David Hughes

[OriginalMrC]

17 hours ago, Eddie said:

Local Union clubs are paying a grand a game - is that right??

Think that's a massive exaggeration! A championship or league 1 team maybe but most of those clubs are tightening their belts now and there are salary caps in place. I'm familiar with Oxfordshire RU and using Chinnor RFC as an example were never paying £1k a game!

[JonM]

14 minutes ago, Click said:

Well, the original point was that "Wales seem to manage without a semi-professional club" - The amount of players you have named would seem to suggest they aren't managing that well without having at least a semi-professional club as part of a players potential pathway.

Newcastle might be a better place to use as an example - u16s and u18s academy but only a very weak semi-pro club to aspire to. They are looking for a SL club to partner with. Hopefully it won't come to that for London

[RP London]

2 hours ago, JonM said:

A few current ones, obviously rather more 5-10 years back. Gil Dudson came through the youth system at Celtic Crusaders. He's played well over 200 SL games.

Salford have an academy deal with Coleg y Cymoedd and have a couple of young players from Caerphilly area - Joe Coope-Franklin and Billy Walkley who have Salford first team squad numbers but been out on loan/DR in league 1 this year.

If you go back a couple of years, Ben & Rhys Evans were spotted by Warrington playing for Brynteg in the National Schools Cup. Rhodri Lloyd signed for Wigan from S. Wales Scorpions.

This is the type of thing that I think highlights why the idea of giving SL clubs certain development areas to look after can work.

[Worzel]

The more I think about this, the more I believe the best strategy is to have an existing Super League club sit on top of the London pathways. It requires long term investment, for long term reward, so some sort of exclusivity might be the only reason that a current organisation would focus resources on it properly.

Personally I'd love it if Hull KR did something like this. We're competing with Hull for junior talent, and in the short-term they have better junior facilities and a better track record of bringing people through (which informs parental choices for their kids). If we invested some resources (people) in organising existing London & South East community clubs into a structured pathway, and supported them, it could make a real difference. Then bring the best prospects up to Hull when they're 18, and embed them into an educational programme with one of our college partners, or find them jobs with sponsors. 3 year model, the best turn pro with us during that period. We're running a programme like that in Papua New Guinea so I'm sure we can manage it in London. 

In fact #### it, I'm going to reach out to Craig now and suggest it. 

 

[Click]

2 minutes ago, Worzel said:

The more I think about this, the more I believe the best strategy is to have an existing Super League club sit on top of the London pathways. It requires long term investment, for long term reward, so some sort of exclusivity might be the only reason that a current organisation would focus resources on it properly.

Personally I'd love it if Hull KR did something like this. We're competing with Hull for junior talent, and in the short-term they have better junior facilities and a better track record of bringing people through (which informs parental choices for their kids). If we invested some resources (people) in organising existing London & South East community clubs into a structured pathway, and supported them, it could make a real difference. Then bring the best prospects up to Hull when they're 18, and embed them into an educational programme with one of our college partners, or find them jobs with sponsors. 3 year model, the best turn pro with us during that period. We're running a programme like that in Papua New Guinea so I'm sure we can manage it in London. 

In fact #### it, I'm going to reach out to Craig now and suggest it. 

 

I know Hull FC used to have an agreement with us with some of our juniors playing in their academy system when they went up to study in Hull. 

I believe LMS won an academy title the year he was there with a few other London Jrs.

[Worzel]

1 minute ago, Click said:

I know Hull FC used to have an agreement with us with some of our juniors playing in their academy system when they went up to study in Hull. 

I believe LMS won an academy title the year he was there with a few other London Jrs.

Yes you're right, I was living in London at the time and remember LMS being with Hull, he won the league with them (whether reserves league or the academy one, can't recall) 

[Archie Gordon]

7 minutes ago, Worzel said:

The more I think about this, the more I believe the best strategy is to have an existing Super League club sit on top of the London pathways. It requires long term investment, for long term reward, so some sort of exclusivity might be the only reason that a current organisation would focus resources on it properly.

Personally I'd love it if Hull KR did something like this. We're competing with Hull for junior talent, and in the short-term they have better junior facilities and a better track record of bringing people through (which informs parental choices for their kids). If we invested some resources (people) in organising existing London & South East community clubs into a structured pathway, and supported them, it could make a real difference. Then bring the best prospects up to Hull when they're 18, and embed them into an educational programme with one of our college partners, or find them jobs with sponsors. 3 year model, the best turn pro with us during that period. We're running a programme like that in Papua New Guinea so I'm sure we can manage it in London. 

