The sport has almost ceased to exist below the conference

[groundhopper]

A few people on here might know my hobby is to watch as many teams as possible, on as many grounds. I think there are only two or three I have nor seen including the summer leagues. I have now decided to stop, because the sport barely exists,

This year alone I have been to Haydock, Bridgend, Forest of Dean, Longhorns in Ireland, Hindpool, Southampton and others in the heartlands. confirming a game is harder than ever especially as the RFL results service is not fit for task

Last Saturday, I went to South Wales and the fixture was good the night before. The opposition who are probably the most successful in Wales cried off mid morning. There were no updates on twitter. pitchero or facebook. This is an occasional risk of the hobby, but straight on line and I confirmed a football fixture and although only pre season, details of location, kick off time, phone number and much more. Only a handful of RL clubs do this

Going forward, no matter how much the game is checked, this is more likely. Many might think well it is a slightly strange way to watch the game, although I am also a season ticket holder elsewhere. If I give up on the game, it does not matter, I do not play, I have never put in time coaching, working with youngsters etc and most of the clubs at this level do not even take a gate so no money will be lost to the game

What does matter is that the same is happening to players and coaches, why give up a Saturday and do nothing. This is not one area unaffected, the Midlands premier has two teams left, the South West has gone and Aberdeen have folded, even though they kept the game alive almost single handed north of the border recently

Nor is this a non heartlands issue, Sharlston, Elland and Hillsborough, the only club left in Sheffield. have gone in recent weeks.

I doubt many clubs will have actually played more than 12 games this season and with injuries and unavailability therefore few players would have played 10 games. This is barely a hobby when this low, more an occasional pastime and no preparation for a higher level

Some will blame summer or winter and some will blame the RFL. I did think of contacting them but my fear is they will simply send me one of Nero's fiddles from their vast collection

The people who actually do the hardwork, especially at youth level and who I have spoken to or who post on here are close to despair about call offs, lack of fixtures and the reliability of their own players

I have no answers but we are paying people a lot of money to come up with some

I will still watch NCL and still be on here, but some have already walked before me and many more are close to doing so

 

 

  

[paulwalker71]

Clearly a worrying trend...

I took a wander down to my local park a couple of weeks ago in the anticipation of seeing Farnley Falcons vs Cutsyke Raiders. Two teams were kitted up ready to play, but the game didn't happen because the referee failed to show up!

[roughyedspud]

The RFL only really care about the top 14-16 clubs...everyone can fend for themselves

[Southerner80]

I would be interested to see participation levels for other sports at amateur level. 

Prehaps this is part of a bigger overall picture for most sports? 

[Forestgravy]

1 minute ago, Southerner80 said:

I would be interested to see participation levels for other sports at amateur level. 

Prehaps this is part of a bigger overall picture for most sports? 

I saw a survey not so long ago about participation levels in sport, Rugby league was way down the list. It's improving but the fact is not enough people play it for there to be a thriving wide-reaching amateur game

[OriginalMrC]

It's been an issue for years now of teams not turning up for matches. Losing 24-0 and no other sanctions means that it's probably seen as the easiest option when they can't round up enough players. Unfortunately it means that the well run clubs don't get enough games and are often out a pocket when cancellations are made really late. 

I'm not sure what the solution is but a change in structure is probably needed. In the Midlands Coventry Dragons and Northampton Demons have got no one to play. The Midlands used to be a really strong area for RL.  I hear there is talk of them going into a different league next year. Hopefully things will work out for them. 

[Spidey]

4 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

It's been an issue for years now of teams not turning up for matches. Losing 24-0 and no other sanctions means that it's probably seen as the easiest option when they can't round up enough players. Unfortunately it means that the well run clubs don't get enough games and are often out a pocket when cancellations are made really late. 

I'm not sure what the solution is but a change in structure is probably needed. In the Midlands Coventry Dragons and Northampton Demons have got no one to play. The Midlands used to be a really strong area for RL.  I hear there is talk of them going into a different league next year. Hopefully things will work out for them. 

