THE RFL is hoping to release details of next season’s Reserves and Academy fixtures either later this week or early in the New Year.
League Express understands that the draft fixtures are now with the clubs, who are still working through questions on venues, dates, double-headers and so on.
As things stand, 13 clubs will be running Reserves teams, including all the clubs in Super League except Catalans (whose second-string play in the French Elite 1 competition), plus Wakefield and Bradford from the Championship.
There will be ten teams in the Academy competition, with eight of them Super League clubs.
London, Leigh, Salford and Catalans won’t be taking part, but again Wakefield and Bradford from the Championship will.
In relation to the structure of the season, there are likely to be twelve rounds in each competition, played on alternate weekends, as last year.
Both competitions will play to the same tackle-height law as the community game, with no tackles allowed above the armpit.
