Things are not looking good and i dont see what can be done. how low will the standard get, and how many fans will simply lose interest before something is done? www.sthelensreporter.co.uk/sport ... -1-7934608 Nrl could be the way forward for sky sports and we just adopt an nrl team.

Things are not looking good and i dont see what can be done. how low will the standard get, and how many fans will simply lose interest before something is done? www.sthelensreporter.co.uk/sport ... -1-7934608 Nrl could be the way forward for sky sports and we just adopt an nrl team.

Yeah, iirc Bryn Hargreaves jacked it in, when still in his prime pretty much, to be a landscape gardener or similar. I thought then that that sort of thing was probably a bigger threat than Graham or Burgess going to the NRL.

No-one who posts on here remotely convinces me they could do any better than those paid to do so. Could this be because it's actually a bigger ask than it at first seems? If it isn't, at least throw some ideas into the ring.

The first idea would be to sort out the grass roots game - it's a complete mess and with some exceptions, junior teams are extremely badly served; they are unattractive propositions for parents and families, and for a lot of kids other than the big 'uns - and in many cases, they learn very little. The raw material of SL is not nurtured properly - which results in fewer kids playing the game, and for those who do, some serious unlearning is often required when they're picked up by professional clubs; and because there aren't enough of them, certain pro clubs shop around and hoover up kids from outside their catchment area - which often leads to stockpiling and lack of development opportunities for young players. And that goes right through to the criminally short-sighted decision to drop reserve teams and the subsequent increase in the use of DR - SL chairmen who voted for that should be ashamed.

It's not very sexy nor will it have an immediate impact on the quality of the game at the highest level, but the whole system is built on extremely shaky ground so long as the junior game is allowed to be owned and operated by well-meaning (usually) volunteers.

So - step 1 - take ownership of the jr game, reinstate the development officers that were sacked off a few years ago, and introduce some common, robust standards for coaching and governance of junior clubs; and force *all* professional clubs to be more involved with their local jr teams - not just the ones that have a couple of lads they'd like to sign up to their Academy.

Quote ="bren2k"The first idea would be to sort out the grass roots game - it's a complete mess and with some exceptions, junior teams are extremely badly served; they are unattractive propositions for parents and families, and for a lot of kids other than the big 'uns - and in many cases, they learn very little. The raw material of SL is not nurtured properly - which results in fewer kids playing the game, and for those who do, some serious unlearning is often required when they're picked up by professional clubs; and because there aren't enough of them, certain pro clubs shop around and hoover up kids from outside their catchment area - which often leads to stockpiling and lack of development opportunities for young players. And that goes right through to the criminally short-sighted decision to drop reserve teams and the subsequent increase in the use of DR - SL chairmen who voted for that should be ashamed. It's not very sexy nor will it have an immediate impact on the quality of the game at the highest level, but the whole system is built on extremely shaky ground so long as the junior game is allowed to be owned and operated by well-meaning (usually) volunteers. So - step 1 - take ownership of the jr game, reinstate the development officers that were sacked off a few years ago, and introduce some common, robust standards for coaching and governance of junior clubs; and force *all* professional clubs to be more involved with their local jr teams - not just the ones that have a couple of lads they'd like to sign up to their Academy.'" funnily enough, as part of our rebranding and updating of the club, Roger Draper did this. https://warringtonwolves.com/club-news/ ... bassadors/

Quote ="bren2k"The first idea would be to sort out the grass roots game - it's a complete mess and with some exceptions, junior teams are extremely badly served; they are unattractive propositions for parents and families, and for a lot of kids other than the big 'uns - and in many cases, they learn very little. The raw material of SL is not nurtured properly - which results in fewer kids playing the game, and for those who do, some serious unlearning is often required when they're picked up by professional clubs; and because there aren't enough of them, certain pro clubs shop around and hoover up kids from outside their catchment area - which often leads to stockpiling and lack of development opportunities for young players. And that goes right through to the criminally short-sighted decision to drop reserve teams and the subsequent increase in the use of DR - SL chairmen who voted for that should be ashamed. It's not very sexy nor will it have an immediate impact on the quality of the game at the highest level, but the whole system is built on extremely shaky ground so long as the junior game is allowed to be owned and operated by well-meaning (usually) volunteers. So - step 1 - take ownership of the jr game, reinstate the development officers that were sacked off a few years ago, and introduce some common, robust standards for coaching and governance of junior clubs; and force *all* professional clubs to be more involved with their local jr teams - not just the ones that have a couple of lads they'd like to sign up to their Academy.'" funnily enough, as part of our rebranding and updating of the club, Roger Draper did this. https://warringtonwolves.com/club-news/ ... bassadors/

Quote ="Fantastic Mr Cat"funnily enough, as part of our rebranding and updating of the club, Roger Draper did this. https://warringtonwolves.com/club-news/ ... bassadors/'" That's a good start - but I'm talking about a root and branch shake-up of the community game, involving common coaching standards and RL development officers paid to ensure that junior players are being properly looked after in terms of skills development, technique, conditioning and recovery. We're a million miles from that right now and always will be so long as community clubs are run at the largesse of parents and local businessmen, who pay a few bob to have their name on the shirt. SL club employees should indeed be involved at community clubs - but to deliver coaching, skills and conditioning training; notwithstanding the ambassadorial stuff, which is certainly helpful, but a tiny part of what needs to be done to improve the grassroots game.

Quote ="Fantastic Mr Cat"funnily enough, as part of our rebranding and updating of the club, Roger Draper did this. https://warringtonwolves.com/club-news/ ... bassadors/'" That's a good start - but I'm talking about a root and branch shake-up of the community game, involving common coaching standards and RL development officers paid to ensure that junior players are being properly looked after in terms of skills development, technique, conditioning and recovery. We're a million miles from that right now and always will be so long as community clubs are run at the largesse of parents and local businessmen, who pay a few bob to have their name on the shirt. SL club employees should indeed be involved at community clubs - but to deliver coaching, skills and conditioning training; notwithstanding the ambassadorial stuff, which is certainly helpful, but a tiny part of what needs to be done to improve the grassroots game.