A lot of teams coming straight from winter without a break were always going to struggle initially with players needing a break as is the case after any season, I think once this first season is over and players have had a break from the game they will be keen to get back playing at the start of the playing season.

There also seems to be an issue with the leagues with the structure not being right possibly this is down to clubs asking to play a level they weren't ready for, this in turn has caused some of the 24-0 results.

There may be some sides leaving but it is believed that Warrington Wizards will ask to join the premier division from next season maybe to replace Golborne who were going to struggle anyway and have just took the easy option of moving to a league they will be able to win easily every week.

It was never going to be decided in year 1 that summer rugby was going to be a success and the same arguments are still there that have been discussed over the past few years

The NCL will add another division so I expect a lot of new clubs will be from NW Men's (there's 18 applicants) but yeah Wizards would be a good addition to premier.

I understand the issues regarding players going straight from winter to summer, my club has exactly the same problems. But, Ithink there are a number of worrying issues with the Easts statement.

Firstly it comes from such a high profile, respected NCL club & one that is financially stable & very well run. Secondly the NCL clubs were the driving force behind last years switch in the 1st place. Thirdly, and the way I read it, its off field income thats the problem not lack of players or income from playing rostas i.e. an empty clubhouse bar on gamedays.

I wonder if other NCL clubs are in the same boat and may now 'break cover' regarding the switch. Afterall the amatuer game is very much guided by what the NCL clubs do.

Our ref at the weekend tried telling us that 75 clubs were going back to winter.

That Leigh East statement is understandable, and holidays and other events were always going to be an issue in terms of spectators. Of course, that's if your club is lucky enough to have a clubhouse with a bar. Only a few clubs we visit are in that position - that vast majority of us play on a rented pitch and go to a local pub afterwards. And most of us don't have floodlights to train under in the winter. Crowd numbers simply aren't an issue.

Winter was ok for us but player numbers were down (we struggled for 17 most weeks), training was extremely difficult and grim in poor lighting and conditions and with poor numbers, and around 7-8 games were postponed every year due to the weather.

Summer has meant a boost in player numbers (we've run 2 teams some weekends), brilliant training conditions in daylight and great numbers, and only 1 game postponed due to the freak rain we've been having. And that's without the cost of hiring a floodlit area.

Each club can only make a decision based on what's best for them. Some will prefer summer, some will prefer winter, but BARLA's constant moaning that clubs were 'coerced' into playing summer is getting embarrassing. They were given the options and allowed to make their own decision.

This first season was ALWAYS going to see a few issues as things settled in. Teams were always going to go through changes as players moved around and new arrangements were made. Eventually I think some will end up going back to winter with the majority remaining in summer, and as the kids playing summer move into open-age that will grow.

To my knowledge the only clubs confirmed as returning to winter are Golborne Parkside, Higginshaw and Knottingley Rockware Stolze. Expect there will be more anything up to 5 from the NCL (though they may wait another year first) and say anything up to a dozen from NW? 75 is clearly nonsense.

Apparently the Leigh East chairman wants winter but his committee want summer. I expect they'll keep their 2 summer sides but retain their 3rd team in winter if enough players want it.

The Pennine League are not against the BARLA conference and the winter seems to get along just fine during the siberian winter weather, and there is a lot more than just struggling clubs looking to switch back.

All the RFL propaganda of training and playing in better weather etc was sold via the rugby league media, what it failed to see was families go on holidays, weekends away, weddings so on and so on.

Also sold the sun will bring in better bar takings, again it failed to see that not only players go away but supporters do as well.

The Pennine League are releasing press releases saying they're the best league for Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs that want winter.

East 3rds played through the last winter season and will continue to be a winter based squad, no problem on numbers.

Where is your source on this statement - I know clubs are applying but I've not seen any advertising.

pennineleague.co.uk/story.php?basket=2&story=266

Stresses that they're a league for Lancashire and Yorkshire

Apparently 50 sides committed to NWML next year. Assuming that just means full divisions presumably 15 teams are at least considering winter? Although the NCL have big expansion ambitions so unsure if the 50 includes clubs planning to step up?

As a player who is very much anti-summer and pro-winter rugby I would like a return to winter RL. I'll be honest, my club moving to summer wasn't what I wanted - therefore I left the sport. I was one of only a few who voted against the move. Was I asked why? No. Was I given chance to air my views? No. So I walked away. Call me old fashioned but I weirdly enjoyed winter. Slogging it out every Saturday, freezing cold and all that. Then when April/May hit - season over, summer arrived, time to get my weekends in the beer garden and Blackpool back! What you gonna do at the end of summer season? Freeze in the beer garden? No thankyou.

Now I have purely selfish reasons - working all week and come the weekend when the suns out, it's warm and the lads are down the boozer having a day sesh, going camping somewhere, having a day out somewhere etc etc what am I going to choose? Run around a rugby field for 80mins? Or enjoy summer? Go on holiday? Go away for the weekend?

No brainer for me.

I understand the reasons why amateur RL went summer, perfectly understandable. However, I won't be playing in summer. I might pop down to the local club and watch a few but I'll be otherwise enjoying my summer weekends doing what I want to do.

Is there any start date for winter and has the leagues been set up with what teams are playing winter.
Been looking on the web and cant see anything.
Winter Season normally starts in Sept is that the case this year ?

8th Sept, NWML finishes 13th Oct

Was there not an email saying the start had been put back to the 22nd Sept?
We got some backlog fixtures for the NWML division 3 yesterday and we dont finish now until 27th October and there was a couple of teams who have fixtures for 10th November.

Has any of the teams been told what divisions they are in and how many divs would there be

they meet on Monday I think.

BARLA are now declaring that they have sufficient clubs to run a winter based Youth & Junior League in the NW. They have been asked repeatedly for a list of the clubs and teams to enable the summer based NW leagues to plan for next year but aren't releasing any details and not one NW club has so far come forward to say their junior and youth teams are switching back to a winter based season.

PERSONALLY, I can't help but feel they are trying to snowball a competition together.

They tried that 2 years running with the BARLA Conference and failed both times.

They do have enough teams for one division in winter but no idea if there's enough for two.

Sides I've heard mentioned as playing in winter:
Dalton
Blackpool Scorpions
Irlam Hornets
Langworthy Reds
West Bank Bears *
Albert Park
Moorfield Mallards
Widnes Tigers
Leigh East*
Blackbrook Royals*
Golborne Parkside
Rylands Sharks
Higginshaw

* Means this is a separate winter side not the first team returning to winter

Assume there's more I haven't heard and maybe 1 or 2 of the above won't materialise.

This was always going to happen - some clubs would find summer wasn't for them and go back to winter. I've always said we'll probably end up with two similar sized leagues running consecutively, with a small overlap.

The main problem for most clubs in summer seems to be player numbers - summer holidays, music festival, weddings, etc on top of the usual work and other commitments have meant selection nightmares for a lot of teams. We're exactly the same, one week we have 40+ lads, the next we're down to the bare bones and a scratchy 17.

Still, for us summer is the way forward. Winter seasons were a struggle with facilities and poor numbers whereas we've got great facilities and strong numbers in the summer.

Add Rochdale Mayfield having a winter side and there's 14 teams

The list seems to be growing all the time

growing?!

the mass ranks of clubs joining the league have been talked up for weeks. the reality is that there are 4 more than first suggested and 3 of them are sides playing a winter side in addition to keeping their main sides in summer!