Schoey: Is the risk worth it outside Super League?

[Cardypaul]

53 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Even through the boredom of lockdown and no League to watch, I simply can't stomach watching a full 90mins of a football match, Match of the Day being recorded so a game is condensed into under 10mins, then fast forwarding leaving out the "expert analysis" to the next game, is just about palatable, only just, but each to their own.

Seriously Paul, you could forsake Rugby League for Football?

I would walk away from Rugby League no problem because I feel there is a massive injustice in the game between the clubs at the top and their supporters and the lower leagues.

 I have been involved with sport and Rugby League in particular for 40 plus years as a spectator, amateur player, club secretary and even as a development officer and right now I have never felt more disconnected from the game as I do now. Quite sad really.

[Robthegasman]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

Totally agree Rob, but more than the pro game it is the amatuer side of our sport that worries me the most, one aborted season is bad enough, a second could cause untold problems, and if this pandemic is not brought under control this year and it extends into a 3rd year that could be catastrophic especially in the 11 to 16 age brackets.

Yes I agree with you on the effects this has on the amateur side of this sport.I read an article about this and they are very worried to say the least. And as you rightly say the effects for them could be catastrophic.

 

[Tommygilf]

If we can be in a situation like some places were in September/October with limited crowds in some areas, most Championship and League 1 clubs could potentially have games with their average crowds. Only a handful regularly get over the 2k and with no away fans that is likely to drop more.

Obviously the question around that is when!

[Harry Stottle]

14 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

If we can be in a situation like some places were in September/October with limited crowds in some areas, most Championship and League 1 clubs could potentially have games with their average crowds. Only a handful regularly get over the 2k and with no away fans that is likely to drop more.

Obviously the question around that is when!

And the question I posed about the amatuer game Tommy?

Will a contact sport with heads in close proximity as our sport is be allowed to continue without the testing procedures that the paid ranks will have to undergo, not only RL but I consider a lot of games requiring physical exertion will lose a good number of participants, and the most vunerable will be the junior age brackets who without good numbers taking part leaves the sport in a very precarious position.

[Hela Wigmen]

3 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

And the question I posed about the amatuer game Tommy?

Will a contact sport with heads in close proximity as our sport is be allowed to continue without the testing procedures that the paid ranks will have to undergo, not only RL but I consider a lot of games requiring physical exertion will lose a good number of participants, and the most vunerable will be the junior age brackets who without good numbers taking part leaves the sport in a very precarious position.

The amateur game would, likely, be under different criteria to the “elite” level of Rugby League. What that would look like is anyone’s guess, however, there was no mandatory testing for “non-elite” sport in 2020, so Rugby League could fall under that, though I do appreciate it’s a different animal to football or cricket in terms of contact. 

[Blind side johnny]

3 hours ago, Cardypaul said:

If we don’t see a resumption of the game below SL level I think it will have serious consequences players have contracts which will have to honoured and I don’t think we can rely on the furlough scheme forever because the country simply can’t afford it.

Secondly there will be the knock on interest in the game, I support a championship club and if the season is cancelled I will put Rugby on the back burner until 2022 and watch other sports with the danger that I will get invested in those sports rather than Rugby and may not bother anymore. I stopped watching Rugby last season when championship clubs were effectively excluded from the Challenge Cup and watched football instead and if I’m honest I watch more football now than I ever used to and that will probably accelerate if Championship does not resume this season. Question is how many more will be like that?

Surely you would only be able to watch these sports on TV, or do they have a magic formula that isn't available to RL?

[Harry Stottle]

24 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

The amateur game would, likely, be under different criteria to the “elite” level of Rugby League. What that would look like is anyone’s guess, however, there was no mandatory testing for “non-elite” sport in 2020, so Rugby League could fall under that, though I do appreciate it’s a different animal to football or cricket in terms of contact. 

I don't think that we can use anything from 2020 as a yardstick, mistakes will be learned e.g. I wouldn't expect another 'relaxation' as we had at Xmas be considered again, allowing "non-elite" sports to congregate could be judged the same.

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

And the question I posed about the amatuer game Tommy?

Will a contact sport with heads in close proximity as our sport is be allowed to continue without the testing procedures that the paid ranks will have to undergo, not only RL but I consider a lot of games requiring physical exertion will lose a good number of participants, and the most vunerable will be the junior age brackets who without good numbers taking part leaves the sport in a very precarious position.

Almost certainly will depend on the prevalence of Covid in the community. 

[Hela Wigmen]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

I don't think that we can use anything from 2020 as a yardstick, mistakes will be learned e.g. I wouldn't expect another 'relaxation' as we had at Xmas be considered again, allowing "non-elite" sports to congregate could be judged the same.

It’s not a yard stick at all. Non-elite sport will be treated very differently from elite sport, so amateur Rugby League will be treated in its own way.