Scotland RL

[gingerjon]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

You’re making a weak case for Gretna not being an ideal site for expansion. 

Gretna is a woeful idea for expansion.

It's a lovely place and I've watched football there many times though.

[Mathius Hellwege]

3 hours ago, Midlands hobo said:

Apart from soccer you described NZ

that's why it is working

two against you can compensate, especially with immigration from the PI 

[Eddie]

39 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Gretna is a woeful idea for expansion.

It's a lovely place and I've watched football there many times though.

Yeah I know, of all the places in the UK it must be among the worst for potential expansion. 

[EggFace]

8 hours ago, Dirkgee said:

Union is growing quickly in Spain. They would have qualified for the last 2 Union World Cups but they were disqualified each time for fielding ineligible players.

Yeah it's a shame they are not in this years World Cup as I can't see Rugby in Portugal growing.

[Yakstorm]

On 11/11/2022 at 05:44, Number 16 said:

Why couldn't the RFL, with willing union clubs, organise four 9s competitions over the course of the summer. One each in (for example only!) Hawick, Gala, Jedforest and Melrose, and four invited Sassenach teams to each. Start simple in 2023 and 2024, and try and expand in the next WC year.

This is a great suggestion and something I wish more Leagues would try. 

Getting an existing sports club to add Rugby League only ever happens if there is an ultra enthusiastic individual who loves the sport and pushes the concept forward or if there is a critical mass of players wanting to play it.

Now one way to get the later approach happening is to provide a way for the players to 'try the game' with absolute minimal commitment. 

Nines is perfect for that, as you could literally just host one event a year for a few years, and see if any traction takes place.  If the game is popular, great expand it to multiple events or add some sort of mini league, if it's not the investment on all sides is minimal. 

Hong Kong did this pre-COVID and it helped them get enough players for a 4 team competition.  Samoa also did this the last two years in regions with no League and have found players who then got selected in their Island of Origin series.

[Midlands hobo]

On 04/01/2023 at 10:19, BladeHearts said:

As soon as he became unwell and his family got cheesed off at their inheritance being squandered the club went bankrupt with almost immediate effect.

Aren't nearly all teams in most pro sports just a heart attack away from the same fate?

[corkonian77]

On 04/01/2023 at 07:27, Mathius Hellwege said:

Thank you

 

I am always wondering about ireland...soccer is small in comparison to many countries, but does Gaelic Sport takes too much place?

League in Ireland never got the funding  when it was required  in the 2000s. 

Gaelic Games are more culturally significant in Ireland than Football  is in England.  Cork County has 200 Gaelic  Games clubs for 550,000 people. 

I believed before West  Wales folded that League  in Ireland  had a slim chance. Now I believe  it has none.

[BladeHearts]

3 hours ago, Midlands hobo said:

Aren't nearly all teams in most pro sports just a heart attack away from the same fate?

Only if they are exceptionally poorly run.

Gretna were running a multi-million pound wage bill off crowds that would embarrass a Sunday League team!!

In the case of my club Heart of Midlothian, we are owned by 8000 fans, so thats a lot of cardiac arrests!!!

[BladeHearts]

In terms of radical ideas, given the virtual non-existence of League in Scotland would it be worth ceding control of the game in Scotland to the SRU?

In the same way that they use 7s as a potential future gateway for the senior 15s team, they could have up and coming players made available to play League as a way of developing their skills.

The two professional RU sides in Scotland are both owned by the SRU, so maybe they could run a RL side starting in League One utilising the large squad of players already contractually owned by them?

[Eddie]

8 minutes ago, BladeHearts said:

In terms of radical ideas, given the virtual non-existence of League in Scotland would it be worth ceding control of the game in Scotland to the SRU?

In the same way that they use 7s as a potential future gateway for the senior 15s team, they could have up and coming players made available to play League as a way of developing their skills.

The two professional RU sides in Scotland are both owned by the SRU, so maybe they could run a RL side starting in League One utilising the large squad of players already contractually owned by them?

I doubt they’d do that, why would they want to help a rival code who their sport have been trying to destroy for nearly 128 years? 

[Madrileño]

23 hours ago, EggFace said:

Yeah it's a shame they are not in this years World Cup as I can't see Rugby in Portugal growing.

More of a cross code post that. 

Let's try to keep this to Rugby League please. Spain not being in the union world cup has to be a POSITIVE for League here. Not a "shame" as you put it. 

[Midlands hobo]

2 hours ago, BladeHearts said:

In terms of radical ideas, given the virtual non-existence of League in Scotland would it be worth ceding control of the game in Scotland to the SRU?

In the same way that they use 7s as a potential future gateway for the senior 15s team, they could have up and coming players made available to play League as a way of developing their skills.

The two professional RU sides in Scotland are both owned by the SRU, so maybe they could run a RL side starting in League One utilising the large squad of players already contractually owned by them?