It depends on the league you play in whether there are further sanction. 

In NWML you get a league point deducted also, then depending on number of games conceded and the division you are in fines follow plus expenses if you fail to turn up at an opponents 

I think the problem is more widespread in Yorkshire as there is still a split between Winter & Summer. 

If anybody's got any hard evidence on matches being conceded it would be useful instead of the anecdotal stuff 

[dkw]

This is just a microcosm of sport in general is it not, certainly is for west Cumbria. One of The biggest union teams in the area netherhall once had 5 teams, now it's folded. The local Sunday league had 4 or 5 league's generally, now 2 and struggling to get teams for that.

[DavidM]

Probably only gonna get worse with many kids not as active or getting involved as they used to

[welshmagpie]

Abs a player in a non-heartland area. This year has been like no other that I've known. Low numbers, teams collapsing left right and centre.

The organisation of the game below the pro ranks is shocking and the standard is dropping... the gap is incredibly massive between each and every level of the game 

[Hopping Mad]

3 hours ago, roughyedspud said:

The RFL only really care about the top 14-16 clubs...everyone can fend for themselves

The RFL cares only about Super League. It is now reaping what it has sown since the mid-90s: essentially, virtually everything below Super League is dying a slow (but inevitable) death. Is the RFL the least competent governing body in sporting history? Won't be long before the number of amateur clubs is back to the 150 that existed in 1973 when BARLA was formed.

[Dunbar]

As a lover of Rugby League who is now disconnected from the action by geography and a few other factors (this message board and the tv games keep me rooted) this is a really sad thread.

Clearly not sensationalism as the input is thoughtful and rational.  A sad reflection of where we are. I hope things improve. 

[chuffer]

what I'm reading on the community forum worries me, what is going on and why? Is it down to the switch to summer. I'm due to move to Devon in a couple of wks and thought there were a few teams to go and watch, north Devon (Barnstaple), Exeter centurions and Devon sharks, think there may have also been a team in Tiverton at one point too, unless I'm mistaken? ....now I'm reading that there's only Devon sharks and they don't even have a league to play in

[Defender1]

The biggest issue is the RFL management in public don't see anything wrong with the state of the game,  until they admit there may be an issue there will be no solution 

[Defender1]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2017/02/15/popular-sport-england/rugby-league/

[Jacko45]

I think rugby league will struggle in 10/15 years,as a big fan of all r l, I've watched umpteen team fold or drop to nothing.

The rfl think players like Hardaker,Tomkins and the Burgess brothers just turned up at pro clubs they didn't play amateur or junior rl so teams like Elland,Sharlston,Moldgreen and all the other clubs don't matter,what a shame what a mess.

[roughyedspud]

There needs to be a massive and extensive restructuring of the whole sport,top to bottom....and the current RFL board are not the people to do it..

 

[TrueBull]

Employers are much less forgiving over time missing due to injury than they were 15+ years ago. People on zero hours contracts will be more apprehensive about it themselves. 

 

[snoopdog]

RFL choose to ignore the dire straits the game is in, up in Cumbria the long standing RFL employee is quoted saying things are looking and working well, this was his response to 3 local terms merging their under 16s to form one team !! The team folded after a few weeks

Like other parts of the Country the game up here is dying and dying very fast.

[zorquif]

Is there an argument for making amateur RL a bit easier? In football and RU you can still have an enjoyable game if you're a bit fat and rubbish provided your opposition is also a bit fat and rubbish. Do the demands of RL prevent this?

[The Parksider]

2 hours ago, roughyedspud said:

There needs to be a massive and extensive restructuring of the whole sport,top to bottom....and the current RFL board are not the people to do it..

You need to stop RFL bashing on the idea that if only someone else ran it thousands more people would play RL. It's a ridiculous notion and it just gets others climbing on this silly bandwagon.

