Edinburgh?

[fighting irish]

These discussions tend to depress me.

The whole paradigm they are based on, is fundamentally flawed but it tends to steer the conversation down a very narrow track excluding what (really) needs to be done to grow the game here (or anywhere).

The basic paradigm is, 1. set up shiny new club somewhere. 2. Buy in a lot of players from somewhere else. 3. Sign a short term agreement with the owner of some stadium. 4. Put up a poster to tell people the club exists. 5. Wait for the money to pour in.

Whereas what really needs to be done, is to contact Bob Brown, of Hemel Hempstead and ask him how he built the club, from nothing, in a place completely devoid of any exposure to RL in the past and replicate his model far and wide. Then crucial to the whole plan - find more Bob Browns, loads of them. 

As supporters we need to treasure the likes of Bob Brown, who has proved that with the right approach it is possible to develop sustainable (participation) clubs anywhere. What these forums tend to do, instead, is treat them with contempt.

As a young lad, I became school swimming champion, then I won the town championship, then imagine this, West Wales Champion and height of heights competed in the Welsh Championships. The pride I felt at achieving those titles and being ''all i could be'' was immense. My family were ''over the moon'' as i hope you can imagine.  Never once, was my achievement diminished by the very real fact, that i couldn't compete with Mark Spitz.

As a group, we've got the cart before the horse.

What makes Australian Rugby League so successful is not the professional coaching, conditioning etc. at the top end, but the never-ending freight train of young talent arriving at NRL central, every season. The clubs that produce that talent are a big deal. They don't spit the dummy out just because they can't get into the NRL, they are motivated by the love of the game, the joy of competing ''at their level'' for the local trophy (like me as a swimmer).

We tend to think, that all that, is just amateur sh.....te, which no-one is interested in and no-one cares about.

That is the root, of all our problems.

A hundred (more) Hemel Hempsteads would produce the players, the fan base, the sponsorship, the financial backing to create, nurture and sustain a Super League club in the South of England, (or in Scotland or anywhere else). We can ignore this fact and the basic wisdom of this post (or argue vehemently that it is wrong) but I'm saying unequivocally, there's no such thing as a short cut here.

Increase the participation numbers or die.

True lovers of the game, who administer our amateur leagues need to accept the responsibility to do more. No-one else is going to do this for us. Development needs to be on the agenda of every RL meeting, at every level within the game. Some time and effort must be found and exerted to keep spreading the game, or it'll never happen at the top end. 

[Man of Kent]

12 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

These discussions tend to depress me.

The whole paradigm they are based on, is fundamentally flawed but it tends to steer the conversation down a very narrow track excluding what (really) needs to be done to grow the game here (or anywhere).

The basic paradigm is, 1. set up shiny new club somewhere. 2. Buy in a lot of players from somewhere else. 3. Sign a short term agreement with the owner of some stadium. 4. Put up a poster to tell people the club exists. 5. Wait for the money to pour in.

Whereas what really needs to be done, is to contact Bob Brown, of Hemel Hempstead and ask him how he built the club, from nothing, in a place completely devoid of any exposure to RL in the past and replicate his model far and wide. Then crucial to the whole plan - find more Bob Browns, loads of them. 

As supporters we need to treasure the likes of Bob Brown, who has proved that with the right approach it is possible to develop sustainable (participation) clubs anywhere. What these forums tend to do, instead, is treat them with contempt.

As a young lad, I became school swimming champion, then I won the town championship, then imagine this, West Wales Champion and height of heights competed in the Welsh Championships. The pride I felt at achieving those titles and being ''all i could be'' was immense. My family were ''over the moon'' as i hope you can imagine.  Never once, was my achievement diminished by the very real fact, that i couldn't compete with Mark Spitz.

As a group, we've got the cart before the horse.

What makes Australian Rugby League so successful is not the professional coaching, conditioning etc. at the top end, but the never-ending freight train of young talent arriving at NRL central, every season. The clubs that produce that talent are a big deal. They don't spit the dummy out just because they can't get into the NRL, they are motivated by the love of the game, the joy of competing ''at their level'' for the local trophy (like me as a swimmer).

