Quote ="4thchoicecentre"Interesting to see how many clubs can actually put a squad out for this competition. I used to switch clubs in the summer to play at RLC and NL3.
Perhaps I'm a bit out of the loop but what will happen to the RLC now?
4th'"
NCL are moving to summer (and taking their A-teams with them I expect although not confirmed), so...
What is currently the top level of RLC, and what is currently NCL will have to apply to join 'Tier 3' which will be the new equivalent competition. As it happens, some sides are applying to be in Tier 2 even and some from the North West Counties are eyeing up Tier 3 applications so expect some flux!
What is left will join Tier 4 (hopefully with A teams from higher up) to provide a fully structured Tier 4 set of leagues across the whole of the country. This will be made of current RLC teams and winter sides who choose to switch.
The issues are multiple but this announcment starts to allow clubs to plan at least. For a start, a lot of the current summer clubs (in the NW at least) have been too reliant on winter players to be competitive in the existing summer competitions - the mess that is this years NW Premier shows that supposedly 'good' summer sides are no where near as ready as they've been making out - if they can't raise teams in May (as they are 'waiting' for their players to be available to them) then they have no chance for a March start.
What will hopefully happen is enough of a critical mass of winter sides will switch, alongside some of the existing summer sides finding their proper level to form the league.
However, in the NW at least there will stuill be a winter league so clubs are now going to have to choose which way to go...
