joe elliot Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 ONE LEAGUE STRUCTURE FOR AMATEUR RUGBY LEAGUE My view on how we can reinvigorate the amateur game at open age is for the Conference to regionalise underneath the Premier division and merge the local comp's within them. We need to create smaller divisions so that clubs that struggle during the season will finish earlier and teams that have good squads can fight for promotions and cup successes towards the end of the season when traditionally teams struggle that aren't competing for anything. This is an ideal time for the amateur game to come together under one fixture plan • National Premier League as the pinnacle • Cumbria, Lancashire & Yorkshire premier divisions to replace the 1st, 2nd and 3rd conference divisions. • winner of each County premier division gains promotion to the National Premier with the 3 teams relegated from the Premier to they're perspective County premier divisions. •further divisions below each County Premier to allow for promotion and relegation and also differing playing standards. If we have one structure, we can allow for the national cup, county cups and fixtures can be regulated properly. It also lessens travelling, raises standards and rewards teams that are strong and catches teams that are rebuilding. Summer rugby has created many good aspects but the counter fighting between administration's is killing the appetite and success's that we should be reaping. The league structures need to be co-ordinated together from local to National Premier as we are now just working against each other at the moment. waddell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidlandsRugbyLeague Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 What happens when the three teams finishing bottom are all from one region? Keep Up To Date:Midlands Rugby League WebsiteMidlands Rugby League Facebook Group Midlands Rugby League Twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisholm 2 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 A very good suggestion Joe, I think the community game needs look after the interest of all standards of players and not just the elite that the RFL are interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neutralfan Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 What do the players want?Are they happy to travel to Cumbria from Hull or wherever and vice versa twice or more a season?They must have some cracking days out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo5 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Don't know about the Yorks/Lancs clubs but I can't see Wath Brow/Kells/Egremont being happy stuck back in a Cumbria League on the back of one bad season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisholm 2 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Got people talking, well done Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillmeister Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Even within the current NCL structure theres a very good case to be made for Regionalising leagues below the Premier which would then give greater incentive for teams to join due to the minimalising of travel costs and im guessing it would allow greater player availability also Forget Chuck and Chad I am the real legend killer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowes Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I'd amend this to premier, division 1 and then division 2 split west and east Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatfell Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Joe do you think that the top team in the Cumbrian men's league would be strong enough for the premier league ? We could also have 2/3 very good teams in the Yorkshire/ Lancashire/Cumbria leagues that come 2nd/ 3rd who are better than the other league winners, but won't get promoted so the best teams aren't going to be the premier league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vatman Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I think its been mentioned at a NCL delegates meets before and there did not seem to be much interest in regionalised leagues if the clubs really wanted it i am sure it would have been discussed before now. I am not sure how it would work cant see how P & R would work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbeckroad Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I think it goes without saying that teams who have joined this Conference have done so because they wish to test themselves at national level. I would think if this restructuring took place those clubs who were put back into the regional leagues against their own will would be, to put it mildly, not very happy. Imagine if Kells for instance after working their way through the divisions had been told during the pre season that instead of challenging for promotion into the Premier division the following season that they would instead be going back to the CARLA league whether they liked it or not. Don't think they, or anyone else for that matter, would be too happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe elliot Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 Some really valid points about the relegation issue and the fact certain teams from Yorkshire & Lancashire might be better than the Cumbrian winning team or maybe not. However the standard of the conference is not getting better, look at the lowering of they're own rules etc never mind the gap in competition in individual leagues. You only have to look at the demise in prestige of the National cup and total cheapening of the county cups to realise that the fixtures and organisations are not positively effecting amateur rugby. We all go on personal experience, my club Barrow Island is one of the strongest teams in Barrow in terms of players and youth etc and we are going through an up cycle that would mean we could go in the conference and compete. However I'm of the opinion that joining the national leagues is a necessity rather than something the lads want to do. Surely our governing body would be better to look at how we can increase playing numbers and enjoyment not stick to a model that doesn't work for everyone. waddell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Some really valid points about the relegation issue and the fact certain teams from Yorkshire & Lancashire might be better than the Cumbrian winning team or maybe not. However the standard of the conference is not getting better, look at the lowering of they're own rules etc never mind the gap in competition in individual leagues. You only have to look at the demise in prestige of the National cup and total cheapening of the county cups to realise that the fixtures and organisations are not positively effecting amateur rugby. We all go on personal experience, my club Barrow Island is one of the strongest teams in Barrow in terms of players and youth etc and we are going through an up cycle that would mean we could go in the conference and compete. However I'm of the opinion that joining the national leagues is a necessity rather than something the lads want to do. Surely our governing body would be better to look at how we can increase playing numbers and enjoyment not stick to a model that doesn't work for everyone. It works for the majority. If it's not working for some they have the option to go back to regional rugby. That should leave the cream in the NCL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2010 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 What if there was some kind of play off between