We tend to think, that all that, is just amateur sh.....te, which no-one is interested in and no-one cares about.

That is the root, of all our problems.

A hundred (more) Hemel Hempsteads would produce the players, the fan base, the sponsorship, the financial backing to create, nurture and sustain a Super League club in the South of England, (or in Scotland or anywhere else). We can ignore this fact and the basic wisdom of this post (or argue vehemently that it is wrong) but I'm saying unequivocally, there's no such thing as a short cut here.

Increase the participation numbers or die.

True lovers of the game, who administer our amateur leagues need to accept the responsibility to do more. No-one else is going to do this for us. Development needs to be on the agenda of every RL meeting, at every level within the game. Some time and effort must be found and exerted to keep spreading the game, or it'll never happen at the top end. 

Spot on, FI.

Sport is about players. No players, no sport. 

[sam4731]

30 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

These discussions tend to depress me.

The whole paradigm they are based on, is fundamentally flawed but it tends to steer the conversation down a very narrow track excluding what (really) needs to be done to grow the game here (or anywhere).

The basic paradigm is, 1. set up shiny new club somewhere. 2. Buy in a lot of players from somewhere else. 3. Sign a short term agreement with the owner of some stadium. 4. Put up a poster to tell people the club exists. 5. Wait for the money to pour in.

Whereas what really needs to be done, is to contact Bob Brown, of Hemel Hempstead and ask him how he built the club, from nothing, in a place completely devoid of any exposure to RL in the past and replicate his model far and wide. Then crucial to the whole plan - find more Bob Browns, loads of them. 

As supporters we need to treasure the likes of Bob Brown, who has proved that with the right approach it is possible to develop sustainable (participation) clubs anywhere. What these forums tend to do, instead, is treat them with contempt.

As a young lad, I became school swimming champion, then I won the town championship, then imagine this, West Wales Champion and height of heights competed in the Welsh Championships. The pride I felt at achieving those titles and being ''all i could be'' was immense. My family were ''over the moon'' as i hope you can imagine.  Never once, was my achievement diminished by the very real fact, that i couldn't compete with Mark Spitz.

As a group, we've got the cart before the horse.

What makes Australian Rugby League so successful is not the professional coaching, conditioning etc. at the top end, but the never-ending freight train of young talent arriving at NRL central, every season. The clubs that produce that talent are a big deal. They don't spit the dummy out just because they can't get into the NRL, they are motivated by the love of the game, the joy of competing ''at their level'' for the local trophy (like me as a swimmer).

We tend to think, that all that, is just amateur sh.....te, which no-one is interested in and no-one cares about.

That is the root, of all our problems.

A hundred (more) Hemel Hempsteads would produce the players, the fan base, the sponsorship, the financial backing to create, nurture and sustain a Super League club in the South of England, (or in Scotland or anywhere else). We can ignore this fact and the basic wisdom of this post (or argue vehemently that it is wrong) but I'm saying unequivocally, there's no such thing as a short cut here.

Increase the participation numbers or die.

True lovers of the game, who administer our amateur leagues need to accept the responsibility to do more. No-one else is going to do this for us. Development needs to be on the agenda of every RL meeting, at every level within the game. Some time and effort must be found and exerted to keep spreading the game, or it'll never happen at the top end. 

The big question of course though is, can rugby league survive what would be optimistically a 15 year development plan?

[gingerjon]

So we need to reinvent the Rugby League Conference and not pull the rug out from under it this time?

[The Future is League]

5 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

I think there’s a lot of truth in that but is it necessarily a bad thing that dreamers are less dreamy? 

Perhaps the British professional rugby league garden would be rosier if it had tended to its existing plants better, instead of planting ever more exotic species in the same thin soil.

Maybe we should ask whether expanding the game’s professional footprint with clubs who tend to have the smallest gates and the furthest distances makes financial sense when resources are scarce.

I want to see rugby league flourish in new places as much as the next TRL poster - I play for a newly-created south London masters side - but that doesn’t necessarily mean professional clubs.

