Jenky, you've missed out the key element in your summarisation. The one about the 'pathway' (buzz word, I know) from Junior rugby to senior first team. All 80 Community RFL coaches have been sacked, and the local service areas have been cancelled. This, coupled with the RFL scrapping under 18's has left a potential huge hole in the conveyor belt of juniors to both Wigan and Leigh. (and every other professional RL club)

What John Duffy and his team have set in place at Leigh, on his/the club's initiative is a progression from Under 16's to Under 18's to Under 20's to first team. The link with Wigan, despite what all those 'in the know' have to say on here, is about ensuring that the young players find a way through or, if they aren't good enough/don't want to pursue a rugby career, that they are not just chucked on the scrap heap. (At the same time, they will be pursuing an educational career at college.)

How do I know this? Because I know what John, the coaching team and others and his team have been tirelessly pursuing in their role as successors to the Community department.

No way am I attempting to criticise the former Community team. I'm just trying to explain that the club is not inactive on the Community front - far, far from it. And I'll say it again - THIS is the main thrust of the 'partnership' with Wigan. Possible D/C signings are merely a by-product of this partnership, should WE choose to use them.

And all that is =#FF0000FACT Should you choose to ignore it, fine, that's your choice.

Alan
The former community dept is a charitable trust and can get grants we can't . FACT
They do work with excluded kids and the like in the community , the pit to pitch is one they did, the one the plaques are in place under the north stand, and they could have done similar for the West stand community work is not about under 16s etc and player pathways .
Duffy has took over what Gary Eccleston was doing not from Hannah and co

I have been thinking today, there is quite clearly a strong sense of public opinion on this, I am yet to see anyone support the decision (at least that I believe). So what next?

Over a short space of time we have notched up 30+ pages of views and opinions, obviously with a lot of raw emotion. I know people say that the board read this forum, but how often or with how great a pinch of salt I do not know.

I have seen many people say that's it, I'm not going again. If our forefathers took that view back in the late 19th Century when the Rugby Football Union was actively trying to destroy our clubs none of us would have heard of the George Hotel, there would be no such thing as Rugby League and we wouldn't all be having this conversation today. Our sport and our clubs have overcome far greater obstacles than this, and will face many more in future years.

In LISA and the TDC Leigh has two strong bodies which are great at representing the fans views. Would it perhaps be a good idea to get together and put together a public letter to the board on behalf of the fans, perhaps drawing upon and quoting views and opinions expressed on here. This would not only show the true strength of feeling, but allow representations to be made, and responded to in a clear and coherent manner. Whilst I agree there is probably a need for a fans forum, at any such event emotions on both sides will ride high, making a well articulated and constructive debate difficult to achieve.

I could be completely wrong and do feel free to tell me if that is the case, but I feel that instead of throwing in the towel something along the above lines should be at least considered.

are you suggesting, or do you know from attending meetings, that the partnership arrangement has some financial attachments/incentives if so in what form and with what payback or implications

Not heard anything like that at all.
I'm on about what we are set to lose now as it stands, because I can't see tis announcement increasing crowds can you ?

When was it Netto went into a partnership with ASDA?

Correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know we never had a RESERVE team , we had planned an U18's and an U20's team and we had to release a few lads who didn't fit into the criteria that the RFL set .

We were refused permission to run the U18's and thats why most of the lads in our U20's are still very young ....... good but still young .

So where is this mythical reserve team we have ?

I've changed my mind - we will become Wigan's feeder club, there is no doubt about it.

How can I be so sure? The people of Leigh no longer care enough about this club in enough numbers, and when we have sub-1000 crowds in a season or two (or sooner) we'll have no option.

The decline was underway, we were probably no more than 5 years from hitting this position unless something changed.

It now looks as if the decrease in attendances has accelerated, and had before the partnership announcement. We'll soon be in a position where there is no way we can pay our own way.

This town no longer deserves an independent competitive rugby league club.

Thanks for the memories Leigh RL.

I've fallen for it again - passing on factual information. In future, If I feel the need to intervene, I'll tell the lies that you all seem to thrive on. I have now stopped passing on facts in any shape or form.

Parting shot - have you told us all the full truth about the Community Department, and how it was run?

Or people can just try and score points over one and other, bicker and pursue personal battles/grievances...

One of the main reasons I don't post/visit this forum much these days.

Great idea but it would be wasted effort, Barton in his current 'I know best' mode would bin it. There is only one way and that is his way.