As some more sensibly say all the amateur football codes have been decimated, as people find other things to do, many find other sports to play where you don't need to find 25 others to have a game, where you don't have to commit to playing regularly, where you don't have to risk getting bashed up like the Broughton Bothers  who are from round here currently are. Social trends change and the change is away from amateur soccer and Rugby. 

People need to also stop Superleague bashing. It's a ridiculous concept that in getting a £200M TV contract and investing in local junior RL through foundations and academies to ensure there's a flow of players to entertain us all on here Superleague are somehow the problem

When in reality they are the solution.

The social trends are clear for RL. 30 years ago far more people played the game, far less sat on their bums and watched. So what, just live with it, adapt to it and enjoy it. Don't try to find every reason under the sun to condemn Rugby leagues own institutions. The RFL and SL cannot make people who don't want to play play.  

But as long as there is an audience, and that is bigger than ever, they can still work hard at offering young sportsmen the option to play RL in Superleague club areas and take that through to a profesional career, where there will be some return on the hard work and hard knocks the game is about.

The curent hype over Canada needs to be set against the reality that this is the modern western world and people in more afflluent societies with more choices for their lesiure time, and more awareness about looking after their bodies are less and less inclined to go get bashed up and kicked around on a saturday whatever nationality they are. Whilst all codes of Football decline here we are told playing RL will burst into growth across Canada! 

[The Parksider]

29 minutes ago, zorquif said:

Is there an argument for making amateur RL a bit easier? 

Yes.

Cut to 11 a side, then cut out handling the ball, cut grabbing opposition players, get rid of tries, and just have goals.

That should get far more people playing...Oh erm hang on?

[The Parksider]

2 minutes ago, Johnoco said:

I'm not the first to point this out but this is where RU does really well as the Old Bellendians can put out teams of old fat guys just having fun. 

This being the "Fourth" team's?

This was years ago RU has also been decimated after many young professionals started giving it up in their early twenties.

What you miss is that Masters RL is the growth area, because it takes the contact out of the sport so you can enjoy it and not get bashed up.

[roughyedspud]

 

4 minutes ago, The Parksider said:

You need to stop RFL bashing on the idea that if only someone else ran it thousands more people would play RL. It's a ridiculous notion and it just gets others climbing on this silly bandwagon.

As some more sensibly say all the amateur football codes have been decimated, as people find other things to do, many find other sports to play where you don't need to find 25 others to have a game, where you don't have to commit to playing regurally, where you don't have to risk getting bashed up like the Broughton Bothers  who are from round here currently are. Social trends change and the change is away from amateur soccer and Rugby. 

People need to also stop Superleague bashing. It's a ridiculous concept that in getting a £200M TV contract and investing in local junior RL through foundations and academies to ensure there's a flow of players to entertain us all on here Superleague are somehow the problem

When in reality they are the solution.

The social trends are clear for RL. 30 years ago far more people played the game, far less sat on their bums and watched. So what, just live with it, adapt to it and enjoy it. Don't try to find every reason under the sun to condemn Rugby leagues own institutions. The RFL and SL cannot make people who don't want to play play.  

But as long as there is an audience, and that is bigger than ever, they can still work hard at offering young sportsmen the option to play RL in Superleague club areas and take that through to a profesional career, where there will be some return on the hard work and hard knocks the game is about.

The curent hype over Canada needs to be set against the reality that this is the modern western world and people in more afflluent societies with more choices for their lesiure time, and more awareness about looking after their bodies are less and less inclined to go get bashed up and kicked around on a saturday whatever nationality they are. Whilst all codes of Football decline here we are told RL alone will burst into growth across Canada! 

I need?

No! The RFL need holding to account!,the sport is crumbling and they,like you,have ya heads in the sand!

Was it last year koukash called for a vote of no confidence in the RFL? At the time I had the RFLs back..and I'm no fan of koukash..but he was right! These morons are asleep behind the wheel!

[Man of Kent]

Aren't the RFL funding touch and tag programmes?