Clubs are folding at alarming rate in the so called heartlands, and less juniors that ever playing the game.

I have seen recently signs tied to lamp posts by clubs wanting juniors. You wouldn't have got that 30 years ago

[Damien]

47 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

These discussions tend to depress me.

The whole paradigm they are based on, is fundamentally flawed but it tends to steer the conversation down a very narrow track excluding what (really) needs to be done to grow the game here (or anywhere).

The basic paradigm is, 1. set up shiny new club somewhere. 2. Buy in a lot of players from somewhere else. 3. Sign a short term agreement with the owner of some stadium. 4. Put up a poster to tell people the club exists. 5. Wait for the money to pour in.

Whereas what really needs to be done, is to contact Bob Brown, of Hemel Hempstead and ask him how he built the club, from nothing, in a place completely devoid of any exposure to RL in the past and replicate his model far and wide. Then crucial to the whole plan - find more Bob Browns, loads of them. 

As supporters we need to treasure the likes of Bob Brown, who has proved that with the right approach it is possible to develop sustainable (participation) clubs anywhere. What these forums tend to do, instead, is treat them with contempt.

As a young lad, I became school swimming champion, then I won the town championship, then imagine this, West Wales Champion and height of heights competed in the Welsh Championships. The pride I felt at achieving those titles and being ''all i could be'' was immense. My family were ''over the moon'' as i hope you can imagine.  Never once, was my achievement diminished by the very real fact, that i couldn't compete with Mark Spitz.

As a group, we've got the cart before the horse.

What makes Australian Rugby League so successful is not the professional coaching, conditioning etc. at the top end, but the never-ending freight train of young talent arriving at NRL central, every season. The clubs that produce that talent are a big deal. They don't spit the dummy out just because they can't get into the NRL, they are motivated by the love of the game, the joy of competing ''at their level'' for the local trophy (like me as a swimmer).

We tend to think, that all that, is just amateur sh.....te, which no-one is interested in and no-one cares about.

That is the root, of all our problems.

A hundred (more) Hemel Hempsteads would produce the players, the fan base, the sponsorship, the financial backing to create, nurture and sustain a Super League club in the South of England, (or in Scotland or anywhere else). We can ignore this fact and the basic wisdom of this post (or argue vehemently that it is wrong) but I'm saying unequivocally, there's no such thing as a short cut here.

Increase the participation numbers or die.

True lovers of the game, who administer our amateur leagues need to accept the responsibility to do more. No-one else is going to do this for us. Development needs to be on the agenda of every RL meeting, at every level within the game. Some time and effort must be found and exerted to keep spreading the game, or it'll never happen at the top end. 

Great post. If only the Rugby League Conference was supported and stuck with we could have had a whole development league of Hemel Hempstead like clubs.

[fighting irish]

22 minutes ago, Damien said:

Great post. If only the Rugby League Conference was supported and stuck with we could have had a whole development league of Hemel Hempstead like clubs.

Here's a subtle codicil to the re-creation of the Conference (or any league).

I believe that all (amateur) leagues should be created with odd numbers of teams.

This would mean, that each week, one team in each league would have no game! (calamity!!)

They could then decide to rest, or the more adventurous with let's say the greatest Corinthian spirit, would look (seasons in advance) for fixtures against clubs outside the vicinity of the league's local geographical spread.

This would necessitate the establishment, within the clubs of a fixture secretary, (god forbid) but it would provide an annual highlight for players and members, in the otherwise dull,  repetitive, monotonous, league season. It could be promoted as an annual tour, or the visit of some ''unknown quantity'' from Wales, or Scotland, or just from across the Pennines, etc. etc. (anyway, you get the picture).

What it would do for development clubs is provide, each week, scores of clubs who could potentially provide opposition where otherwise, there would be none.

The more patient of you, will know i've made this argument before but i believe that if this policy had been implemented in amateur rugby league since it's inception, we would have a far greater geographical spread, a warmer, friendlier, more connected amateur game and a much happier, more confident and optimistic view of our future. 

[welshmagpie]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

These discussions tend to depress me.