In fact #### it, I'm going to reach out to Craig now and suggest it. 

 

Please do.

[Coggo]

2 hours ago, OriginalMrC said:

Think that's a massive exaggeration! A championship or league 1 team maybe but most of those clubs are tightening their belts now and there are salary caps in place. I'm familiar with Oxfordshire RU and using Chinnor RFC as an example were never paying £1k a game!

'Players are thought to have received as much as £300 in match fees in the eighth tier. Others have been persuaded to move clubs over a £20 difference in match fee. Telegraph Sport has even been told of a transfer saga that saw a £6,000 sum exchanged between two fifth-tier teams.

'One interviewee recalled a prop, still in his kit, being passed an envelope containing £300 by a sponsor on the touchline. The former skipper of a side in National 1 stockpiled a stack of £50 notes, worth around £10,000 in total, under his bed. Some particularly creative money men are even thought to cover their squad’s phone bills and weekly shops. '

Stacks of cash under the bed and £6,000 transfer fees: Community rugby’s ‘Wild West’

[OriginalMrC]

4 minutes ago, Coggo said:

'Players are thought to have received as much as £300 in match fees in the eighth tier. Others have been persuaded to move clubs over a £20 difference in match fee. Telegraph Sport has even been told of a transfer saga that saw a £6,000 sum exchanged between two fifth-tier teams.

'One interviewee recalled a prop, still in his kit, being passed an envelope containing £300 by a sponsor on the touchline. The former skipper of a side in National 1 stockpiled a stack of £50 notes, worth around £10,000 in total, under his bed. Some particularly creative money men are even thought to cover their squad’s phone bills and weekly shops. '

Stacks of cash under the bed and £6,000 transfer fees: Community rugby’s ‘Wild West’

Well aware that stuff happens all the time. Not £1k a game at a local level though! RL does pay less than the equivalent level in RU and that is a challenge particularly outside the heartlands.

[Gomersall]

4 hours ago, JonM said:

A few current ones, obviously rather more 5-10 years back. Gil Dudson came through the youth system at Celtic Crusaders. He's played well over 200 SL games.

Salford have an academy deal with Coleg y Cymoedd and have a couple of young players from Caerphilly area - Joe Coope-Franklin and Billy Walkley who have Salford first team squad numbers but been out on loan/DR in league 1 this year.

If you go back a couple of years, Ben & Rhys Evans were spotted by Warrington playing for Brynteg in the National Schools Cup. Rhodri Lloyd signed for Wigan from S. Wales Scorpions.

 

[Coggo]

2 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Well aware that stuff happens all the time. Not £1k a game at a local level though! RL does pay less than the equivalent level in RU and that is a challenge particularly outside the heartlands.

Like London!

[Coggo]

Martyn Sadler in the latest LE podcast claims David Hughes will write off what he's owed, that there's been a couple of serious bidders, that they are likely to stay at Plough Lane and that Mike Eccles will remain coach. 

[MonkeyGone]

1 hour ago, Click said:

I know Hull FC used to have an agreement with us with some of our juniors playing in their academy system when they went up to study in Hull. 

I believe LMS won an academy title the year he was there with a few other London Jrs.

Michael Worrincy and Ade Adebisi were on loan alongside LMS to the Hull FC academy in 2005. I think all for just one year.

[MonkeyGone]

2 minutes ago, Coggo said:

Martyn Sadler in the latest LE podcast claims David Hughes will write off what he's owed, that there's been a couple of serious bidders, that they are likely to stay at Plough Lane and that Mike Eccles will remain coach. 

Absolutely no chance of anyone taking on his loans. A chunk of it already appeared to be wriiten off in the latest accounts.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

5 minutes ago, Coggo said:

Martyn Sadler in the latest LE podcast claims David Hughes will write off what he's owed, that there's been a couple of serious bidders, that they are likely to stay at Plough Lane and that Mike Eccles will remain coach. 

Hope that's right about Mike Eccles who's done a magnificent job in exceptionally difficult circumstances!

