The Wolfpack have provided support on the issue of visas since day one. They have offered the services of an immigration advisor to any club that needs it.

This issue has only come to light because some badly-run clubs didn't get their house in order and address an issue that they should have tackled themselves within good time.

So why the intervention from the Canadian High Commission? League 1 and a good proportion of Championship clubs run their back office with a skeleton staff, many of whom may have never come across the need for foreign visa's. As I say, if it was so simple, why the intervention now?

If a current SL side turned up with less than 17 players for a televised game in Canada, that's why. It would be the end of the Canadian dream.

The SL sides that are going to Canada are going with a few weeks notice, not 6 months like most Championship sides have had.

Why should they put themselves out so a semi-pro ex-con can meander over to Canada for a jolly when their club have had ample time to sort it?

Clueless, and totally disrespectful to a load of semi-pro players who are the backbone of the game in the UK.

They have had 6 months,infact theyve had a lot longer than that.You're an apologist for failure

Are they really the backbone? I’d say the backbone of the game is the amateur sides at youth and junior level.

Unfortunately he’s right. Some clubs are very poorly run and should have had this issue sorted immediately. For some reason many of them decided to wait and apply for visas last minute.

Fair do's that the "backbone" stretches further back to the amateur game. The point is that if it's so easy, why the heck do the Canadian High Commission need to step in now???

Clubs shouldn't sign up thugs then, simple as.....

Possibly they should all sign Canadian players! Oh wait a minute.

Where is the evidence that the Canadian High Commission are "stepping in"? All the original post says is an unsubstantiated claim that TWP is "working with" TWP. That's very different.

In life, a criminal record makes things difficult. Just ask Alexis Sanchez. The Canadian authorities will not and should not change their policies on admitting people of bad character into their country just to appease RL so it is up to our clubs to manage that situation - either apply for the right visa in good time (using the support provided by TWP if necessary), rethink their recruitment policies, or acknowledge that employing people with a criminal past comes with downsides..

Oh, and give it a rest with the "backbone of the game" nonsense. The amateur community game is the backbone - L1 and the Championship, with its badly run clubs holding out the begging bucket, is more like the flabby beer gut of the game.

The problem that many 'poorly run' Championship clubs face (and indeed SL clubs) is that the squad they end up with, late in the season, can bear little similarity to the one they started the season with, when the fixtures became known. I believe Batley (and they are not a 'poorly run' club, in my opinion) had eight players unavailable through injury, one suspended and a couple who couldn't get time off work. They then fill in the blanks, with what they can get.

'Criminal records' (including, I believe, motoring offences, by the way) are not necessarily the number one priority, when employing a player. I wonder how many current SL players have a 'criminal record'? The newspaper article stated that SL clubs involved in the 'Middle 8's', were concerned that some of their players would be refused entry into Canada. That would suggest that 'criminal records' are not just restricted to 'poorly run' Championship clubs.

Good post Alan, it's just that the poster above you is a top snob.

It's not "snobbish" to expect things to be better.

Hey stirer i only see one club with the begging bucket out this morning

So SL don’t have badly run clubs then?

Traveling to Canada is extremely straightforward, any club in danger of playing in the middle 8’s competition should have sorted their own players visas out months ago.

I never said they didn't. My issue is with this "backbone of the game" self aggrandisement that so many posters around here seem to partake in. If that really is the backbone of the game, it's no suprise that the rest of the body is weak.

Maybe the experts on here could tell me how long it takes to get clearance to visit Canada if you have a criminal record? Batley worked closely with the immigration service provided by TWP but still couldn't get clearance for one of their players.

If players have a criminal record that’s their own problem. They would have faced similar problems playing in the World Cup or the Denver Test. It is not Toronto’s fault if players at other clubs have criminal records.

Obviously its incumbent on clubs to get paperwork sorted ASAP and not leave it until the last minute. Apply for visas for all players and staff at the start of the season and make sure all dual reg and loan clubs are doing the same. In fact it's in the interests of all clubs to do it anyway. It might be an extra expense but it can't be ignored.

Super Rugby Sides from Australia, Japan, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand don't seem to have any issues visiting foreign lands to play games.......same way that the Welsh, Irish, Scottish and Italian Union Clubs have no issue visiting South Africa or the other way around......why is it the RL managed to make everything seem so bloody difficult?

So let me get this straight. Its Torontos fault that players with a criminal record cant get a visa? Did the wolfpack put drugs up peoples noses? Did the wolfpack make people beat up students?

Regards

King James

They were certainly aware of it with their own players

It is Toronto fault, because its opened up a different set of operational rules in what is really a domestic competition, we also have the potential risk of breaching privacy and confidentiality.

Please can you provide evidence for this libellous comment?

Regards

King James