David Hughes

[Barley Mow]

1 hour ago, Griff said:

Cornwall is not one of their two nearest rivals. Cornwall is a long way away.

I was thinking the same - by straight line distance, every other professional British club is closer to London than Penryn is except for 'Haven, Town and Newcastle.

Even Barrow is closer to Wimbledon.

Edited October 12 by Barley Mow

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, Archie Gordon said:

I think almost everyone agrees with that.

Trouble is, that guy was funding the Broncos Academy and he has taken his ball away. It was a predictable outcome though nobody appears to have planned for it.

Fair - but, given his history, if it wasn't that time because of IMG, it would be another time because of something else. That's how it's been during his tenure.

[The Blues Ox]

21 hours ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

There is a very practical issue here. With pre-season trying due to start next month and the challenge cup beginning in January 2025.Where exactly are London Broncos going to get a starting XIII from ?

They have had 12 months to prepare for this and if it gets closer to the season and they are struggling to put a squad together then I know it is harsh, but they deserve everything that they get.

[Click]

38 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

They have had 12 months to prepare for this and if it gets closer to the season and they are struggling to put a squad together then I know it is harsh, but they deserve everything that they get.

I was wondering where that well known RL family we always hear about was 

[Gav Wilson]

40 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

They have had 12 months to prepare for this and if it gets closer to the season and they are struggling to put a squad together then I know it is harsh, but they deserve everything that they get.

I mean, it would have been nice for the outgoing benefactor to give them a tiny bit more notice, I guess.

[Hopie]

15 hours ago, Dave T said:

Ask the clubs who do run academies. 

You should probably ask the other clubs that don't run one too.

Only one club that is expected to be in the Championship next year has an a academy and they mentioned in their recent statement about how they struggle to do this with their current level of central funding.

There are clear benefits to running an academy, but there are costs too, and with the IMG grading scores lots of those on the boundary of Super League have been scraping together as many fractions of a point they can, cutting academy costs would be another one of those short term decisions that would help a grading score by having money to spend elsewhere.

We need more academies than we have at the moment, and any disincentive to run one should be seriously addressed.

 

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

16 hours ago, Dave T said:

If somebody can only see benefits of an academy if it gets points, then that is an issue for them. We haven't seen the likes of Wigan or Saints or Leeds or Wire sack of their academies.

And they didn't get minimum points for catchment, they got the middle tier as far as I'm aware. I do agree that appears too low, but it's not accurate they got the same as village teams.

Village teams?  Like Wakefield for instance?

[preid]

I meant that, south of London, Cornwall were the nearest club on the basis that radii are circular. So, for example, Kent, Surrey, Sussex etc. Based on what Toronto did in no time and from a smaller population, averaging 8,000+ should be a reasonable target to aim for.

[Tommygilf]

12 minutes ago, preid said:

I meant that, south of London, Cornwall were the nearest club on the basis that radii are circular. So, for example, Kent, Surrey, Sussex etc. Based on what Toronto did in no time and from a smaller population, averaging 8,000+ should be a reasonable target to aim for.

There is literally no metric that places any of the M62 clubs further away from London than Penryn?

[preid]

That's true but this is about catchment area and the only club in England/the UK south of London is Cornwall so that whole area is unique to those two clubs.

[Griff]

1 hour ago, preid said:

I meant that, south of London, Cornwall were the nearest club on the basis that radii are circular. 

Radii are straight lines.

[Griff]

1 hour ago, Hopie said:

You should probably ask the other clubs that don't run one too.

 

Some clubs outside Superleague had academies and had those academies taken from them.

Academies are within the gift of the RFL.  Clubs can't choose to have one.

[preid]

Yes they are - agreed. In this case the southern one(s) would stretch from the centre (Wimbledon) of the circle in question to halfway to Cornwall which would be to Taunton (as long as they don't move to Bedford in which case it would become Lands End ). Either way it's a big area without professional competition.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

https://www.londonbroncosrl.com/press-release-london-broncos-end-of-season-update

[Click]

7 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

https://www.londonbroncosrl.com/press-release-london-broncos-end-of-season-update

Engaging with 10k kids in the Merton borough is a good stat.

[Dave T]

3 hours ago, Hopie said:

You should probably ask the other clubs that don't run one too.