And you think I'm a crackpot

[2blackrooks]

On 05/01/2023 at 14:35, BladeHearts said:

In terms of radical ideas, given the virtual non-existence of League in Scotland would it be worth ceding control of the game in Scotland to the SRU?

In the same way that they use 7s as a potential future gateway for the senior 15s team, they could have up and coming players made available to play League as a way of developing their skills.

The two professional RU sides in Scotland are both owned by the SRU, so maybe they could run a RL side starting in League One utilising the large squad of players already contractually owned by them?

Not a chance the SRU have destroyed club rugby in Scotland even the two pro clubs run at a loss. 
for RL to succeed it needs to stay independent. 
there are new people running the game up here so let’s see what happens. Already we’re seeing more games being organised internationally for the u15/16/18 students than ever before. But we do need to see and yet to see what their doing for the club game. 

[2blackrooks]

Edinburgh’s game against Saddleworth been shown live on BBC sport 1330hrs 11/2/23

[2blackrooks]

SRL 2023 season fixtures now available seeing just 3 teams participating this year with Aberdeen, Forth Valley and Glasgow with Edinburgh concentrating on NERL

27/5/23 Forth Valley v Aberdeen 

10/6/23 Aberdeen v Glasgow

17/6/23 Glasgow v Forth Valley

24/6/23 Aberdeen v Forth Valley

1/7/23 Glasgow v Aberdeen

15/7/23 Forth Valley v Glasgow

Scottish Cup 

8/7/23 Glasgow v Forth Valley

             Edinburgh v Aberdeen 

22/7/23 Final

[Eddie]

7 minutes ago, 2blackrooks said:

SRL 2023 season fixtures now available seeing just 3 teams participating this year with Aberdeen, Forth Valley and Glasgow with Edinburgh concentrating on NERL

27/5/23 Forth Valley v Aberdeen 

10/6/23 Aberdeen v Glasgow

17/6/23 Glasgow v Forth Valley

24/6/23 Aberdeen v Forth Valley

1/7/23 Glasgow v Aberdeen

15/7/23 Forth Valley v Glasgow

Scottish Cup 

8/7/23 Glasgow v Forth Valley

             Edinburgh v Aberdeen 

22/7/23 Final

Thanks. Do you know what happened to the Strathmore Silverbacks?  It’s a shame Edinburgh don’t (or can’t) run a second team in the domestic comp, but fair enough if they haven’t got enough players. 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

And Fife?

[2blackrooks]

Not sure why but I’m sure someone will come along, Strathmore are predominantly a RU team and used RL for conditioning, I believe they cut short there season last time due to the start of the RU training begging etc I would have expected them back though, I know Fife had difficulty in finding/keeping players last year so I expect it’s something along those lines

3 teams ain’t good but at least it’s home and away fixtures, there’s so many dissolutioned RU players out there RL can tap into,

not sure if some kind of nines tournament could be organised in the summer, bring up some Cumbrian North East clubs to play along side our league clubs and maybe ask a few RU clubs if they fancy entering a team, it would generate interest and maybe spark some interest in players coming across, 

[2blackrooks]

New website from a fan blogging about RL in Scotland 

Hopefully it’ll develop into a great resource for promoting the game up here 

https://www.rlinscotland.co.uk/

instagram - rlinscotland

twitter - RLinScotland

[MattSantos]

20 minutes ago, 2blackrooks said:

New website from a fan blogging about RL in Scotland 

Hopefully it’ll develop into a great resource for promoting the game up here 

https://www.rlinscotland.co.uk/

instagram - rlinscotland

twitter - RLinScotland

Promising start to the social media aspect

[2blackrooks]

Glasgow RL have now teamed up with Cumbuslang RU which now offer a regular well maintained pitches plus all weather, club house with bar. Huge step forward for the Glasgow boys 

Also Scotland RL will be launching a wheelchair league this year, 

for once in a long time green shoots of progress up north 

[Sports Prophet]

On 05/01/2023 at 18:43, Midlands hobo said:

Aren't nearly all teams in most pro sports just a heart attack away from the same fate?

Only the ones that are owned by an individual or a syndicate. At which point, are they really a club?

[MattSantos]

3 hours ago, 2blackrooks said:

Glasgow RL have now teamed up with Cumbuslang RU which now offer a regular well maintained pitches plus all weather, club house with bar. Huge step forward for the Glasgow boys 

Also Scotland RL will be launching a wheelchair league this year, 

for once in a long time green shoots of progress up north 

I think this is right...

There was a few Glasgow players who interested a few teams in the Shire (Cas maybe and Hull KR possibly?) and they're playing RU at Cambuslang. 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

Wasn't  SRL planning on entering a club in the Betfred League One?

[Eddie]

21 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

Wasn't  SRL planning on entering a club in the Betfred League One?

When was that? They’d be worse than West Wales at the moment.