[ATLANTISMAN]

3 hours ago, OriginalMrC said:

Think that's a massive exaggeration! A championship or league 1 team maybe but most of those clubs are tightening their belts now and there are salary caps in place. I'm familiar with Oxfordshire RU and using Chinnor RFC as an example were never paying £1k a game!

My eldest (Too fat for the greatest game:) was offered 150 a match by Canterbury around 6 years ago when. he was at Uni.

A few of em were on £300 that was about the highest he said but one never knows if there were any special deals.

 

 

[EssexRL]

On 23/09/2024 at 16:13, JohnM said:

Which is better?

"It does seem odd that a year or so after IMG that from Cornwall, to Cumbria to London the sport is in retreat. Very sad.  

Or

"It does seem odd that 129 years after the birth of our sport that from Cornwall, to Cumbria to London the sport is in retreat, whilst it is gong from strength to strength in Australia. Very sad."

 

Agree the sport needs to be seen in the round. I suspect if I lived near, say, Wigan or in West Yorkshire it might not seem so bad, which may be part of the problem!

[EssexRL]

There is in my view a pressing need to ensure RL has some profile in the capital. We appear to have lost any internationals here and I am assuming the worse for LB, but maybe, like other sports, there could be occasional SL games here. I know when that has happened in the past (Wigan at Millwall) it has been popular. 

[JohnM]

9 minutes ago, EssexRL said:

There is in my view a pressing need to ensure RL has some profile in the capital. We appear to have lost any internationals here and I am assuming the worse for LB, but maybe, like other sports, there could be occasional SL games here. I know when that has happened in the past (Wigan at Millwall) it has been popular. 

it's covered in Re-imagining Rugby League. Once the grading scheme is up and running, it's the expansion phase: London, Womens and France.

[Archie Gordon]

38 minutes ago, JohnM said:

it's covered in Re-imagining Rugby League. Once the grading scheme is up and running, it's the expansion phase: London, Womens and France.

Good luck breathing life into the long-dead patient.

[JohnM]

1 hour ago, Archie Gordon said:

Good luck breathing life into the long-dead patient.

Now now, you know you agree with it, deep down. 

 

[Archie Gordon]

42 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Now now, you know you agree with it, deep down. 

 

[JM2010]

7 hours ago, Worzel said:

The more I think about this, the more I believe the best strategy is to have an existing Super League club sit on top of the London pathways. It requires long term investment, for long term reward, so some sort of exclusivity might be the only reason that a current organisation would focus resources on it properly.

Personally I'd love it if Hull KR did something like this. We're competing with Hull for junior talent, and in the short-term they have better junior facilities and a better track record of bringing people through (which informs parental choices for their kids). If we invested some resources (people) in organising existing London & South East community clubs into a structured pathway, and supported them, it could make a real difference. Then bring the best prospects up to Hull when they're 18, and embed them into an educational programme with one of our college partners, or find them jobs with sponsors. 3 year model, the best turn pro with us during that period. We're running a programme like that in Papua New Guinea so I'm sure we can manage it in London. 

In fact #### it, I'm going to reach out to Craig now and suggest it. 

 

Would it be easier if Hull KR did something like this in Sheffield and/or Doncaster? South Yorkshire has over a million people and it’s not too far from Hull. Lots of potential to find some good junior players

[watcherofRL]

On 26/09/2024 at 16:53, Archie Gordon said:

In 2024, there were 2 concessions out of 39 junior fixtures.

And for 1 of them, the conceding team still turned up and borrowed players from the home team.

The junior London section in London has reduced to 5 maybe 6 clubs and big names are no longer producing teams - Medway Invicta St Albans Richmond - all gone and the likes of Hemel and Brixton are only putting out 2 age groups so not exactly growing! No genuine vision or support for the south

[Archie Gordon]

40 minutes ago, watcherofRL said:

The junior London section in London has reduced to 5 maybe 6 clubs and big names are no longer producing teams - Medway Invicta St Albans Richmond - all gone and the likes of Hemel and Brixton are only putting out 2 age groups so not exactly growing! No genuine vision or support for the south

9 clubs. Elmbridge, Eastern, Bromley, Brixton, St Albans, Hemel, Bedford, Brentwood, Feltham (was Richmond).

Of course, some wax, some wane, some disappear. And it is a struggle, that's absolutely true.