How to rebuild Scottish RL?

[welshmagpie]

I’ve turned the game off. It’s nothing more than a training run for Australia and it’s tough to see how far Scotland have fallen since the Brough/McCormack days.

I’d love to see them rebuild and re establish themselves but to do that things have to get better at home for them. What would you do? I appreciate money is a huge obstacle and without it very little can be done.

They failed to field a team in the U19 Euros this year, they only named 15 players for an U16 game against England too.

I don’t believe investment of time and energy into the adults game is all too worthwhile as the chances of it being a viable player pathway to improve the national team and very, very slim.

Taking a leaf out of Wales’ book would be a good starting place. Develop teams at U14 and U16 age groups and get children playing RL regularly either through fixtures or camps and festivals.

I’d establish a west Scotland and east Scotland program one based around Glasgow one based around Edinburgh. Hold regular training sessions to really drill the RL fundamentals into U14-16 year olds. This requires only a few coaches who can be supplemented by quality in the guis Rod guest coaches/Scottish pros like David Scott or Dale Ferguson etc.

These programs instantly give a player pool to select an U16 squad from, complemented further through ‘open trials’ or similar.

The next step is to establish a link to a SL academy or a championship club. A club like Barrow maybe or Newcastle Thunder given their proximity to the border. 

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

Or we could just accept there’s no interest in rugby league in Scotland and leave it at that instead of ‘creating’ a false Scottish team full of English and Aussie players !

….and I would say the same about the Irish team. Makes a mockery of the competition

[JohnM]

Rebuild?

[moorside roughyed]

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

Or we could just accept there’s no interest in rugby league in Scotland and leave it at that instead of ‘creating’ a false Scottish team full of English and Aussie players !

….and I would say the same about the Irish team. Makes a mockery of the competition

You could have a point there. Union is king in Scotland whether we like it or not. They always manage to fill Murrayfield. 

[MattSantos]

6 minutes ago, moorside roughyed said:

You could have a point there. Union is king in Scotland whether we like it or not. They always manage to fill Murrayfield. 

Football is King. Obviously.

There are a lot of people who don't like Union up here. A lot. There are also a lot of fair Union folk who enjoy league. 

[JohnM]

It's easy to build rugby league in Scotland. All it takes is the combined expertise of the professional and successful graphic designers on the now-closed Leigh Leopards topic...oh  So no chance then....

[SydneyRoosters]

Completely Obolish heritage players, Start all over from the again. Build the National side on the domestic game and work your way up from Euro 3 to 2 to 1 and then look to qualify for 2033 World Cup.

[welshmagpie]

1 minute ago, SydneyRoosters said:

Completely Obolish heritage players, Start all over from the again. Build the National side on the domestic game and work your way up from Euro 3 to 2 to 1 and then look to qualify for 2033 World Cup.

Our of curiosity, would you suggest the same for Italy, Lebanon and Greece?

[GeordieSaint]

13 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Rebuild?

Agreed.

[SydneyRoosters]

Just now, welshmagpie said:

Our of curiosity, would you suggest the same for Italy, Lebanon and Greece?

Yes. Maybe not Greece as they are already very Domestic and should be rewarded with a few heritage NRL players.

[Jughead]

Rebuild would require there to be something to be renovated in the first place. A handful of amateur clubs is not really the foundation to build upon. 

Edited October 21, 2022 by Jughead

[Jughead]

6 minutes ago, SydneyRoosters said:

Completely Obolish heritage players, Start all over from the again. Build the National side on the domestic game and work your way up from Euro 3 to 2 to 1 and then look to qualify for 2033 World Cup.

After everything I’ve seen so far this tournament, this has to be the worst idea I’ve read. 

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

1 minute ago, welshmagpie said:

Our of curiosity, would you suggest the same for Italy, Lebanon and Greece?

If they don’t have a genuine domestic competition, then yes I would.

 

 

[SydneyRoosters]

4 minutes ago, Jughead said:

After everything I’ve seen so far this tournament, this has to be the worst idea I’ve read. 

So do you think these teams offer something to the tournament. Why should Scotland be in the World Cup in place of Serbia or The Netherlands, and by the way I don’t think any of the teams should be in the World Cup, it should be 10-12 Teams Maximum.

[Hello]

11 minutes ago, MattSantos said:

Football is King. Obviously.

There are a lot of people who don't like Union up here. A lot. There are also a lot of fair Union folk who enjoy league. 

