[urlhttp://mobile.hullfc.com/News/Article/40674/hull-fc-hull-kr-announce-exciting-super-academy[/url

An absolute insult to both clubs histories!

You know what, it's good to see clubs collaborating rather than trying to beat each other down. Particularly for the Hull clubs, it's a remarkable step and one that in principle at least should be supported. It should mean access to a better standard of coaching and facilities.

The only concern for me would be the draft system. How would that work? Surely it should be on a market value basis? Both clubs have the same cap, so presumably the draft pick would favour the club that did worse the previous season. That is completely unsustainable for me. If one of the Hull clubs was consistently doing better they would lose the best academy products to the other Hull side?

That and the prospect of a club merger in the future.

1st step to a full merger ??

Tainting our future stars, scummy FC! Lol

We'll see how successful it is, if it produces more first teamers for both clubs then it's great. Been a long time since we both consistently produced internationals.

Let's face it, something needs to be done. It's ridiculous that we can't get a club out of Hull which consistently challenges at the top end of the competition. With FC's ground, their combined support, and the huge amateur scene, Hull has got to rank as the most consistently underperforming part of the RL heartland.

This is definately not the first steps to a full merger, as Neil Hudgell states plainly in the official statement. It would make no financial sense to do so. The best gate both clubs get is for the derbies. Removing that would be a mistake. Plus, the innevitable would happen with a relaunch of clubs with the original names in the lower ranks.

I don't stand on the terraces and shout Come on Rugby League, I shout Come on Rovers. If the club folded I would probably just give up watching the sport, after all, as a full time employed middle aged bloke, there's plenty of pressure already for me to do other things.

As for the merged academy? It may work and get more kids involved although the draft system is the big unknown.

I totally agree. If you have a youth player who grew up watching Hull FC to be then told he has to play for Hull KR, what would happen? You can't force a player to play for a club he doesn't want to.

Indeed, and what happens if say a promising hooker comes through the ranks (something we need as backup/interchange) but Rovers have the first pick, and FC then end up with say another 2nd rower that we don't really need and who won't get a game. You end up with the young players becoming disgruntled with the lack of first team opportunities.

Ridiculous penny-pinching behaviour that is surely against the RFL criteria for SL membership?

Worth noting that both of these clubs voted against bringing back U21s that has caused problems in developing players ever since.

A merger between the two clubs would make sense on the field, but this is a cost cutting measure and nothing more.

Yes you can. You build that part of it into the contractual arrangement of him signing for the academy in the first place. You can't stop them signing for an external side, but that would be covered by existing rules re. compensation.

I think some people are confusing the draft system. Under a 'normal' draft system the picks would be allocated, not the players. So if Hull came above Hull KR, Hull KR would get pick 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 etc with Hull getting 2, 4, 6, 8. The club with first pick then chooses the player they want. If Hull with pick 2 wanted a hooker, they could choose one, they wouldn't be forced into signing a player they didn't want.

All depends on how they format the draft. In America they allow all kinds of trading of draft picks.

It's something the sport could definitely look at. The big clubs have a massive hold over youth players. The likes of Salford, Warrington, Widnes, Cas, Wakey have always struggled to sign up even the players from their own towns because of the academy reputation of clubs like Leeds, Wigan and Saints.

I really can't see the benefit of this to Hull FC?

When he arrived at Hull FC, Adam Pearson made some big promises about "massive investment in the Academy structure" as part of revamping the club.

Just four years later, he's looking to cut costs in that very area.

He'll be full time at Leeds United as soon as he can find someone else to take Hull FC off his hands. It's the way he works. Come into a club, slash costs, sell on at a profit. Said as much when he first got involved.

Agreed. It's just cost cutting. Very poor from both clubs IMO Hull is a hotbed of RL. I never played against any bad teams in the Hull district. With the exception of one or two players, the size of the clubs, and the area they are in, their junior development has been very poor. Although to be fair they both now seem to be slowly improving and giving young players a chance, but now this just seems a backwards step for me.

