Help secure the future of our club.

[Alineden]

If we had lost that play off game last season and had stayed in League 1, would the club have been in a better position now, a worse position or the same position? Also if we win this apparent fight for survival, will we be having another one next season? Is the plan to even compete next season or are we raising money simply to complete this season? Will it be an annual thing having to fight for survival? If not, then how? What will change? What will the club do differently?  Does the club have a future? Do the fans have anything to look forward to? How can I have so many questions? How can I know so little about the club I've supported for over 30 years. 

Don't worry. I'll keep putting my hand in my pocket and turning up on match days. But surely my questions are reasonable.

 

[JMB]

1 hour ago, Alineden said:

If we had lost that play off game last season and had stayed in League 1, would the club have been in a better position now, a worse position or the same position? Also if we win this apparent fight for survival, will we be having another one next season? Is the plan to even compete next season or are we raising money simply to complete this season? Will it be an annual thing having to fight for survival? If not, then how? What will change? What will the club do differently?  Does the club have a future? Do the fans have anything to look forward to? How can I have so many questions? How can I know so little about the club I've supported for over 30 years. 

Don't worry. I'll keep putting my hand in my pocket and turning up on match days. But surely my questions are reasonable.

 

With relegation the club will have to regroup and put a new plan in place for the future, both on and off the field.

[Onreport]

12 hours ago, Alineden said:

If we had lost that play off game last season and had stayed in League 1, would the club have been in a better position now, a worse position or the same position? Also if we win this apparent fight for survival, will we be having another one next season? Is the plan to even compete next season or are we raising money simply to complete this season? Will it be an annual thing having to fight for survival? If not, then how? What will change? What will the club do differently?  Does the club have a future? Do the fans have anything to look forward to? How can I have so many questions? How can I know so little about the club I've supported for over 30 years. 

Don't worry. I'll keep putting my hand in my pocket and turning up on match days. But surely my questions are reasonable.

 

Think you speak for a lot of us, 30 yr plus supporters

[bobg]

11 hours ago, JMB said:

With relegation the club will have to regroup and put a new plan in place for the future, both on and off the field.

Let’s hope it is a better plan than the one for this year.

️ UTT

[bobg]

12 hours ago, Alineden said:

If we had lost that play off game last season and had stayed in League 1, would the club have been in a better position now, a worse position or the same position? Also if we win this apparent fight for survival, will we be having another one next season? Is the plan to even compete next season or are we raising money simply to complete this season? Will it be an annual thing having to fight for survival? If not, then how? What will change? What will the club do differently?  Does the club have a future? Do the fans have anything to look forward to? How can I have so many questions? How can I know so little about the club I've supported for over 30 years. 

Don't worry. I'll keep putting my hand in my pocket and turning up on match days. But surely my questions are reasonable.

 

You echo the thoughts of all us 30+ years supporters.

️ UTT

[Derwent]

.

[Derwent]

12 minutes ago, Onreport said:

Think you speak for a lot of us, 30 yr plus supporters

 

9 minutes ago, bobg said:

You echo the thoughts of all us 30+ years supporters.

️ UTT

Careful now, you'll be getting branded as "keyboard warriors" and not "true fans" for your failure to have blind faith.....

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

I hope there are some serious conversations going on in the background regarding the future of the club moving forward, as this bouncing from one crisis to another year after year isn't sustainable.

I'm struggling to see how anyone can formulate a '5 year plan' without engaging into meaningful conversations with other partners - ie: the amateur game for a start

the strength of the local league is pivotal to the success of Town, but unless Town start to work alongside the amateur management and clubs, I just can't see how the game is going to remove itself from the current rut it finds itself in, which will make attracting local players to Town (and Haven) even harder in an ever diminishing player pool 

In the last week, Glasson, Aspatria and Cockermouth all pulled out of the league for this season - things are not good at all !!!  

[Route66]

2 hours ago, Death to the Rah Rah's said:

I hope there are some serious conversations going on in the background regarding the future of the club moving forward, as this bouncing from one crisis to another year after year isn't sustainable.

I'm struggling to see how anyone can formulate a '5 year plan' without engaging into meaningful conversations with other partners - ie: the amateur game for a start

the strength of the local league is pivotal to the success of Town, but unless Town start to work alongside the amateur management and clubs, I just can't see how the game is going to remove itself from the current rut it finds itself in, which will make attracting local players to Town (and Haven) even harder in an ever diminishing player pool 

In the last week, Glasson, Aspatria and Cockermouth all pulled out of the league for this season - things are not good at all !!!  