The whole paradigm they are based on, is fundamentally flawed but it tends to steer the conversation down a very narrow track excluding what (really) needs to be done to grow the game here (or anywhere).

The basic paradigm is, 1. set up shiny new club somewhere. 2. Buy in a lot of players from somewhere else. 3. Sign a short term agreement with the owner of some stadium. 4. Put up a poster to tell people the club exists. 5. Wait for the money to pour in.

Whereas what really needs to be done, is to contact Bob Brown, of Hemel Hempstead and ask him how he built the club, from nothing, in a place completely devoid of any exposure to RL in the past and replicate his model far and wide. Then crucial to the whole plan - find more Bob Browns, loads of them. 

As supporters we need to treasure the likes of Bob Brown, who has proved that with the right approach it is possible to develop sustainable (participation) clubs anywhere. What these forums tend to do, instead, is treat them with contempt.

As a young lad, I became school swimming champion, then I won the town championship, then imagine this, West Wales Champion and height of heights competed in the Welsh Championships. The pride I felt at achieving those titles and being ''all i could be'' was immense. My family were ''over the moon'' as i hope you can imagine.  Never once, was my achievement diminished by the very real fact, that i couldn't compete with Mark Spitz.

As a group, we've got the cart before the horse.

What makes Australian Rugby League so successful is not the professional coaching, conditioning etc. at the top end, but the never-ending freight train of young talent arriving at NRL central, every season. The clubs that produce that talent are a big deal. They don't spit the dummy out just because they can't get into the NRL, they are motivated by the love of the game, the joy of competing ''at their level'' for the local trophy (like me as a swimmer).

We tend to think, that all that, is just amateur sh.....te, which no-one is interested in and no-one cares about.

That is the root, of all our problems.

A hundred (more) Hemel Hempsteads would produce the players, the fan base, the sponsorship, the financial backing to create, nurture and sustain a Super League club in the South of England, (or in Scotland or anywhere else). We can ignore this fact and the basic wisdom of this post (or argue vehemently that it is wrong) but I'm saying unequivocally, there's no such thing as a short cut here.

Increase the participation numbers or die.

True lovers of the game, who administer our amateur leagues need to accept the responsibility to do more. No-one else is going to do this for us. Development needs to be on the agenda of every RL meeting, at every level within the game. Some time and effort must be found and exerted to keep spreading the game, or it'll never happen at the top end. 

The club I run in our area of the Midlands have a committee team consisting of the following ages:

25, 26, 28, 30, 32

How grateful I am for all of them as only two of us are ‘rugby league’ people as such, despite all 5 still putting the boots on.

[yipyee]

17 hours ago, meast said:

They're going to merge with Newcastle, Bradford, York and Toronto and form one big gigantic super power that will reinvent the game, as those clubs above have been almost predicted to do for the last few years   

Toronto would have but got thrown out of the league. 

Newcastle was always going to operate as a business with organic growth same as york.

Bradford were one of the big clubs of early SL and are one of just 4 to win the title...

[yipyee]

1 hour ago, The Future is League said:

Clubs are folding at alarming rate in the so called heartlands, and less juniors that ever playing the game.

I have seen recently signs tied to lamp posts by clubs wanting juniors. You wouldn't have got that 30 years ago

Where i live there are more juniors than ever playing so presume your in Yorkshire as the SL table doesn't look good for your part of the world.

Also this side of the pennines we have a thing called the Internet and social media so no need to advertise on lamp posts 

[yipyee]

2 hours ago, fighting irish said:

These discussions tend to depress me.

The whole paradigm they are based on, is fundamentally flawed but it tends to steer the conversation down a very narrow track excluding what (really) needs to be done to grow the game here (or anywhere).

The basic paradigm is, 1. set up shiny new club somewhere. 2. Buy in a lot of players from somewhere else. 3. Sign a short term agreement with the owner of some stadium. 4. Put up a poster to tell people the club exists. 5. Wait for the money to pour in.