Only one club that is expected to be in the Championship next year has an a academy and they mentioned in their recent statement about how they struggle to do this with their current level of central funding.

There are clear benefits to running an academy, but there are costs too, and with the IMG grading scores lots of those on the boundary of Super League have been scraping together as many fractions of a point they can, cutting academy costs would be another one of those short term decisions that would help a grading score by having money to spend elsewhere.

We need more academies than we have at the moment, and any disincentive to run one should be seriously addressed.

 

My view here is that clubs trimming here and there and cutting corners to sneak past a threshold in the system will ultimately end up at the weaker end of the gradings.

As I highlighted, there is a points handicap for talent pathway, but i don't know enough about what that entails.

I don't disagree that this could be a useful scoring field, but I do disagree with anyone justifying this type of behaviour as a sound decision.

[Dave T]

2 hours ago, Jill Halfpenny fan said:

Village teams?  Like Wakefield for instance?

No, they're a city team. Clearly I'm not talking about them.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

Sounds like IMG bumped up the score, to increase the appeal of the club.

[Hopie]

12 minutes ago, Dave T said:

My view here is that clubs trimming here and there and cutting corners to sneak past a threshold in the system will ultimately end up at the weaker end of the gradings.

Well duh! The reason they are sneaking is because they have scores placing them at or below the bottom end of the super league cut off. They are facing the cliff edge and every fraction of a point counts.

12 minutes ago, Dave T said:

 

I don't disagree that this could be a useful scoring field, but I do disagree with anyone justifying this type of behaviour as a sound decision.

Scrapping an academy is a poor decision in the grand scheme of things, and in the long term. But securing a Super League position by for example under funding or cutting back on the academy for a season is the best decision in the short term, there will be plenty of these short term decisions this year in this and other matters. That's what these cliff edge decisions lead to.

[Tommygilf]

12 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

Sounds like IMG bumped up the score, to increase the appeal of the club.

Or the club scored more off their own work and nobody can artificially just add points like you suggest? 

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, Hopie said:

Well duh! The reason they are sneaking is because they have scores placing them at or below the bottom end of the super league cut off. They are facing the cliff edge and every fraction of a point counts.

Scrapping an academy is a poor decision in the grand scheme of things, and in the long term. But securing a Super League position by for example under funding or cutting back on the academy for a season is the best decision in the short term, there will be plenty of these short term decisions this year in this and other matters. That's what these cliff edge decisions lead to.

I was clumsy with my wording on the first point. They will always find themselves as a weaker club (not just the spreadsheets) which risks becoming a vicious cycle. It's sort of the story of London Broncos throughout history. 

In the old system they've made it to Super League twice in recent years, but because they've not invested in the actual club, they've been weak and not lasted.

Just sneaking in and doing enough will see clubs end up where they deserve. I dont really see any credible shortcuts. 

[The Blues Ox]

6 hours ago, Click said:

I was wondering where that well known RL family we always hear about was 

I'm sorry the "We should all feel sorry for London" story is wearing a tiny bit thin. They have literally had 12 months to prepare for this moment, if they have done nothing about it then more fool them.

6 hours ago, Gav Wilson said:

I mean, it would have been nice for the outgoing benefactor to give them a tiny bit more notice, I guess.

Presuming given the timing that most player contracts for next season would have already been long since in place just like other Championship clubs? Yes maybe it came as a surprise that Hughes is leaving but there really is no excuse for them not having the majority of their squad signed up. If anything they should have been at the front of the que for players having so long to prepare for it.

[thunderpete]

11 hours ago, Barley Mow said:

I was thinking the same - by straight line distance, every other professional British club is closer to London than Penryn is except for 'Haven, Town and Newcastle.

Even Barrow is closer to Wimbledon.

Depends which way you go.

[Gav Wilson]

12 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

I'm sorry the "We should all feel sorry for London" story is wearing a tiny bit thin. They have literally had 12 months to prepare for this moment, if they have done nothing about it then more fool them.

Presuming given the timing that most player contracts for next season would have already been long since in place just like other Championship clubs? Yes maybe it came as a surprise that Hughes is leaving but there really is no excuse for them not having the majority of their squad signed up. If anything they should have been at the front of the que for players having so long to prepare for it.

How could they do that without knowing what their budget was?

[Archie Gordon]

Crowdfunder now in place. After 200k!