Alan,
I'm not sure though that Leigh having a clear pathway is such a essential thing for a Championship club that is cash strapped but I fully understand your enthusiasm for the above.
Yes its what we should want/ aspire to and yes its the best thing to have but is it what a semi pro club really needs to do to compete in the Championship ?
If by us not doing this are we saying that the kids will be lost to the game forever as personally I think its a tad unfair to the local amateur clubs who do a lot lot of work with the youth to develop them along with the schools, could we not get a agreement with the towns major amateur clubs or are we involving them, surely a player lost to Leigh is a player they'd consider?
In terms of the funding I wouldn't pretend to know much about that (as I don't know much about it ! !) but has just stopped all of a sudden as I've never known it to be a Leigh Centurion priority to get the boroughs youth involved let alone the towns youth !
Havng said that I suspect most people will still need a lot of convincing that in all eventuality all this still means is that Leigh pick up the players who Wigan currently feel aren't good enough, we've been doing that for some time along with quite a few SL clubs - why pay towards the costs now ?

If its just about the youth pathway then surely Trevor (on seeing the reaction of the Leigh fans) will be more than happy to say its just a long term player development thing and for the next three years to show we are committed to having a independent club we are not going to put a player in the first team from Wigan on DC (so its loan or signed only) as we still beLeighve , no need for any DC's if its purely about the youth structure and it should be easy to ensure that.
Equally as its about player development the club can keep everything in the open via the programme or website about how all the dual Wigan/Leigh trainees are doing and as to the likelyhood of which team they will be going to.

Long term planning (which is fantastic) shouldn't need short term fix's now, lets see how the youth set up pans out before we volunteer our First Team as a training team to Wigan Warriors players.

I'm still not convinced after listening to that because why do we need these players from wigan now.
We have aspinwall higson colye Rowe and nicho not playing ATM we are doing ok without any wigan players they could loan us 5 if necessary surely if we get more injuries why do we need to sign any agreement ?
In our local club s like miners east they do a lot for junior development themselves why do we need to get involved in that fev btw have under 16s 18 20s etc not just us.

I'm sure the bank manager will be completely satisfied now after hearing our commitment to being the best at junior development instead of the RFL and Sport England, He'll be upping the overdraft limit for the club as we speak to cover for our short term ' Cash flow ' problems till we enter SL

Did nobody tell our volunteer CEO we are a business before he decided to make us the RL development Charity

Ok, lets neglect both our moral duty AND our source of talent. Brilliant idea Starbug, brilliant.

We have to try to make it right, and that's what this partnership with Wigan is about.

It does seem a logical idea and one a board with the prospect of diminishing gates you'd think would consider.
Like yourself I've seen what people put and the overiding nag in the back of my mind is that if this was just purely about pathways and the long term positives of youth development then why no mention in the lead up, Instead it was a hastily released press statement after the Journal ran the story (with even Radlinski's quotes reportedly altered as the day went on !) which hardly inspires confidence.

Something needs doing as otherwise this club could be in trouble and action needs to be quick.

Mike , moral duty to do what exactly? , and who's source of talent?

What exactly are we ' making right ' ?

I know our current board can't live on the - we kept this club alive and kicking when it was close to bust - excuse for anything they do forever, but for me everyone is decending into a mass state of panick and lynch mob mentality. Why not just turn up and watch those lads perform on the pitch. Is that not what we are, FANS? Whose first prioity is to get our s to as many terraces as we can and make as much noise as we can. Since the club have opened up a bit we really have come to think that we have a right to a say in the clubs running. When Lynda was invited to be on the board I said that it was a bad idea because of the reasons I have read on here with people having a pop at her for being there. We fans do not run this club. If you think that by saying you won't watch Leigh again - because of what is happening with this new realationship - you can alter the boards decision or bring it down, you are very much mistaken and completely out of order. If you don't want to watch Leigh then don't. I personally am giving my full backing to this as I personally can't be bothered with this anti Wigan campaign anymore. I can't even contemplate not watching my team and if you worked away like I do missing games you would be just like I am. We have'nt been playing that well this year so when the players get wind of the posts on here and their form drops, are you going to blame the club for that? Get a bloody grip and back the club instead of moaning. I want to see that team winning with local lads. Wigan is local to Leigh.

Spot on

Top Post

Voicing a concern is not being a lynch mob .
This is after all a independent message board people can post what they want on here as long as it stay within the rules of the aup.
I don't think anyone has stepped out of line on here.
If we wasn't so passionate about the club we wouldn't care about this arrangement .
Let's wait and see what happens.
I just hope it doesn't make cash-flow problem worse by losing more fans.
I just think we have good enough players of our own and hearing the fans say that won't that boost theitpr performances not see a drop in them ?

Our moral duty as a central pillar of our community to right by that community.

We're making right, as best as possible, the missteps of our sport funding body. We also can't do it on our own.

Mike, its a business

Or are you suggesting Leigh Centurions should start running under 6 teams? As I put earlier the RFL Sport England funding was almost undetectable in the Wigan Borough , and last time I looked there were more top level players from this borough playing RL than any other in the country

Sorry no guilt trip for me