THE National Conference League’s management have responded to the Rugby Football League’s proposed National Community Rugby League (NCRL) initiative, which is geared to restructuring the men’s amateur game from next year.

The flagship competition currently operates four divisions but the RFL is poised to regionalise the lower two sections.

Mike Denning, who was installed as chair of the NCL earlier this year, said: “The Board of Management have, after consultation with our 46 member clubs have determined that it is time to state our view and position.

“At a time when the game we all love is under attack from elsewhere with regard to its top-line governance, playing ability and style – and in particular financial security – we had no desire to pour more fuel onto the fire. But since the NCL is planning for its 40th celebratory year in 2026, and the RFL’s evolution plan appears set to turn that celebration into a wake, we feel it is time for us to state our considered assessment of the NCRL plans for a regeneration of interest in Open Age Rugby League.”

Denning continued: “The NCL is all for evolution. The competition has evolved from a ten-club competition in 1986 to one of 46 teams over four divisions, that had a 100 per cent fixture completion rate in 2025 and has other leading clubs wishing to participate from 2026 and beyond.

“During a chequered history (for amateur Rugby League in this country) the NCL has been at the forefront of developing the community game. Among more recent initiatives, we led the community game into summer; drove the improved discipline that head-cams for referees has brought; furthered the acceptance of dual-registered players within the community game and carried out a ‘forensic’ (the RFL’s words not ours) examination of the RFL’s case for the implementation of membership fees that furthered their adoption by the community game as a whole.  

“These have been brought about through timely, planned and detailed change-management that has brought the NCL member clubs along on the paths taken, to be then followed by the rest of the community game.”

Denning reflected: “We are now at a stage where the RFL has rightly identified in its own recently published `Strategic Review of the Open Age game’ that player numbers have been in decline. This has been ongoing since 2017!!

“The decline has reduced significantly in recent years so why has it taken so long to instigate a change, and why must it be implemented so quickly, especially when the 2025 mid-season review was only published at the end of the current season?

“We recognise that the community game has to evolve to meet the current player dynamic. It is however also noted that, since the Covid pandemic in particular, all senior-age sports have suffered a significant drop in participation numbers.”

“We appreciate the RFL’s desire to try and address this and get ahead of the rest,” said Denning, “but when you want to instigate change in any business or structure it should be measured, be timely, well planned, communicated and implemented with the detail fully developed to resolve potential pitfalls before they occur.

“However, we feel that the RFL’s process has been rushed, is not player-centric and doesn’t respect the wishes of any clubs, or the volunteers that run them. And it lacks clarity and detail.

“We understand that the RFL has a tremendously difficult job in bringing around any changes with limited resources in terms of staff-time and finances but there are many very experienced administrators in the community game who have overseen large competitions and who understand the participating clubs and those clubs’ vast financial, social and physical input into securing, sustaining and maintaining facilities that can best develop the playing capabilities of their member teams.”

Denning insisted: “These people will assist and implement the change if they are brought on board through communication, inclusion and respect while, in terms of involvement from the NCL, this September the league president and former chair Trevor Hunt and I (as current chair) were asked to attend meetings at RFL HQ  and other venues as well as online meetings to discuss a way forward to implement a new National Community Rugby League entity.

“From the very beginning (8 September 2025) we sought an assurance that the NCL would be allowed to celebrate its 40th anniversary throughout 2026 and those members who wanted to play in a `National League’ would have their wishes recognised and accommodated.

“However we were asked to agree on a potential way forward, with various ‘illustrative’ options being presented, discussed and refined as our meetings progressed. We were asked to maintain confidentiality until we had thrashed out an ‘in-principle’ agreement on a way forward that could accommodate any NCL clubs that didn’t want to play national competitions. Until Monday 3 November, when the RFL issued their `final’ report, we honoured the agreement so that the clubs could see the RFL proposals for themselves before we sought their views.

“The RFL, though, had sought the views of all 46 NCL clubs on whether they wished for national or regional competition. The response was an overwhelming vote of 34 clubs wishing for national competition, with twelve voting for regional participation. This was not an issue for the NCL Management, and we quickly drafted a three-division NCL for national, and two regional divisions, to incorporate those twelve clubs wishing to participate at that level, as well as a Southern/Midlands League option, that would generate promotion play-offs.

“This has been dismissed by the RFL as a change that implements `no change’ even though the NCL proposal meets the wishes of the clubs that the RFL purports to support, and provides the regional option and pyramid promotion.”

Denning lamented: “Under the RFL-driven NCRL plan at least another twelve clubs, and therefore potentially up to 500 players, would be placed in a regional league against their wishes! If, as they claim, the RFL are trying to increase numbers or at least stop the drain, how would such a negative move help?

“Clubs in the NCL have all invested in their clubhouses and teams. Many have received Sport England funding to achieve their goals and maintain a role as the hub of their local community. This `evolution’ does not recognise the work those clubs have done to achieve and maintain this, nor do the RFL’s plans put the players or their clubs at the centre of the sport.”

He continued: “Our proposal for change remains the same. Three divisions at National level in 2026, from there we will drive to evolve into a competition that aligns more with the RFL’s aspirations.

“At the end of the 2025 season, the NCL clubs (and all others from the present Regional Leagues) have an understanding of what 2027 will look like for them and have a direction of travel.

“None of us are against a pyramid which allows clubs’ progression but the change is not being managed appropriately, is being rushed and is ill thought out. And if you don’t believe that, then ask those in Cumbria, where their options have still to be ironed out – presumably when everything else is in place and they have nowhere else to go! What kind of management is that?

“We all know that logistically Cumbria, given its size and clubs’ geographical locations, is very difficult, but any forward moving solution – or evolution – needs a great deal more work on the ground with people who know the playing strengths of clubs as well as recognising their desire to travel before any change is implanted.”

Denning insisted: “At the end of the day we all want the same thing – a vibrant sport from top to bottom!

“The NCL has been very vocal on behalf of our clubs and the community game for many, many years, and especially with regards to how the player pathway from the juniors, for both boys and girls, is managed. We have massive numbers of players at junior level, which is not transposing to increased players playing in adult teams. Why? The professional game has to look at this and work with the RFL and the community game as a whole to preserve as many of these young players in our sport as possible.

“Changing the league structures is not the `silver bullet’ to retain or attract more adults within the sport. But if everything else is planned, developed and implemented with full communication and timely management that pulls everyone on board, then it could be a very effective part of a suite of measures which would assist in creating an upward trend.”

He concluded: “We encouraged NCL clubs to engage with the RFL at the Webinar on Thursday, and will meet with the clubs on Monday 10 November to take stock of their views.

“This was never meant to be an `us and them’ position; we don’t want to head back to 1973 and the situation that saw the formation of BARLA and years of a cold war between the professional and amateur game, as it was then called.

“We want the RFL to not try and act in haste and create chaos that could take us all back years, but to listen to those at the clubs who are on the coal face.”