Hadn't realised cockermouth had pulled out as well especially with their set up at highfield, shame their is no teams either for broughton red rose or great Clifton, to be honest for too long the professional clubs have received central funding and wasted it on players instead of youth development and we are now hitting crisis point due to the cutbacks from rfl 

 

[Onreport]

3 hours ago, Derwent said:

 

Careful now, you'll be getting branded as "keyboard warriors" and not "true fans" for your failure to have blind faith.....

Absolutely, have only supported them for best bit of 60 years, home and away, will have contributed more into dp than most of those levying this criticisism but hey ho, they know best.

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

29 minutes ago, Route66 said:

Hadn't realised cockermouth had pulled out as well especially with their set up at highfield, shame their is no teams either for broughton red rose or great Clifton, to be honest for too long the professional clubs have received central funding and wasted it on players instead of youth development and we are now hitting crisis point due to the cutbacks from rfl 

 

It isn't just the local pro clubs who have been the problem. the RFL are only interested in youth development as by the time lads reach open age, if they haven't been picked up by a Super League club then they aren't bothered what happens to them or where they play, or the state of the regional leagues.

You could argue they have a bit more interest in the NCL, but not much more as they have gradually reduced all their travelling expenses and other support. 

Our clubs have to look after their own destiny as they cannot reply on any handouts or help from the RFL and that means working with the Cumberland League management and clubs to start to try and rebuild the local leagues.

A start would be to get someone to be Town's representative on the local league management and possibly look to organising midweek floodlight 9's comp or something different to try and get some interest going - or organise fitness and skills camps over the winter months where lads from all clubs can undertake fitness/weights training under supervision to improve their own core skills and fitness levels 

[Route66]

46 minutes ago, Death to the Rah Rah's said:

It isn't just the local pro clubs who have been the problem. the RFL are only interested in youth development as by the time lads reach open age, if they haven't been picked up by a Super League club then they aren't bothered what happens to them or where they play, or the state of the regional leagues.

You could argue they have a bit more interest in the NCL, but not much more as they have gradually reduced all their travelling expenses and other support. 

Our clubs have to look after their own destiny as they cannot reply on any handouts or help from the RFL and that means working with the Cumberland League management and clubs to start to try and rebuild the local leagues.

A start would be to get someone to be Town's representative on the local league management and possibly look to organising midweek floodlight 9's comp or something different to try and get some interest going - or organise fitness and skills camps over the winter months where lads from all clubs can undertake fitness/weights training under supervision to improve their own core skills and fitness levels 

Some good ideas there ,what was the last year of the old floodlit norweb 9's at borough park

[Derwent Parker]

1 hour ago, Death to the Rah Rah's said:

It isn't just the local pro clubs who have been the problem. the RFL are only interested in youth development as by the time lads reach open age, if they haven't been picked up by a Super League club then they aren't bothered what happens to them or where they play, or the state of the regional leagues.

You could argue they have a bit more interest in the NCL, but not much more as they have gradually reduced all their travelling expenses and other support. 

Our clubs have to look after their own destiny as they cannot reply on any handouts or help from the RFL and that means working with the Cumberland League management and clubs to start to try and rebuild the local leagues.

A start would be to get someone to be Town's representative on the local league management and possibly look to organising midweek floodlight 9's comp or something different to try and get some interest going - or organise fitness and skills camps over the winter months where lads from all clubs can undertake fitness/weights training under supervision to improve their own core skills and fitness levels 

RFL are not bothered about any teams outside of Super Greed.

£24m per year and £20M goes to 12 teams

and £4M to be shared out by everyone else - That's all the championship the international set up , league one and grassroots and all running costs?

Disgraceful

[bobg]

3 hours ago, Onreport said:

Absolutely, have only supported them for best bit of 60 years, home and away, will have contributed more into dp than most of those levying this criticisism but hey ho, they know best.

Well said mate, looking forward to a craic on Sunday, it seems like ages.

[JMB]

4 hours ago, Derwent Parker said:

RFL are not bothered about any teams outside of Super Greed.

£24m per year and £20M goes to 12 teams

and £4M to be shared out by everyone else - That's all the championship the international set up , league one and grassroots and all running costs?

Disgraceful

The Rfl promised everything when they wanted to take control of the amateurs game, gave it everything at the start, then fazed it out, no Reginal development officers now, no replacement for Marnie after all the great work she done in the community, but back to Town, has anyone actually seen the 5 year plan that the club were working on, it would be good to see what the club has been working on, also will it be feasible to carry on after been relegated, or will it have to be changed, one thing I would be doing to help the club go forward, would be to speak to  Barrow  and try to copy some of the  stuff they have done,  they have financial stability and a good working relationship with the amateur clubs in the south of the county.

