Correct. Results mean nothing of none of the players are good enough to make first grade

Have you been drinking? That makes no sense.

What could they learn. Other than relocating!

Erm, how to have a successful academy?

Well I’m a Leigh fan and our community game far out-weighs any academy.. The reality of academies demise the sport.

What you think could be built, has already been built.

There are what, 2 community clubs in Leigh? Miners and east?

There are about 10 in Newcastle.

Maybe that’s why they got a licence and Leigh didn’t?

Miners and East are productive lines to first teams. Having 10 in Newcastle with only one prominent team will be difficult. The eyes will be watching.

I doubt vey much the caliber of the 10 meet the standards of Rangers and East. But time will tell.

Your being wound up but of course you know that.

Everyone holds out great hopes for Newcastle RLFC but even a multi-millionaire can't develop quality RL players if the conditions are not right.

Leigh are a valuable part of the dyed in the wool RL area of Lancashire, and have been for many years.

Newcastle set out to create a new Rugby League stronghold and a superleague club as long ago as 1999.

Leigh has been a stronghold since 1878........................

Playing with stats is easy. Fact is the number of RL fans and RL players per head of population in Leigh is massively much much bigger than in Newcastle and always will be.

Newcastle are doing a great job of building things up from the grassroots. They ought to be applauded. Who knows where they might be in the future.

No they did NOT.
The Gateshead Council and the RFL appointed a rugby league development officer....Mick Hogan.
Gateshead Thunder were formed and catapulted into Super League.
After 1 season they merged/were taken over by Hull FC.
They currently play at the rugby union home of Newcastle Falcons.

Those clowns running the game are absolutely ruining it and have no understanding of the grass roots of the game. They'll succeed in destroying the futures of young kids dreams and eventually turn more people away from the game of rugby league. Seriously, those fools at the RFL couldn't run a bath let alone a professional sport. They're a bunch of absolute incompetent imbeciles the lot of them.

Well said. The people at the RFL couldn't organise a p**s up in a brewery never mind the sport of Rugby league. They must be the most inept bunch of people ever to run a professional sport in this country. No wonder the game of rugby league is not taken seriously by those who could make a real difference to the sport in this country.
Rugby league will never ever reach its full potential while those clowns at the RFL are in charge, thats an absolute certainty.

The powers that be are indeed totally inept. Thats one reason why the game is not taken as seriously as it should be in this country.

Indeed they are. I certainly would not want any of them involved in my business. I fear I'd be out of business in a very short period of time.
Their incompetence and lack of vision is at times staggering to say the least.

Neither can I. Total lack of vision by the useless RFL.

It probably will set the sport back years. But thats what you get with the RFL... Total lack of vision. No wonder the sport continues to be laughed at in some professional circles.

This is what the RFL have done to the dreams of many young kids. The RFL are absolutely worse than incompetent. I wouldn't put them in charge of a circus never mind the sport of rugby league. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... dium=email

This is what the RFL have done to the dreams of many young kids. The RFL are absolutely worse than incompetent. I wouldn't put them in charge of a circus never mind the sport of rugby league. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... dium=email

Ralph doesn't care. He literally said that most of those kids would be crying later anyway after being dumped by their clubs when they didn't meet the standard required.

So that's alright then.

Does anyone actually know what this means for the clubs and players? Does not having an elite licence prevent them from doing anything they currently do? Is it just funding they no longer receive, or are they actually prevented from operating now they don't have a licence?

Without the elite licence they can't be in the Elite academy league.

As has been the case in the past they can help form and join another league.

But as it would be a poor standard with little prospect of developing professional talent it's not worth it.

The Rugby Football League and Super League have awarded academy licences to 10 clubs, believing a smaller pool of academies will strengthen the sport and community game.

"[iHull has been identified as not having a big enough playing pool to warrant two academies, with Hull FC the sole representative for the region.It has left many children who had their sights set on an academy contract with Rovers upon leaving school this summer feeling that chance to represent their club has gone".
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Lesser but better teams creates a more elite development environment, I think that's a fair point......

Less kids taken out of their community club teams means less such teams disbanding through the loss of their best players, which reduces the numbers of kids left which are often not enough to continue the junior team at their community club. e.g Cas sign four kids from Lock Lane Under 15, and so it ends up with the kids left struggling to raise a team and disbanding - Fair point again....

The chance remains for the next Roger Millward to step up to academy with Hull and once through that process sign for Hull.K.R. AFAIK you are not committed as an academy player to sign for the senior club who runs that academy....

Too much Rimmer bashing here, he's not the point......

It is said he set the requirements for the continuance of the Academy 2022 onwards three years ago giving clubs a long time to meet them Cas as an example dragged their heels and didn't meet them....

We need to be rid of people like Rimmer who is obviously clueless and out of his depth. If these sort of people are allowed to remain in their positions, the game of rugby league will be damaged possibly beyond repair.
Rimmers lack of understanding of the grassroots of the game plus LACK OF VISION is breathtaking. Why do the RFL keep managing to shoot themselves in the foot with such appointments of personnel who are not up to the job. Who are out of touch with the fans and players, and who do not act in the best interests of the game?

This might all be true but I'm not sure how it helps to actually grow the game at grass roots level and increase player participation.
In regards to Castleford, the reasons given by the RFL specifically mentioned their geographical location being a factor, which on the face of it doesn't seem to be very fair.

If the RFL keep shooting themselves in the foot with such appointments, then presumably it's the governing body what make the rules and does the hiring and firing which to a great extent exonerates Mr Rimmer for a large part of the criticism he is receiving as it's the RFL making the legislation, and he's simply the front man taking the flack, you can of course say that's what he's paid for, as he's the only one the fans can identify with.

Does anyone actually know what happens with the relationship between community clubs & academies?
Community clubs have yearly groups - the important ones in this context are u14, u15, u16, u18, open age. So, note double age group for u18s.

AI don't know what the plan is for next year, but this year academies are playing 4 (four!) u16's games and about 16 u19's games. The academies can pick from 3 years worth of players for the u19's but generally it's yrs2 or 3 that get a game. And if they're not picked, they can play for their community clubs.

So the u16's, for example Lock lane - I really can't see the coach of the u16's saying - right, we've an 18 game season, we have a full squad of 24 to pick from for 14 of those games, but unfortunately, due to scholarships, we've only got our (weakest) 20 to pick from for 4 games. We'd better fold....

The next group up, I can guarantee you it isn't academy games that affects the u18's. That discussion will go " right, we've about 40 players on our whatsapp group - 8 are playing for their academies, 14 are working, 10 are at Gary's birthday party, so they've said they'll make it but some might be too worse for wear to turn up - what does that leave us? 18 have said they'll make it, but a couple might be too drunk to turn up. Ok, that's enough to play with. Game's on.

Again, it's not academies that are the problem with community games.
I would love to see the evidence that the RFL seem to have that it is all due to academies. I think someone has just made this stuff up to fit an agenda.