeline into Hull. That can't be good

[DeadShotKeen]

More here:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/33363718

 

Of course it's a great idea.

 

"Which club the players join when they have progressed through the system will be decided by a draft."

 

Err....what? OK that bit's barmy.

 

I fail to see how if this makes sense then the idea of running 1 pro side doesn't. It's typical RL decision making through fear and general bet-hedging but also throwing in the veneer of something "modern" (the draft) done in an essentially scattershot and nonsensical way.

 

Just merge the sides already. Get it over with and stop wasting yet more time and money.

 

Why doesn't the OP tell us what he thinks of the plan?

[Just Browny]

We all know where this thread will end up, but this is genuinely a big deal and it would be interesting to know:

 

1) what happens to players that both clubs want to keep? Do they go on to the open market or is there some kind of carve-up between the two clubs? It sounds fraught with danger. (EDIT: just seen the BBC link above).

2) will both clubs be able to play a kid from the u-19s?

 

If merging the academies creates one top-class academy rather than two average ones, great. But I thought Hull FC already had top facilities and had invested a load of cash into beefing up its academy system over the last few years.

[zorquif]

More here:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/33363718

 

Of course it's a great idea.

 

"Which club the players join when they have progressed through the system will be decided by a draft."

 

Err....what? OK that bit's barmy.

 

I fail to see how if this makes sense then the idea of running 1 pro side doesn't. It's typical RL decision making through fear and general bet-hedging but also throwing in the veneer of something "modern" (the draft) done in an essentially scattershot and nonsensical way.

 

Just merge the sides already. Get it over with and stop wasting yet more time and money.

 

Why doesn't the OP tell us what he thinks of the plan?

 

What's wrong with a draft? Presumably the team in greatest need picks first and then it is dos and turns. 

[DeadShotKeen]

The draft thing surely doesn't have much legal basis. Would collapse under 1 legal challenge I would think.

 

Is the sport determined to throw more money away in the courts in the name of eccentricity and poor strategic planning?

[Gates1]

Surely Hull would have been better merging with Cas, they could just cut out the middle man!

[DeadShotKeen]

What's wrong with a draft? Presumably the team in greatest need picks first and then it is dos and turns. 

 

Define "greatest need".

[bowes]

This is very good news as the youth game in the city has been decimated by having to fund two academies

[Old Frightful]

Why doesn't the OP tell us what he thinks of the plan?

I can only see problems with it tbh.

 

There's too much rivalry and hatred between the teams and this will be made worse if a bit of skullduggery goes on when a promising youngster is targeted by both teams. In spite of the two chairmen's words, I think it'll happen.

 

As a slight aside, "The new academy side will play in blue and yellow, the colours of Hull city council", that's nice, I wonder if the Allams will consider a new colour scheme for theHull Tigers' kit in recognition of Hull City Council's colours..

[zorquif]

Define "greatest need".

 

I was trying to avoid the term 'lowest in the previous season'. Is that better?

 

Or that said, maybe they'll share first pick? As in, flip a coin for the first one and then alternate. 

[Saint Toppy]

Define "greatest need".

I assume it will be whichever team finishes lowest in the league will get the 1st pick of the following years intake ?

 

I give it 3 years before the clubs start talking about merging the clubs completely, then Hull can have 1 average team instead of 2

[Old Frightful]

I give it 3 years before the clubs start talking about merging the clubs completely, then Hull can have 1 average team instead of 2

A few years back, the Dull Daily Wail did a spoof April 1st article about the two Hull clubs merging. The bit that made me smile was when looking for a name, they took "Hull" from Hull FC and "Kingston Rovers" from Hull KR and put them together to form the new team's name "Hull Kingston Rovers".

 

Gave most of the paranoid supporters of my team the evidence they wanted about that particular paper's leanings.

[Old Frightful]

I assume it will be whichever team finishes lowest in the league will get the 1st pick of the following years intake ?

Hull FC already appear to be making first claim on this.

[MrPosh]

More here:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/33363718

 

Of course it's a great idea.

 

"Which club the players join when they have progressed through the system will be decided by a draft."

 

Err....what? OK that bit's barmy.

 

I fail to see how if this makes sense then the idea of running 1 pro side doesn't. It's typical RL decision making through fear and general bet-hedging but also throwing in the veneer of something "modern" (the draft) done in an essentially scattershot and nonsensical way.

