Scotland RL

[dealwithit]

The council area has a population of 20,000 so they should be fine!

[Eddie]

15 hours ago, MZH said:

Well I'm now in the players WhatsApp group. So I guess I'm involved now 

Have they got many people in the group?

[2blackrooks]

2 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

How many development officers are there up in Scotland? I read they appointed one in 2019, is he the only one or was he added to a team.

If the World Cup makes a significant profit hopefully some of the money goes towards aiding their development.

(I believe) Up to a point the English RFL invested in Scotland RL but pulled funding a while ago which led to a decline in RL up here.

It's all done on good will now, not sure if sport Scotland invest or the Government. McEwans help sponsor the league and nation team but I don't think it involves money either. So I think we still only have 1 development officer and a few volunteers.

I just hope we have a good world cup, Scotland RL push the local media etc to build interest, try and get a mention on TV etc and the people of Newcastle come out to support us. It would make a massive difference to the sport up here. RU is getting a bit of a bashing up here due to mis management of funds etc so if we can get just a small slice of business it would make massive differences. I know RU players do like a bit of RL, and amateur level clubs are really struggling with disproportionate funding, most of it going to Glasgow, Edinburgh and the super 6, we don't need many players to take up RL or even persuade a couple of clubs to start up a team. 

But a positive world cup would hopefully make things easier

[MZH]

47 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Have they got many people in the group?

Exactly 17 funnily enough! Apparently there have been about 20 people expressed an interest so far and hoping to start training together in March. Covid permitting of course. 

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, 2blackrooks said:

(I believe) Up to a point the English RFL invested in Scotland RL but pulled funding a while ago which led to a decline in RL up here.

It's all done on good will now, not sure if sport Scotland invest or the Government. McEwans help sponsor the league and nation team but I don't think it involves money either. So I think we still only have 1 development officer and a few volunteers.

I just hope we have a good world cup, Scotland RL push the local media etc to build interest, try and get a mention on TV etc and the people of Newcastle come out to support us. It would make a massive difference to the sport up here. RU is getting a bit of a bashing up here due to mis management of funds etc so if we can get just a small slice of business it would make massive differences. I know RU players do like a bit of RL, and amateur level clubs are really struggling with disproportionate funding, most of it going to Glasgow, Edinburgh and the super 6, we don't need many players to take up RL or even persuade a couple of clubs to start up a team. 

But a positive world cup would hopefully make things easier

I’ve often thought that the majority of Scotland is more culturally suited to RL than it is Union, I’d love to see the game grow there. 

[Quinskolar]

A Forth  team or is it a fifth?

[Niels]

On 31/12/2020 at 11:50, Hopping Mad said:

The larger population centres of Stirling, Alloa and Dunfermline (all of which have RU clubs) aren't far from 'Tilly'.

Fife lions play in Dunfermline, I think. 

[yipyee]

On 31/12/2020 at 10:34, 2blackrooks said:

New team announced by Scotland RL

Forth Valley Vikings based in Tillicoultry 

Will join Edinburgh Eagles, Strathmore Silverbacks, Glasgow, Fife Lions.

Small but positive steps

 

 

 

So they will have 5 teams.

Is this still the criteria for full IRLF membership and permittance to play in a world cup

[Cumbrian Mackem]

It’s a shame that there’s no RL presence in the Carlisle area and north Cumbria anymore as a team from Dumfries could compete against them.

[langpark]

6 hours ago, yipyee said:

So they will have 5 teams.

Is this still the criteria for full IRLF membership and permittance to play in a world cup

No, to enter the qualifiers (and therefore be eligible to play in a WC) you need to be an affiliate member, which requires 4 teams. But it seems to be very loosely enforced. Scotland only just dropped down from full membership recently too, so they are completely safe and no chance if ever being dropped down another level, to observers.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

7 hours ago, yipyee said:

So they will have 5 teams.