Whereas what really needs to be done, is to contact Bob Brown, of Hemel Hempstead and ask him how he built the club, from nothing, in a place completely devoid of any exposure to RL in the past and replicate his model far and wide. Then crucial to the whole plan - find more Bob Browns, loads of them. 

As supporters we need to treasure the likes of Bob Brown, who has proved that with the right approach it is possible to develop sustainable (participation) clubs anywhere. What these forums tend to do, instead, is treat them with contempt.

As a young lad, I became school swimming champion, then I won the town championship, then imagine this, West Wales Champion and height of heights competed in the Welsh Championships. The pride I felt at achieving those titles and being ''all i could be'' was immense. My family were ''over the moon'' as i hope you can imagine.  Never once, was my achievement diminished by the very real fact, that i couldn't compete with Mark Spitz.

As a group, we've got the cart before the horse.

What makes Australian Rugby League so successful is not the professional coaching, conditioning etc. at the top end, but the never-ending freight train of young talent arriving at NRL central, every season. The clubs that produce that talent are a big deal. They don't spit the dummy out just because they can't get into the NRL, they are motivated by the love of the game, the joy of competing ''at their level'' for the local trophy (like me as a swimmer).

We tend to think, that all that, is just amateur sh.....te, which no-one is interested in and no-one cares about.

That is the root, of all our problems.

A hundred (more) Hemel Hempsteads would produce the players, the fan base, the sponsorship, the financial backing to create, nurture and sustain a Super League club in the South of England, (or in Scotland or anywhere else). We can ignore this fact and the basic wisdom of this post (or argue vehemently that it is wrong) but I'm saying unequivocally, there's no such thing as a short cut here.

Increase the participation numbers or die.

True lovers of the game, who administer our amateur leagues need to accept the responsibility to do more. No-one else is going to do this for us. Development needs to be on the agenda of every RL meeting, at every level within the game. Some time and effort must be found and exerted to keep spreading the game, or it'll never happen at the top end. 

A lot of fans of our national teams actually come from smaller clubs. RL hope that fans of the top clubs support the national team and can't understand why they struggle for numbers..

England playing in London is a must, doesn't have to be Wembley etc 

When England play in the heartlands we play in 25-40k stadia then we go to London and try to play in 60-90k stadia ?!?!

 

[Griff]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

Here's a subtle codicil to the re-creation of the Conference (or any league).

I believe that all (amateur) leagues should be created with odd numbers of teams.

This would mean, that each week, one team in each league would have no game! (calamity!!)

They could then decide to rest, or the more adventurous with let's say the greatest Corinthian spirit, would look (seasons in advance) for fixtures against clubs outside the vicinity of the league's local geographical spread.

Aye, but that's not so good if your week off is week 1.  Or even 2-4.

If you think a break is important, far better to have an even number of teams and have two consecutive weeks when only half the teams play - or even a week with no fixtures at all.

[glossop saint]

6 hours ago, JM2010 said:

There was actually but it was some time ago now

Thanks. And if it is recent and with considerable backing and realistic goals and expectations then I apologise. Unfortunately just plucking out the names of cities doesn't help when genuine bids come along. It promotes lots of eye rolling and, as we have seen on here, mocking. 

Do it once, do it properly. Unfortunately something RL isn't good at.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

Here's a subtle codicil to the re-creation of the Conference (or any league).

I believe that all (amateur) leagues should be created with odd numbers of teams.

This would mean, that each week, one team in each league would have no game! (calamity!!)

They could then decide to rest, or the more adventurous with let's say the greatest Corinthian spirit, would look (seasons in advance) for fixtures against clubs outside the vicinity of the league's local geographical spread.

This would necessitate the establishment, within the clubs of a fixture secretary, (god forbid) but it would provide an annual highlight for players and members, in the otherwise dull,  repetitive, monotonous, league season. It could be promoted as an annual tour, or the visit of some ''unknown quantity'' from Wales, or Scotland, or just from across the Pennines, etc. etc. (anyway, you get the picture).

What it would do for development clubs is provide, each week, scores of clubs who could potentially provide opposition where otherwise, there would be none.