the top 4 or so teams in the regional leagues for one promotion spot? Not sure if it should be just NCL Premier then regional or Premier and 1 then regional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe elliot Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 My main reason for writing this is not because I am against travelling it's just that we need a system of fixtures that encompass the county & national cups giving them back the prestige they deserve. i just don't like the way the different administration's work against each other waddell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillmeister Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Just an outsiders view but to me the bottom two leagues of the NCL are mostly consisting of clubs who are exceptionally well run and from a playing standards point of view are good solid teams. To regionalise those leagues would seem to make total sense as it seems to be often mentioned about the financial impact of the travel in the NCL Once you hit the 1st Division and Premier obviously thats a different gravy and needs to retain the national aspect. I dont think the county cups will ever be restored to former glories Joe and in truth nor the national cup as long as the conference challenge trophy remains Forget Chuck and Chad I am the real legend killer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo5 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Just an outsiders view but to me the bottom two leagues of the NCL are mostly consisting of clubs who are exceptionally well run and from a playing standards point of view are good solid teams. To regionalise those leagues would seem to make total sense as it seems to be often mentioned about the financial impact of the travel in the NCLOnce you hit the 1st Division and Premier obviously thats a different gravy and needs to retain the national aspect.I dont think the county cups will ever be restored to former glories Joe and in truth nor the national cup as long as the conference challenge trophy remains Isn't one of the attractions of the NCL that you get to play teams from other areas and so can test yourselves against such teams and look to improve.Looking at Cumbria both Wath Brow and then Kells much later felt the need to leave their local leagues because they were winning everything and had no real competition and so joining the NCL and playing on a National level was the obvious choice.Having watched a few Cumbria League matches this year,only Distington could hope to compete in the NCL and with no 2nd team or youth would they even want to move up if they won a regional feeder comp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiEgg Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 There is a possible compromise of splitting the NCL into a East and West conference with a play off system at the end of the year where the top Four from each side play in a eight team knock out to determine the overall champions reducing the leagues to say ten and having a origin type series East v West to give the players something extra to play for . Two up two down P&R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNicholson Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I've thought for a while that below the NCL premier division there should be regional divisions to reduce travel expenses, etc. I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say that division's 1, 2 & 3 should be replaced by county leagues but they could be merged and split into East + West divisions with the champions/playoff winners being promoted and the bottom 2 in the premier division being relegated and allocated to either the east or west division based on their location. There are clubs who are currently barely clinging onto life and regional divisions would help all clubs below the premier division reduce travelling thus saving money and help keep players in the sport who have drifted away because they don't want to travel so far every other weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy1 Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Division 1 is almost a Yorkshire league for 2017 by my reckoning. Featherstone Milford Normanton Underbank Hunslet Warriors* Shaw Cross Hunslet Club Hull Dockers Lock Lane York Acorn Ince Rose Bridge Blackbrook Only the final 2 in Lancashire and no Cumbrian sides. *Edit - Looks like Warriors are staying up due to Oulton being deducted 2 points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowes Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 If you did regionalise into three you'd have two divisions for Yorkshire (plus Oldham and Rochdale) and one for the North West Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNicholson Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Division 1 is almost a Yorkshire league for 2017 by my reckoning. Featherstone Milford Normanton Underbank Hunslet Warriors* Shaw Cross Hunslet Club Hull Dockers Lock Lane York Acorn Ince Rose Bridge Blackbrook Only the final 2 in Lancashire and no Cumbrian sides. *Edit - Looks like Warriors are staying up due to Oulton being deducted 2 points. Getting promoted last year ended up being a disaster for Millom because they ended up in Division 1 were this year 11/14 teams were based in Yorkshire so naturally travel costs sky rocketed and they really struggled to recruit players because nowadays not too many players are so keen on long away journey's just about every other week. Rugby league cannot afford to lose players so anything like NCL regional leagues that helps reduce travelling and helps keeps people in the sport can only be a good thing. If you did regionalise into three you'd have two divisions for Yorkshire (plus Oldham and Rochdale) and one for the North West I had suggested introducing east and west divisions but dividing NCL Div 1, 2 & 3 into North West, Pennine and Yorkshire divisions is an even better option. Is there any other sport in England were amateur teams have to do so much travelling? In football, union & cricket amateur teams play in county/regional leagues, in rugby league an amateur club might be expected to travel to Hull one week then West Cumbria the next and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidlandsRugbyLeague Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Is there any other sport in England were amateur teams have to do so much travelling? In football, union & cricket amateur teams play in county/regional leagues, in rugby league an amateur club might be expected to travel to Hull one week then West Cumbria the next and so on. Yes there are many and they undertake truly national travel not just accross Northern England and there are many amateur RU and Football Leagues that play in a multi region competition like the NCL too. The problem is that in all sports the better you are the further you have to travel to find a game of equal quality for the full year because you are further up the pyramid. If anything, because of RL's northern bias, NCL teams are quite lucky compared to similar level teams in other sports. Keep Up To Date:Midlands Rugby League WebsiteMidlands Rugby League Facebook Group Midlands Rugby League Twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoopdog7 Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Example ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo5 Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 If a club dosen't want to or can't afford to travel,why enter the "National" Conference League. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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