[Townie987]

10 minutes ago, JMB said:

The Rfl promised everything when they wanted to take control of the amateurs game, gave it everything at the start, then fazed it out, no Reginal development officers now, no replacement for Marnie after all the great work she done in the community, but back to Town, has anyone actually seen the 5 year plan that the club were working on, it would be good to see what the club has been working on, also will it be feasible to carry on after been relegated, or will it have to be changed, one thing I would be doing to help the club go forward, would be to speak to  Barrow  and try to copy some of the  stuff they have done,  they have financial stability and a good working relationship with the amateur clubs in the south of the county.

Broughy you know who’s who down at the club. Why don’t you go and offer some assistance?

[Hate the rec]

Just a question is Davidson still the local  area development officer for the RFL ???

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

9 hours ago, Hate the rec said:

Just a question is Davidson still the local  area development officer for the RFL ???

Cumbria Manager for the RFL - not sure who or what he actually manages or what his role entails 

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

On 17/08/2022 at 12:15, Route66 said:

Hadn't realised cockermouth had pulled out as well especially with their set up at highfield, shame their is no teams either for broughton red rose or great Clifton, to be honest for too long the professional clubs have received central funding and wasted it on players instead of youth development and we are now hitting crisis point due to the cutbacks from rfl 

 

You know it isn't as simple as that.

Youth rugby league; locally at least, is fairly strong with the major towns in west cumbria all having representation in West Cumbria Youth League, the issues seem to start when lads leave school.

There's always been a drift away from the game at that age, combination of new groups of friends when they start work or college. Lots more younger uns go into higher education than 20-25 years ago. There's also pressure from employers as this area of Cumbria especially has very few companies that employ over 50 people, most companies are small with less than 20 employees, so if a builder with 4 employees loses one of his lads through an RL injury, then his workforce is 25% down for the foreseeable future.

And another thing which most people don't take into consideration is burnout, most local clubs start minis from the ages of 5+, so by the time they get to 16 they have been playing the sport for 11 years !!

The RFL don't appear to have any answers to the problems faced by the open age sides, nor do they seem interested in trying to address the issues, and I'm not sure a move back to winter as some suggest would see these problems disappear, as one of the reasons the game shifted to summer in the first place was due to declining numbers at open age level.

From a local league perspective, a move back to winter may strengthen the league as the NCL sides would be able to field stronger A teams in winter, but that would be to the detriment of other clubs who reply on their RU contingent joining them for the summer, eitherway it would mean some players taking the field for 12 months without a break.

the RFL should be taking the lead on this, the local clubs have paid £000's to the RFL this year in the form of 'membership' fees and are getting nothing back in return - they are like a rudderless ship with a clueless captain at the helm !!

 

[Hate the rec]

5 hours ago, Death to the Rah Rah's said:

Cumbria Manager for the RFL - not sure who or what he actually manages or what his role entails 

Considering the game is on its knees I would say it's nothing.

[Neutralfan7]

1 hour ago, Hate the rec said:

Considering the game is on its knees I would say it's nothing.

Agreed!  I don't know the answer but are meetings held with the local clubs to discuss which way to go forward? If not, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have a couple meetings a year. As said previously, at youth level the county is fine, but it's bridging that gap from u16s to open age so players don't drift away, I've noticed a few teams are trying to create u18 teams which is great but there's only so many players going around, in my opinion the teams would of been better just playing under one team example west Cumbria u18s 

[pgilmour]

4 hours ago, Neutralfan7 said:

Agreed!  I don't know the answer but are meetings held with the local clubs to discuss which way to go forward? If not, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have a couple meetings a year. As said previously, at youth level the county is fine, but it's bridging that gap from u16s to open age so players don't drift away, I've noticed a few teams are trying to create u18 teams which is great but there's only so many players going around, in my opinion the teams would of been better just playing under one team example west Cumbria u18s 

The only way forward for the amateur clubs in West cumbria is to go back to playing the game in the winter months. 

Simple as 

 

[Neutralfan7]

52 minutes ago, pgilmour said:

The only way forward for the amateur clubs in West cumbria is to go back to playing the game in the winter months. 

Simple as 

 

Maybe so mate but a lot of the teams now rely on lads from Union playing and vice versa which could mean numbers not improving but getting worse.

[Derwent]

Finally the board have broken their silence and given a full update…

http://www.townrlfc.com/article/717/q&a-workington-town-rlfc-update

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

2 hours ago, pgilmour said:

The only way forward for the amateur clubs in West cumbria is to go back to playing the game in the winter months. 

Simple as 

 

Including conference??

a return to winter would almost certainly see the end of Cockermouth, aspatria and Glasson who have all had an influx of RU players during the summer