Educating Yorkshire (C4) - Rugby League

[welshmagpie]

Next episode features a young chap on Bradford’s scholarship who seems to be struggling in school. 

Education struggles aside, always good to see rugby league in strange/unexpected places.

[Bulls2487]

47 minutes ago, welshmagpie said:

Next episode features a young chap on Bradford’s scholarship who seems to be struggling in school. 

Education struggles aside, always good to see rugby league in strange/unexpected places.

Good to see hope he gets his education sorted.

Fully expect this thread to turn in to a dig at the Bulls or Odsal as happens every time.

[ELBOWSEYE]

Strange unsuspecting places ?  Yorkshire, isn't that where you would expect to find it.

[sam4731]

2 hours ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

Strange unsuspecting places ?  Yorkshire, isn't that where you would expect to find it.

An education in RL is pretty strange and unexpected though.

[ELBOWSEYE]

1 hour ago, sam4731 said:

An education in RL is pretty strange and unexpected though.

It's was tongue in cheek, but scholarship in SL clubs involves education as well as Rugby.

[The Future is League]

We need someone like a Freddie Flintoff in his field of dreams documentries and try and get young people into our game who haven't played it before, as there are some dimonds out there who would make very good Rugby League players.

[N2022]

23 hours ago, Bulls2487 said:

Good to see hope he gets his education sorted.

Fully expect this thread to turn in to a dig at the Bulls or Odsal as happens every time.

Wasn't go to, but as you mention it ...

[OMEGA]

Talking of Rugby League related, keep a look out for Leo Atang from York and an ex Rugby League winger

He’ll be the next big thing in Heavyweight boxing, after Itauma. Atange is a 6’6” 16st 4ilb 18 year old who will shake up the division over the next 5 years or so.

Nice kid too

[Bull Mania]

2 hours ago, The Future is League said:

We need someone like a Freddie Flintoff in his field of dreams documentries and try and get young people into our game who haven't played it before, as there are some dimonds out there who would make very good Rugby League players.

Seem to remember Sam Tomkins doing something similar on Boots n All a few years a go. 

But agree, rugby league is such an easy game to learn. 

[Curly perm]

On 07/09/2025 at 21:04, welshmagpie said:

Next episode features a young chap on Bradford’s scholarship who seems to be struggling in school. 

Education struggles aside, always good to see rugby league in strange/unexpected places.

Great that he’s getting an opportunity. I’ve heard of some clubs overlooking some very good young players recently due to their ‘poor’ school record.

It’s the club’s prerogative obviously, they can choose who they want to bring in, but a school classroom and a rugby field are two very different environments. 

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

1 hour ago, Curly perm said:

Great that he’s getting an opportunity. I’ve heard of some clubs overlooking some very good young players recently due to their ‘poor’ school record.

It’s the club’s prerogative obviously, they can choose who they want to bring in, but a school classroom and a rugby field are two very different environments. 

They are. But one big difference - certainly in soccer academies - now is that that dont tolerate poor behaviour in school. Its seen as part of the process about delivering 'good people'. Wigan have been very big on this for over a decade with their academy and Warrington too in my brief discussions with them. One of the things we are doing with our students is this because so many of them have unbelievable hard/tough backgrounds that they need to be able to manage.

[Max_Power]

This is exactly why Bradford should be in Super League, they really are a big time team. Throw some IMG points there way too.

[Gav Wilson]

On 07/09/2025 at 21:04, welshmagpie said:

Next episode features a young chap on Bradford’s scholarship who seems to be struggling in school. 

Education struggles aside, always good to see rugby league in strange/unexpected places.

Thornhill?

[Curly perm]

5 hours ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

They are. But one big difference - certainly in soccer academies - now is that that dont tolerate poor behaviour in school. It’s seen as part of the process about delivering 'good people'. Wigan have been very big on this for over a decade with their academy and Warrington too in my brief discussions with them. One of the things we are doing with our students is this because so many of them have unbelievable hard/tough backgrounds that they need to be able to manage.

A lot of these kids can be good people but, like you say, may have had tough backgrounds, difficult home lives etc. Rejecting them at 13/14/15 based on school performance is crazy for me and, in my opinion, skews towards the middle classes. 

‘Delivering good people’ might just mean choosing those with the best starts in life and most supportive families (edit: and prob those with better household incomes). 

Edited September 9, 2025 by Curly perm

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

12 minutes ago, Curly perm said:

A lot of these kids can be good people but, like you say, may have had tough backgrounds, difficult home lives etc. Rejecting them at 13/14/15 based on school performance is crazy for me and, in my opinion, and skews towards the middle classes. 

‘Delivering good people’ might just mean choosing those with the best starts in life and most supportive families. 

Not at all. You can teach them how to be more emotionally resilient. Otherwise you end up with a team at open age who  behave in ways vastly different to what is required. They may be good rL players but almost impossible to coach.  And that’s why academies need to be more than just producing rl players. If they don’t make it through injury application or whatever they need to have another option(s).

Edited September 9, 2025 by Pen-Y-Bont Crusader

[Curly perm]

2 minutes ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

Not at all. You can teach them how to be more emotionally resilient. Otherwise you end up with a team at open age who  behave in ways vastly different to what is required. They may be good rL players but almost impossible to coach.  

I just think that using the predominantly classroom-based approach of schools as a proxy to judge a kid’s aptitude for / attitude to rugby league could be way off for a lot of kids and very limiting for those with difficult backgrounds. People learn and thrive in different ways/environments. 

It probably doesn’t matter anyway because Wigan/Wire/Leeds will reject these kids at scholarship and Bradford et al will take a punt..then Wigan/Wire/Leeds will be back to take them at 16 once they’ve proved their worth, delivering them into the first team as good people. Let’s just hope some lads aren’t left with no opportunities. 

[EggFace]

On 08/09/2025 at 04:53, ELBOWSEYE said:

Strange unsuspecting places ?  Yorkshire, isn't that where you would expect to find it.

Royston Vasey.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

2 hours ago, Curly perm said:

I just think that using the predominantly classroom-based approach of schools as a proxy to judge a kid’s aptitude for / attitude to rugby league could be way off for a lot of kids and very limiting for those with difficult backgrounds. People learn and thrive in different ways/environments. 

It probably doesn’t matter anyway because Wigan/Wire/Leeds will reject these kids at scholarship and Bradford et al will take a punt..then Wigan/Wire/Leeds will be back to take them at 16 once they’ve proved their worth, delivering them into the first team as good people. Let’s just hope some lads aren’t left with no opportunities. 

That’s not the way it works at all. What the clubs and schools will be looking for is character and what areas they need to improve on. Classroom doesn’t even come into it.  
 

furthermore, the clubs like Wigan recognise that a lot of Academy lads won’t make it to SL and ensure they have qualifications/skills that will stand them in good stead if they don’t make it to SL.

Edited September 9, 2025 by Pen-Y-Bont Crusader

[welshmagpie]

8 hours ago, Gav Wilson said:

Thornhill?

Yep!

[Gav Wilson]

9 minutes ago, welshmagpie said:

Yep!

Any lad with a decent boot would be able to kick a Steeden from the Trojans pitch into the school playground