The more patient of you, will know i've made this argument before but i believe that if this policy had been implemented in amateur rugby league since it's inception, we would have a far greater geographical spread, a warmer, friendlier, more connected amateur game and a much happier, more confident and optimistic view of our future. 

Surely a blank weekend for all clubs to do that would be easier and better? And that doesn't require odd numbers.

[OnStrike]

3 hours ago, fighting irish said:

These discussions tend to depress me.

The whole paradigm they are based on, is fundamentally flawed but it tends to steer the conversation down a very narrow track excluding what (really) needs to be done to grow the game here (or anywhere).

The basic paradigm is, 1. set up shiny new club somewhere. 2. Buy in a lot of players from somewhere else. 3. Sign a short term agreement with the owner of some stadium. 4. Put up a poster to tell people the club exists. 5. Wait for the money to pour in.

Whereas what really needs to be done, is to contact Bob Brown, of Hemel Hempstead and ask him how he built the club, from nothing, in a place completely devoid of any exposure to RL in the past and replicate his model far and wide. Then crucial to the whole plan - find more Bob Browns, loads of them. 

As supporters we need to treasure the likes of Bob Brown, who has proved that with the right approach it is possible to develop sustainable (participation) clubs anywhere. What these forums tend to do, instead, is treat them with contempt.

As a young lad, I became school swimming champion, then I won the town championship, then imagine this, West Wales Champion and height of heights competed in the Welsh Championships. The pride I felt at achieving those titles and being ''all i could be'' was immense. My family were ''over the moon'' as i hope you can imagine.  Never once, was my achievement diminished by the very real fact, that i couldn't compete with Mark Spitz.

As a group, we've got the cart before the horse.

What makes Australian Rugby League so successful is not the professional coaching, conditioning etc. at the top end, but the never-ending freight train of young talent arriving at NRL central, every season. The clubs that produce that talent are a big deal. They don't spit the dummy out just because they can't get into the NRL, they are motivated by the love of the game, the joy of competing ''at their level'' for the local trophy (like me as a swimmer).

We tend to think, that all that, is just amateur sh.....te, which no-one is interested in and no-one cares about.

That is the root, of all our problems.

A hundred (more) Hemel Hempsteads would produce the players, the fan base, the sponsorship, the financial backing to create, nurture and sustain a Super League club in the South of England, (or in Scotland or anywhere else). We can ignore this fact and the basic wisdom of this post (or argue vehemently that it is wrong) but I'm saying unequivocally, there's no such thing as a short cut here.

Increase the participation numbers or die.

True lovers of the game, who administer our amateur leagues need to accept the responsibility to do more. No-one else is going to do this for us. Development needs to be on the agenda of every RL meeting, at every level within the game. Some time and effort must be found and exerted to keep spreading the game, or it'll never happen at the top end. 

Great post.

Just finished readIng 'Touch and Go' the history of professional RL in London. The introduction says "The approach (to expansion) has too often been top down, attempting to establish the game as a paying proposition before it has any serious roots in a community....clubs that have no real roots in their community lack staying power." He then goes on to quote Gary Hethrington who says "If I were starting again, I'd do it from the bottom up. Get the game into the schools, start up amateur clubs. And only then try and set up a professional club"

This was written in the mid 90s. Everything you said in your post has been known a long time. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by OnStrike

[OnStrike]

3 hours ago, fighting irish said:

 

Whereas what really needs to be done, is to contact Bob Brown, of Hemel Hempstead and ask him how he built the club, from nothing, in a place completely devoid of any exposure to RL in the past and replicate his model far and wide. Then crucial to the whole plan - find more Bob Browns, loads of them. 

As supporters we need to treasure the likes of Bob Brown, who has proved that with the right approach it is possible to develop sustainable (participation) clubs anywhere. What these forums tend to do, instead, is treat them with contempt.

Really good point

[fighting irish]

55 minutes ago, Griff said:

Aye, but that's not so good if your week off is week 1.  Or even 2-4.

If you think a break is important, far better to have an even number of teams and have two consecutive weeks when only half the teams play - or even a week with no fixtures at all.