 

Just merge the sides already. Get it over with and stop wasting yet more time and money.

 

Why doesn't the OP tell us what he thinks of the plan?

 

You're failing to understand all of the intangibles that make sport so appealing in the first place.

 

Of course, if sport really were a business (and I know that line is getting more and more blurred - particularly in some sports) then we wouldn't have shared academies or merged teams, because we'd have given up and gone home a long time ago.

 

RL in this country is about finding the balance between its 'soul' and being pragmatic about the fact that we are a lower level sport - at least in terms of income. This is why the franchising debate is so hard.

 

If we tip too far in either direction, the sport will die.

[Saint Toppy]

when looking for a name, they took "Hull" from Hull FC and "Kingston Rovers" from Hull KR and put them together to form the new team's name "Hull Kingston Rovers".

 

 

Sounds perfect - Think they should go with it. Just have the team play in Black & White and everyone's happy 

[zorquif]

take the red from hull KRs strip and the white from Hull FC...

[Spidey]

I get the concept of drafting a player as they leave the academy. However what happens during their academy tenure. Can they be called up by just one team or both into first team duty? Could they end up playing for both teams over the course of a season?

[Guest]

A few years back, the Dull Daily Wail did a spoof April 1st article about the two Hull clubs merging. The bit that made me smile was when looking for a name, they took "Hull" from Hull FC and "Kingston Rovers" from Hull KR and put them together to form the new team's name "Hull Kingston Rovers".

 

Gave most of the paranoid supporters of my team the evidence they wanted about that particular paper's leanings.

 

Surely if a merger was to happen Hull KFC would be a far better name. The playing shirts could be red and white and have the Colonel's face on them.

[DoubleD]

Is this just a cost saving exercise?

 

I'm not sure of the benefits as it will narrow the pool of players likely to get to Super League, rather than increase it. I can only see a benefit if they use the money saved to invest in the academies emerging areas like North East, Midlands etc to raise the standard and potential pool there

[robins up north]

Did something similar not happen a few years ago when Gateshead took over fc?

[flyingking]

As a slight aside, "The new academy side will play in blue and yellow, the colours of Hull city council", that's nice, I wonder if the Allams will consider a new colour scheme for theHull Tigers' kit in recognition of Hull City Council's colours..

Seems fair, Warrington get an exciting winger who was one of the best products from Hull's academy and in return the new side gets to play in Warrington's colours.

[BilboJeggings]

Sounds to me like it could be a good idea. If they are struggling to fund separate academies, 1 joint academy is much better than none at all.

 

Don't know how a "draft" system would work though. At the moment players at one academy could sign for any club. It is down to the club running the academy to stake a claim first by offering the player a contract they will accept before any other clubs muscle in. Don't know if a rule forcing a player to join a club would be legal without a contract first being in place with the player.

 

I wonder if other clubs might be considering this - again a shared academy is better than no academy, and this sort of set up could help to blur the lines a bit between current SL clubs and aspiring championship clubs. For example, shared academies between Hudds / Bradford / Halifax and Wakey / Cas / Fev.

 

The extra resources and career progression this offered could help to stop Wigan and Leeds grabbing all the best young players from these areas.

[nadera78]

Is this just a cost saving exercise?

 

I'm not sure of the benefits as it will narrow the pool of players likely to get to Super League, rather than increase it. I can only see a benefit if they use the money saved to invest in the academies emerging areas like North East, Midlands etc to raise the standard and potential pool there

It actually improves both the Academy and the local youth competition. At the moment FC and Rovers both sign up 20 players for their academies, that means 40 players taken out of the community game, even though only half a dozen of them will ever go on to have SL careers. The others are there simply to make up the numbers in the development stage. The result is that the community clubs lose youngsters who have no chance of ever making the grade and who rarely return to their old clubs when they get released.

 

The same thing happens all over the country, and is one of the main reasons the sport loses community players in the transition from age group to open age.

 

Having only one academy in Hull means there will be less wastage, more youngsters will stay at an appropriate level, and those who do sign with the academy will be hot-housed alongside the very best from that city and surrounding areas.

[BilboJeggings]

_{Just in terms of numbers - 7 academy teams cold produce easily enough players each season to feed all teams in SL, championship and league 1, even assuming there are no ozzie imports.}