Hey, I can understand that you might be upset with the way the game is going tonight, but you can't be serious surely?  As was said, the Union side nearly always sell out a passionate Murrayfield, but surely hardly anyone up there enjoys league or there would be more than 2 or was it 3 teams left at the end of the amateur domestic season earlier this year, played in front of virtually zero fans.  Don't get me wrong, I wish it wasn't this way, but as a supporter of expansion I have to say that Scotland is not an area that shows any promise at all and I am more hopeful of other areas e.g. further strengthening of France, PNG, maybe even the likes of Greece who are new to the game and not set in their ways the way that the British Isles are in their familiarity with football, union, league and cricket.  Anyway, I would love to be proven wrong and see domestic growth in league in Scotland in future but I find it extremely unlikely if I'm honest.

[JohnM]

What's happened to the whole forum?  It's as if it's entered into some sort of parallel universe, one that has lost all connection with reality.   

[JohnM]

1 minute ago, Hello said:

Hey, I can understand that you might be upset with the way the game is going tonight, but you can't be serious surely?  As was said, the Union side nearly always sell out a passionate Murrayfield, but surely hardly anyone up there enjoys league or there would be more than 2 or was it 3 teams left at the end of the amateur domestic season earlier this year, played in front of virtually zero fans.  Don't get me wrong, I wish it wasn't this way, but as a supporter of expansion I have to say that Scotland is not an area that shows any promise at all and I am more hopeful of other areas e.g. further strengthening of France, PNG, maybe even the likes of Greece who are new to the game and not set in their ways the way that the British Isles are in their familiarity with football, union, league and cricket.  Anyway, I would love to be proven wrong and see domestic growth in league in Scotland in future but I find it extremely unlikely if I'm honest.

Extremely unlikely. Totally impossible more like it. 

[MattSantos]

3 minutes ago, Hello said:

Hey, I can understand that you might be upset with the way the game is going tonight, but you can't be serious surely?  As was said, the Union side nearly always sell out a passionate Murrayfield, but surely hardly anyone up there enjoys league or there would be more than 2 or was it 3 teams left at the end of the amateur domestic season earlier this year, played in front of virtually zero fans.  Don't get me wrong, I wish it wasn't this way, but as a supporter of expansion I have to say that Scotland is not an area that shows any promise at all and I am more hopeful of other areas e.g. further strengthening of France, PNG, maybe even the likes of Greece who are new to the game and not set in their ways the way that the British Isles are in their familiarity with football, union, league and cricket.  Anyway, I would love to be proven wrong and see domestic growth in league in Scotland in future but I find it extremely unlikely if I'm honest.

I'm from Yorkshire. 

People like League up here. There once was a development officer or two and they were some very decent prospects kicking about. 

It doesn't show any promise because there is zero leadership and zero support as far as I can tell. 

Still, it would be a hell of a slog. 

[gingerjon]

A grant for two development officers - one based around Glasgow, the other covering Edinburgh and the Borders - and support for kit and equipment, for a period of five years.

That would be where I'd start.

See how that goes and then see what the real foundations are.

[moorside roughyed]

25 minutes ago, MattSantos said:

Football is King. Obviously.

There are a lot of people who don't like Union up here. A lot. There are also a lot of fair Union folk who enjoy league. 

I was comparing league with union. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Don’t book any matches with Australia for a bit!

[JefferyLFC]

No interest in the game in Scotland full stop. Just leave em to their Curling and Haggis Throwing.

[GeordieSaint]

6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

A grant for two development officers - one based around Glasgow, the other covering Edinburgh and the Borders - and support for kit and equipment, for a period of five years.

That would be where I'd start.

See how that goes and then see what the real foundations are.

Didn’t they use to have that? 

[MattSantos]

Just now, GeordieSaint said:

Didn’t they use to have that? 

Yes. See above. They did some great work in a rough part of East Glasgow. 

[londonrlfan]

There were never any foundations to begin with, it was all built on sand! That's why I've always been critical of heritage teams and got shot down on here for it. 

Start from the beginning, find people who are interested and get exhibition matches going, focus on young players. Then look into schools, colleges, uni etc. Then build a competition. Play internationals against the likes of Germany, CZ, Malta etc using Scottish talent. If they're only a small level and not good enough for WCs, then so be it. Having fully heritage teams does no favours for anyone.