Is this still the criteria for full IRLF membership and permittance to play in a world cup

Do University sides count to meet this criteria. I don’t know if Edinburgh or Glasgow University have teams? 

[Eddie]

22 minutes ago, langpark said:

No, to enter the qualifiers (and therefore be eligible to play in a WC) you need to be an affiliate member, which requires 4 teams. But it seems to be very loosely enforced. Scotland only just dropped down from full membership recently too, so they are completely safe and no chance if ever being dropped down another level, to observers.

It puzzles me how Italy remain eligible. 

[langpark]

20 minutes ago, Eddie said:

It puzzles me how Italy remain eligible. 

Not just eligible (affiliate) but they are still full members, which supposedly requires minimum 8 open age and minimum 4 youth teams. Don't get me started! 

[2blackrooks]

On 02/01/2021 at 02:47, Cumbrian Mackem said:

It’s a shame that there’s no RL presence in the Carlisle area and north Cumbria anymore as a team from Dumfries could compete against them.

What would be interesting, if Scottish clubs could affiliate with the likes of Newcastle, Workington, Whitehaven, Barrow creating a pathway for players. Plus representative games against, Scotland (league players) Vs Cumbria and North East/Durham Tyne n Wear. Scotland RU I believe have close links with Newcastle Falcons so why not RL.

I guess time will tell, but it all needs funding, put in the right place.

Again I think Scotland need a good WC, well advertised up here, pushed with the Scottish Government, if the NationalFootball team or RU team make a major tournament it's plastered everywhere, but as far I can see Scotland making the RL WC has had little coverage. But fingers crossed this will change over the coming months.

Behind the scenes I'm sure Scotland RL are working hard with what they have available to them since funding from England RL was pulled.

Edited January 3, 2021 by 2blackrooks

[MZH]

7 hours ago, City RL said:

I know Tillicoultry fairly well, assume the RL club will be based at the RU club on the Alva Road for Summer Rugby, surprised they're not called  'Clackmannanshire RL as there is quiet some local pride in the County name. The area reminds me of Cleator Moor etc in West Cumbria. Hopefully they will be around for the long term and not disappear after a year or two as is the case with most RL start ups (such a waste of time and effort), very hard to develop RL with no money or meaningful support from the Governing body. 

Hillfoots RFC, I assume that's the same club you mean? That could potentially change though, but that's the provisional home venue. 

[Newcastle Thunder]

6 hours ago, 2blackrooks said:

What would be interesting, if Scottish clubs could affiliate with the likes of Newcastle, Workington, Whitehaven, Barrow creating a pathway for players. Plus representative games against, Scotland (league players) Vs Cumbria and North East/Durham Tyne n Wear. Scotland RU I believe have close links with Newcastle Falcons so why not RL.

I guess time will tell, but it all needs funding, put in the right place.

Again I think Scotland need a good WC, well advertised up here, pushed with the Scottish Government, if the NationalFootball team or RU team make a major tournament it's plastered everywhere, but as far I can see Scotland making the RL WC has had little coverage. But fingers crossed this will change over the coming months.

Behind the scenes I'm sure Scotland RL are working hard with what they have available to them since funding from England RL was pulled.

Yeah we have a very close relationship with Scotland RL, we have hosted U16 development days for the scotland academy side in the past and will continue to work closely with Scotland RL 

 

We can’t wait to host them this year 

[MattSantos]

On 01/01/2021 at 21:02, Eddie said:

I’ve often thought that the majority of Scotland is more culturally suited to RL than it is Union, I’d love to see the game grow there. 

A team in the third tier would do well in Glasgow - if they could get the players etc.

Share a ground wi Glasgow Union team and they'd be away

[Eddie]

8 minutes ago, MattSantos said:

A team in the third tier would do well in Glasgow - if they could get the players etc.

Share a ground wi Glasgow Union team and they'd be away

Do you think enough people in Glasgow would be interested? It’s not like the Union team get big crowds? 

