It could simply be that they don't want clubs to have a scholarship unless they run an U18's team for them to progress towards.
I think the RFL's stance that 16-18 year olds must be paid is fair and reasonable but I know it has knocked back several championship clubs. However most of those lads will stay with their clubs, similarly scholarship players don't get many games....most of their rugby is played for their clubs.

Anyone can run a youth setup. We do even. But if you want to call it an RFL accredited scholarship programme, then it has to meet particular standards.

Makes sense, and is what I guess this is!

I agree totally Richie but if other Championship clubs produce exceptional young players, what will happen to them? Where will they be allowed to play? Will they be deemed to be good enough if the are not 'accredited' even if they obviously are.

Seems like another step towards feeder clubs to me.

Restraint dressed up as I don't know what!?

Suppose they'll go to NYL amateur clubs or regional amateur clubs. Many of which are likely to have better standards of support and coaching than a scheme attached to a pro club that can't get RFL accreditation.

They are already with amatuer clubs , I am led to believe the so called RFL accreditation is decided by the number of your players that make regional camp , usually the coaches that decide who makes regional camp are from SL clubs , they are obviously going to pick the players from SL scholarships

Just as Championship clubs are at alower level of the sport the scholarships at non SL clubs will be of a lower level , but that doesn,t mean that these players could not develop into future pro/semi pro players

It would seem to me to be that the SL clubs want to have more players on their scholarships than they have previously been officially allowed , and this is a way of doing it

A by product of this is that it makes it even harder for any Championship club to pass future SL application criteria

Our lads on Harlequins and Sheffield Eagles scholarships played fixtures for both of those teams, as well as playing for us.

Teams moaning about this could of got academy sorted before leaving it til last min for SL app?



Not running one to save pennies and then throwing one together last min may not be the best way to encourage youth... if don't get in SL, scrapped a season later?

This is about scholarships , not academies , as I pointed out earlier , the Widnes academy has benifited from the Leigh scholarship , what exactly is wrong with that , surely we all want as many junior players getting as much coaching as posibble at as high alevel as they can

btw, has this question




been answered yet

The RFL guy said all clubs can run junior sides if they want so what exactly is being blocked? Did Millward expand? I agree if sides want to do anything should be but what are they stopping?

Who ?

could be the same phantom RFL person thats supposedly said something to Leigh (which we still havent actually been shown any evidence of!!!). that phantom person could be sat at home right now having a right giggle at the attention their chinese whispers are getting amongst Leigh fans....it's all part of the global conspiracy to keep Leigh from meeting set criteria.

Look at it another way.

What would Arthur Thomas (not some two bob halfwit - see previous positions at Wigan and Saints) and Ian Millward (ditto) gain by saying this at a public meeting if there wasn't an element of truth in it?

Even people outside of Leighs bubble have confirmed the same on this very thread.

no one has 'confirmed' anything. and what Leigh seem to be chasing is sympathy...and an attempt to try and get this weekends crowd up

Ian Millward said on GMR last night that Leigh will be running a scholarship next year as it was one of the plus points in their SL application?




He also said that the crowd they will get on Saturday will see them achieve the average crowd criteria..
Nice little look into the future there Ian.

Apparently we have been taking lessons off Salford and Widnes regarding the publication of crowd figures

Well we haven't been doing too good a job on that front... ours have dropped this season. Doesn't get away from the fact that they seem to know what the crowd figure will be on Saturday. What is it you need to get through the gate?

Can't remember his name was an RFL spokesperson after teh Wire Vs Catalan friendly... an official source

One of?



Oh yea I forgot about the beautiful, stunning, sensational LSV

That would be John Ledger, who when asked about academies etc, stated most championship clubs ran academies. Its a pity the RFL media man knows jack about what is going on in RL

Im confused now(easily done I know) I thought Leigh werent allowed to run one.

Na they just after attention as no-one mentioned them for SL 2012!

You do realise there are lots of us who accept (and have said so repeatedly) that we're nowhere near ready for SL don't you?

Should you not be worried about how you can turn your squad full of fluffers into something that won't make an @rse of itself when they do get into SL.