The M62

[EggFace]

4 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Agree and not forgetting Kent white van man working class county.

IMHO the only place outside the heartlands and South Wales where it would work nowadays (Don't refer back to Kent Invicta transfer fees killed it times have changed)

South West and Scottish Borders.

[bobbruce]

7 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

I think it would need some sort of rethinking tbh with the semi pro/amateur set up.

Why couldn't a new "amateur" club with junior teams etc have their first team be in a "League 3 North West" alongside other similar clubs?

I remember early - mid 90s BARLA/RFL were pushing for an amateur side in each area tide into the local pro side. The idea being that they would get the pick of the best amateurs in the town and it would sit below reserve grade to bolster squads. It didn’t go down well partly because most amateur clubs have a proud history and partly because at the time the pro game wasn’t trusted by the amateur clubs. I wonder if that could be revisited now that pro clubs tend to have a much better relationship with the amateur game. 

[ATLANTISMAN]

2 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

I remember early - mid 90s BARLA/RFL were pushing for an amateur side in each area tide into the local pro side. The idea being that they would get the pick of the best amateurs in the town and it would sit below reserve grade to bolster squads. It didn’t go down well partly because most amateur clubs have a proud history and partly because at the time the pro game wasn’t trusted by the amateur clubs. I wonder if that could be revisited now that pro clubs tend to have a much better relationship with the amateur game. 

Would be good remember think it was 50 pounds compensation 

[John m]

Can anyone tell if there’s a RL presence in Middleton Greater Manchester as if not it smacks me as being ideal expansion territory sandwiched into between Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and bury(broncos).

[fighting irish]

14 hours ago, John m said:

Can anyone tell if there’s a RL presence in Middleton Greater Manchester as if not it smacks me as being ideal expansion territory sandwiched into between Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and bury(broncos).

I've read with interest and a little amusement about all the suggestions of prime territory for expansion. All good stuff.

I'll call again, for the administrators of the local leagues to accept some responsibility for the development of the game in their locality.

As it is, (it seems to me) they are just presiding over whatever exists and that's nothing to be proud of, any fool can do that. This is how the ''self talk'' goes. Who wants to be involved? Eight teams (but we had 10 last year!). Ok no matter, here's the fixture list, see you next year. League secretary? Don't make me laugh. 

How about recruiting a volunteer to consider how the game might be developed in the area? With a different narrative, ''Here's what we've got, now what we can do, to grow it''?

It's an agenda item, at each and every league meeting.

With all your suggestions, the resources to bring about such growth are absent from your plans. Well here's the resource. Furthermore, its the only resource we have (at the moment) but the starting point is accepting that those administrators ''ought'' to be be doing more. That a search for willing volunteers to focus only on development is the first step in the plan.

To all the nay-sayers, let me counter, how are the Greeks growing the game, the Jamaicans, the Maltese, etc. etc. etc.

Well their not hanging about, basking in former glories, their accepting the challenge and bl---dy getting on with it.  

[Griff]

19 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Agree and not forgetting Kent white van man working class county.

IMHO the only place outside the heartlands and South Wales where it would work nowadays (Don't refer back to Kent Invicta transfer fees killed it times have changed)

Interesting comment.  I remember Kath Hetherington saying that Sheffield Eagles wouldn't have been so successful had they started at the time of her comment (about 2008, iirc) because of the spread of the full time game and increased regulation.  We survived the transfer fee era.

[Griff]

18 hours ago, John m said:

Can anyone tell if there’s a RL presence in Middleton Greater Manchester as if not it smacks me as being ideal expansion territory sandwiched into between Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and bury(broncos).

It's not really expansion, though, is it?

[John m]

1 minute ago, Griff said:

It's not really expansion, though, is it?

It is if there’s zero RL presence in the town.

[Anita Bath]

19 hours ago, John m said:

Can anyone tell if there’s a RL presence in Middleton Greater Manchester as if not it smacks me as being ideal expansion territory sandwiched into between Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and bury(broncos).

Middleton is part of Rochdale, just like Heywood and Littleborough.

[John m]

3 minutes ago, Anita Bath said:

Middleton is part of Rochdale, just like Heywood and Littleborough.

And is RL played there?

[Anita Bath]

 its not sandwiched between Rochdale and anywhere. 

[glemiln]

4 hours ago, fighting irish said:

Can anyone tell if there’s a RL presence in Middleton Greater Manchester

Apologies to John m for omitting his original posting.
 

To my knowledge, the nearest rugby league clubs are amateur Rochdale Mayfield (Castleton) and pro Rochdale Hornets. 
Late 1950’s I recollect my friend, the late Peter Birchall*,  approaching Middleton Grammar School to start rugby league sessions - refused without any consideration!

Middleton has a few cricket teams in the area!

*former prop forward with Rochdale Hornets playing alongside Stan Owen and Kevin Ashcroft (contested scrums).

Edited September 30, 2024 by glemiln
Omission

[Griff]

1 hour ago, John m said:

It is if there’s zero RL presence in the town.

They'd just be competing with the existing clubs.  They're just too close.

[John m]

46 minutes ago, Griff said:

They'd just be competing with the existing clubs.  They're just too close.

Middleton alone has a population of 44k.

[JM2010]

1 minute ago, John m said:

Middleton alone has a population of 44k.

Definitely big enough for a community club

[John m]

2 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

Definitely big enough for a community club

Yes it is.

that’s what I’m advocating for and not a semi-professional one.

[JM2010]

Just now, John m said:

Yes it is.

that’s what I’m advocating for and not a semi-professional one.

There’s a lot of room for more community clubs in the NW. It just needs people willing to set them up (which I know is easier said than done)

[Griff]

7 minutes ago, John m said:

Yes it is.

that’s what I’m advocating for and not a semi-professional one.

OK

[John m]

4 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

There’s a lot of room for more community clubs in the NW. It just needs people willing to set them up (which I know is easier said than done)

Lots of room in Greater Manchester alone before you even begin to talk about areas like Blackburn, Preston, Merseyside, Burnley and Skelmersdale etc.

[John m]

4 minutes ago, Griff said:

OK

No worries.

I should have been more specific.

[JohnM]

M62? Eeeh! You're lucky!  In my day we only had the A62 and had to be grateful for that.