[MattSantos]

38 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Do you think enough people in Glasgow would be interested? It’s not like the Union team get big crowds? 

The Union mob get around 7k and extend to 10k if needed i think.. not too shabby.

I really do think that League would do well. A lot of the football crowd are not really Union fans, but pitched well, League could grab a lot of them in the summer months. There's not too much to do in Glasgow on a Friday night in summer other than booze; it'd be a great alternative.

[Yakstorm]

If you include Wheelchair & Disability Scotland now has more than 5 clubs.

The others are Borders Clan (Disability), Grampian Clan (Disability), Dundee Dragons (Wheelchair) and Glasgow Panthers (Wheelchair).

You then have the likes of Strathmore who run an Under 16s, Open Age & Disability.

[Leyther_Matt]

3 hours ago, MattSantos said:

The Union mob get around 7k and extend to 10k if needed i think.. not too shabby.

I really do think that League would do well. A lot of the football crowd are not really Union fans, but pitched well, League could grab a lot of them in the summer months. There's not too much to do in Glasgow on a Friday night in summer other than booze; it'd be a great alternative.

Combine the two and you're on to a winner. That said, Scotstoun where the RU side play (and I'm fairly sure the RL national side have played previously?) is 4 miles from the city centre, albeit with a 20-odd minute journey from Glasgow Central, and is in quite a well to do area that probably suits the RU crowd down to the ground, but might not be the best spot for targeting the 'football crowd'*.

Of course, any sort of targeting of football fans in Glasgow comes with its own challenges, to put it lightly. If memory serves me right, Glasgow Clan ice hockey side - and, just as relevant, Belfast ice hockey side - have had some relative success in attracting fans from a wide variation of backgrounds rather than trying to go after one or the other.

*In my experience, football fans in Scotland have an even more dim view of RU fans and the middle class perceptions than even your average RL fans

[CmonTheBorough]

I think any prospect of the game being established up here disappeared when the RFL dispensed with the services of Development Officers so as to secure Sport England funding.

For me, the place to spark interest is in schools, combined with access to watch the game live at professional level and follow it on TV.  When I was at secondary school, an Englishman living in the area set up Hamilton Lions boys’ team. They had links to Cumbria and regularly played teams from there. Unfortunately, my mate and I had just turned 16 which meant we could train with them but weren’t allowed to play in matches.

I’ve been into Rugby League for 45 years now and would absolutely love to watch Motherwell Steelmen v Wigan in Super League at my native Fir Park. It will never happen though.

[Niels]

8 hours ago, CmonTheBorough said:

I think any prospect of the game being established up here disappeared when the RFL dispensed with the services of Development Officers so as to secure Sport England funding.

For me, the place to spark interest is in schools, combined with access to watch the game live at professional level and follow it on TV.  When I was at secondary school, an Englishman living in the area set up Hamilton Lions boys’ team. They had links to Cumbria and regularly played teams from there. Unfortunately, my mate and I had just turned 16 which meant we could train with them but weren’t allowed to play in matches.

I’ve been into Rugby League for 45 years now and would absolutely love to watch Motherwell Steelmen v Wigan in Super League at my native Fir Park. It will never happen though.

Motherwell would be good location as the train stops there from the North East of England. 

Dunfermline there is a direct train from Edinburgh, the Kirkaldy train I think, so it would be possible to see the new team.

Of course with Covid any travel is extremely uncertain. 

[Harry Stottle]

On 31/12/2020 at 10:51, langpark said:

Brilliant news, but seems an odd place to start a team.  As someone who knows very little about Scotland, it just seems a town with just 5,900 residents will be a pretty tough sell. 

Nearly half of Featherstone population, if they do nearly half as well as Featherstone RLFC they will have done very well.

[langpark]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

Nearly half of Featherstone population, if they do nearly half as well as Featherstone RLFC they will have done very well.

Seems strange to compare a place with 120 years of RL history, with one just starting out. Would be better to find an example from outside the heartlands.