That's why it seems far fetched.

Where is the evidence?

If a club wants to run a scholarship programme to bring through youngsters in our game then they should be allowed to and that stands for any club. Widnes under 18's have been with the Super League academy for years and are currently the best in the country, im not sure on the rules allowing another club to form in the competition and im not sure enough championship clubs want to run an under 18's to justify forming another division?

No club should be stopped from running scholarships though, the more youngsters playing the game the better.

I would be interested to see the proof of this although no reason to believe it is not correct. Its interesting to see posters still wanting to believe the best about the RFL, who frankly have done absolutely nothing in the recent past to deserve such faith...

This seems to more than a blatant case of goalpost moving - if true this is an attempt to pull out the grass roots of the game and cover it with concrete crazy paving - but to what benefit? I just don't see it...

:332f96k7

Sorry Chris , but only evidence I have is what I was told verbally

It was from a current Championship club Chairman [ former chairman of 2 SL clubs and from the Head coach of a current Championship club [ former head coach of 2 SL clubs , the same ones actually

Never trust anyone from lobby land.

One of them was from Wollongong , is that ok ?

Yet another intelligent response ............ Well done.......

Give me some logic. Give me a reason they've knocked you back. Is it because your entry was cynical and unprepared perhaps? Give me one good reason they would possibly knock you back. Anything that does not amount to "they don't like us".

Lack of evidence would not be good enough for you if Leigh were not involved, it should not be good enough now either.

Does this mean the London Skolars will have to change their name

A London club changing names, isn't that a tradition

Help me understand.....what's the difference between a pro club running either their own or attaching themselves to an existing junior club and using that as their academy, and the scholarship programme?

Really hope this isnt true. Some of the Championship clubs run very good scholarships and they bring the best local coaches together and local business sponsors training kit etc... so the costs are minimal.

I just cant see this being true. Surely not. If it is im disgusted. Championship clubs expand into areas SL cant and kids there need a carrot. Event those near SL clubs offer an extra band of players a chance. Warren Jowitt had a very good career in SL, and came from Hunslets youth set up.

What a joke, no wonder this sport is dying.

Why are you sticking up for that shower of lying, incompetant to55ers, We was told this by our chairman and coach at the LISA meeting and knowing Arthur well, he does not lie and as been invovled with two other SL teams, so he knows what he talking about.
He also didn't just say it was LEIGH he said all of us except WIDNES.
I felt people should know what a set of bent barstewards all of the RFL are.

Basically with this and the other little criteria changes they sneaked in recently, they are in effect saying we want Widnes and then foreign clubs from now on,Leigh, Barrow, Fax, Batley and Fev, in fact of of you can forget about it as if you do make 2500 avage crowds we'll change it to 4000, if you turn over 1 million we'll change it to 2 million, and if you do ,manage these, we'll still turn you down, as you've no youth developement

Disgrace if true.. Leigh (for one) have a thriving amateur set up in the town why cant the pro club harness this talent for the future? What are the RFL scared of? Just defies logic and seems its more and more a SL Team only club.

I support Widnes and think it strange my club can continue on with all others being blocked just doesnt feel right to me

He’s hardly defending them, just asking for evidence that this is actually the case, which in reality isn’t an unreasonable thing to want before passing judgement.

I have contacted the RFL to see if they confirm or deny the rumour - if I hear anything I will post it here.

I think you'll find a lot of leigh fans also want to know a reason.

Seems a bit rich seeing a Widnes fan preaching about how fans shouldn't display a "they don't like us" paranoia.

Please point out where I've been preaching. I have nothing against Leigh whatsoever and plenty against the RFL.

But look at it from our perspective. The youth team is a real trump card for Widnes. Our under 18s are not only in the top league, and made the cut off for the top of the top league, we're unbeaten too against the likes of leeds and saints. This becomes something of a real rallying point for our clubs license bid and all of a sudden Leigh make the claim that the only reason they're not in the same position is that they were not allowed to and you want everyone to take your word for it.

The whole thing doesnt seem to make sense. I am not saying it definitely isn't the case. I'm asking for some evidence or proof and at the very least some reason to it. The RFL have not favoured us in the past, why would they now and why would they stop you from improving your lot by your own means? Are they stopping you from putting together a scholarship indefinitely? Were your plans well thought through and ready to go? What is the justification they are giving? There seems to be no logic towards stopping you and before I start to believe any of this I'm going to need more than chinese whispers I'm afraid as no doubt you would were our positions reversed. This is nothing personal, believe me.

Chris , this nothing personal against Widnes either , you should be rightly commended for the junior set up you have created , nobody is saying you have been favoured over anybody , as I put in the O/P , ' Non SL clubs ' , and as your promotion to SL has been ' stamped ' this week , you are now effectively a SL club

I don't see how such a directive could be issued which allows one club (Widnes) to have a scholarship but doesn't allow other Championship clubs a scholarship. How can such blatant prefferential treatment be justified? Why would other Championship clubs accept it?

They shouldn't but what can the do? anything against the RFL is only going to make them get treated worse than they are.

If a Championship club wanted to run a scholarship, which is both beneficial to that club and the greater good of the game, who would argue against that? It makes no sense, none at all.

In the words of Tina Turner (almost) - Whoa-oh-oh...whaaaaaats sense gotta do, gotta do with it?

Tell me, have you ever seen the RFL and common sense together in the same room?

Sorry if this has been covered, but what's the difference between scholarship and academy, is it just age?