It's clear Griff, that you haven't understood the proposal. Why is it no good, if your week off is week one or 2-4? The idea is that your fixture secretary prepares for your dead weeks the previous season (in advance) and arrange 'out of area' friendly games to introduce a bit of variety in the season and provide opposition for new teams in new areas. I'm not really suggesting that teams ''take a break''. 

It seems you don't understand why i think the odd team format is important either. Why are you so convinced that your idea of a break is ''far better'' if its even numbers of teams taking ''two weeks when only half the teams play, or even one week with no fixtures at all.''? That's a complete misunderstanding of why i'm suggesting the odd team format. Your suggestion wouldn't do as much as my proposal for the development of new clubs. 

It reminds me of being offered, by a Barla official, a visit from one team around Easter. That's no help at all, quite frankly, (and it showed he didn't understand what i was proposing either.) What we wanted and needed was teams free to play us, on every weekend of the season, not just one or two weeks as you suggest. Our nearest opposition was 200 miles away, when we started out.

 

[fighting irish]

36 minutes ago, Damien said:

Surely a blank weekend for all clubs to do that would be easier and better? And that doesn't require odd numbers.

Please see my response to Griff, above

[fighting irish]

4 hours ago, sam4731 said:

The big question of course though is, can rugby league survive what would be optimistically a 15 year development plan?

I don't know.

It might even take a lot longer than 15 years (look at Newcastle) but what i'm arguing is that there is no alternative. So the sooner we accept that and start work, the better. 

[iffleyox]

5 hours ago, sam4731 said:

The big question of course though is, can rugby league survive what would be optimistically a 15 year development plan?

Or, more importantly, can a 15 year development plan survive in rugby league…?

[overtheborder]

4 hours ago, fighting irish said:

Here's a subtle codicil to the re-creation of the Conference (or any league).

I believe that all (amateur) leagues should be created with odd numbers of teams.

This would mean, that each week, one team in each league would have no game! (calamity!!)

They could then decide to rest, or the more adventurous with let's say the greatest Corinthian spirit, would look (seasons in advance) for fixtures against clubs outside the vicinity of the league's local geographical spread.

This would necessitate the establishment, within the clubs of a fixture secretary, (god forbid) but it would provide an annual highlight for players and members, in the otherwise dull,  repetitive, monotonous, league season. It could be promoted as an annual tour, or the visit of some ''unknown quantity'' from Wales, or Scotland, or just from across the Pennines, etc. etc. (anyway, you get the picture).

What it would do for development clubs is provide, each week, scores of clubs who could potentially provide opposition where otherwise, there would be none.

The more patient of you, will know i've made this argument before but i believe that if this policy had been implemented in amateur rugby league since it's inception, we would have a far greater geographical spread, a warmer, friendlier, more connected amateur game and a much happier, more confident and optimistic view of our future. 

Good point - at the very least a bye week gives some players focus for a specific point at which to plan weddings, stag dos, trips abroad etc. without having to compromise on playing numbers during "normal weeks" too.

[meast]

5 hours ago, The Future is League said:

Clubs are folding at alarming rate in the so called heartlands, and less juniors that ever playing the game.

I have seen recently signs tied to lamp posts by clubs wanting juniors. You wouldn't have got that 30 years ago

You wouldn't have got the distractions that juniors have these days 30 years ago either, the world moves on.

[JM2010]

5 hours ago, Damien said:

Great post. If only the Rugby League Conference was supported and stuck with we could have had a whole development league of Hemel Hempstead like clubs.

I mentioned SL clubs adopting a new/expansion club in an earlier post. The Southern Conference would be ideal for this 

[The Future is League]

9 hours ago, sam4731 said:

The big question of course though is, can rugby league survive what would be optimistically a 15 year development plan?

I would settle for a 5 year plan if clubs could stick with it

Rugby League has this bad habit of ditching things if they aren't successful after 2 or 3 years instead of giving it a bit of time mature

[The Partisan]

Edinburgh Eagles have a great polo shirt ...ditto Liverpool Lions. 

Both conversation starters here in sunny Brisbane