The increase in Sky money should have seen the U21's back as mandatory. Yet typical RFL stance of saying nothing.

As others have said this is cost cutting with a good excuse. The fact that the RFL have congratulated the clubs is shameful.

It should be interesting next time a good player comes through who will get the player to sign. Alternatively, if players are associate with a club from the start, if both clubs both have a player who is say a full-back, which player will get preference.

It does have its benefits as the merged academy should be more competitive against the big 4 teams.

In the end I suspect this is just HKR slipping FC a couple of quid so they don't have to have an academy. HKR can then have any players that FC doesn't want.

Cost cutting, nothing more. Very poor from both clubs to be honest. All it does is restrict the number of young players who progress into the academy setup.

If Hull FC and Hull KR wanted to collaborate with their academies they could share facilities and even back room staff if they wanted.

This is simply halving the cost for both clubs and it will not serve them or the sport well in the future.

Furthermore for Ralph Rimmer and the RFL to congratulate this move is utterly pathetic.

The likes of Wakefield and Cas have struggled to continue their academies whilst under huge financial pressures, yet managed to do so. IIRC Catalans are to put an U19's side into the comp for the first time and then 2 clubs do this and it's not only allowed but congratulated by the RFL?

What message does that send to the other clubs? Why should they bother?

How will making the player pool shallower help?

Competing at U19's/academy players getting rep call-ups isn't an issue at Hull. It's beyond U19's and the transition to the first team where the real issue is. This terribly thought out 'initiative' will do nothing to address that.

I guess if you wanted to put the most positive spin on it, you could argue that the best players from both clubs would be combined into a single side, helping them to develop and become even better. However, I agree with most comments on this thread. Something should indeed be done about the underperformance of Hull, but this probably isn't it.

Right decision albeit probably the wrong motive (cash saving).

In fact it should prove a great development route for up-and-coming talent in Hull and East Yorkshire; a real hotbed for emerging rugby talent and away from the rest of the heartland.

Now, young schools and amateur athletes can aspire to be chosen for a development opportunity with a unified City of Hull Rugby League Academy. The new academy should have the resources and skills to make the Hull Academy the best in the country. No longer two separate operations trying to pull teenagers this way and that.

As the best young Hull players move towards the Academy age limit, I'd forget about any concept of draft. If one of the professional Hull clubs offer an Academy player a full-time contract, it should have to inform the other club. If both Hull clubs then offer a full-time contract, the youngster should be able to choose which one he accepts (might be more than pure financial considerations). If the youngster accepts a full-time contract with an outside club, the Hull Academy gets the fee which could be passed back to the two professional clubs 50/50.

ie. player choice not player draft.

It's a terrible decision.

Hull & Rovers sit 3rd & 5th in the U19's table, why would stopping half of these lads playing regular rugby be a good thing?

Rugby League as a sport has come up with some pretty daft ideas over the years, but this one and the proposed draft system, is right up there with the most ridiculous.

Any club not prepared to run its own academy shouldn't be allowed to sign a marquee player. In fact I'd be tempted to make them operate under a reduced cap.

This is an absolute nonsense. The answer was to improve coaching standards at junior level at both clubs and improve progression for two lots of juniors, not combine into one mega-poor academy.

Ridiculous move. Can you imagine saints and Wigan doing this?!

I'd be livid if this was my club.

Most FC fans are livid. Pearson is due on Radio Humberside any minute.

We've signed away half of our club and merged with an inferior setup. Brilliant.

Let's face it the real reason behind this move is the marquee player rule, the money saved on running academies will go towards a marquee player for both sides, discusting and honestly thought Adam Pearson was better then that.

Spot on.

What Hull FC and Hull KR should've done is announce the building of a joint academy complex that could share facilities, staff and costs but keep the 2 academy teams seperate.

Actually, the best gate we have had the last two seasons has been for Leeds (ground record), because a lot of FC fans refuse to come, first it was the south stand, now with no excuse because of the new north stand. Most say it because 'we don't want to give Rovers money'. I don't like giving FC money, but the most important factor to me is going and supporting my team.