All Amatuer UK RL to switch to summer

[Bombay Devils RLFC]

I was reading that all amatuer clubs in the UK look like switching to a summer competition by next year.

It seems playing has been difficult this past season with many games called off.

Noted also the ambition of 5,000 new teams. Mens numbers increasing from 60k to 92k & womens 4k to 20k by 2012.

Like to hear the thoughts of everyone over there.

 

[roughyedspud]

http://www.lasttackle.com/news_3514-amateurs--consider-summer-season.html

The amateur rugby league season could soon make the switch from winter to summer due to such problems as the fixture backlog caused by poor playing conditions.

The Co-operative RL Conference currently operates a summer season, while BARLA-affiliated leagues continue to play the traditional winter season.

However, Rugby Football League Director of Strategic Partnerships David Gent believes that amateur clubs may prefer a move to summer.

Gent said that the RFL Community Board had been approached by BARLA, the Armed Forces, Schools and Students rugby league to enquire about the switch.

"At our last meeting in February we had a number of requests," said Gent. "We were asked to go away, talk to people, see what the game wants and find out if there is an appetite for moving to summer.

“If everything goes as it has been, it's looking like it could be ‘yes’.

RFL national development manager Andy Harland added, "There has been some very positive debate and I am sensing that the youth and junior clubs are the ones most keen to switch.

“There is no reason why it could not happen in time for next season. I haven't heard anybody who is against it."

Gent is now leading a consultation exercise with amateur governing bodies and youth organisations to examine whether a switch to summer would be welcomed, with a verdict to be returned by April 30th.

This season has been one of the worst for fixtures postponed by inclement weather, with severe disruption to the BARLA National Conference, BARLA National Cup and Carnegie Challenge Cup.

Postponements also cause financial problems for amateur clubs, with one club taking in just £19 over six weeks as the club virtually closed down due to lack of fixtures.

Clubs affiliated to the RL Conference now number more than 100, a remarkable success story for the summer amateur leagues.

With £29.4million windfall from Sport England, the RFL have realistic plans to create 5,000 more teams and increase the number of adults playing the game from under 60,000 to more than 92,000 in the next two years.

Organisers also aim to increase the number of women and girls playing rugby league from just under 4,000 to 20,000 by 2012.

i hope the old farts @ barla opt to switch to summer

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

good news if it happens, lets hope sanity prevails.

 

[WireMan]

Silly to make a change due to bad weather. Its the UK, it could easily flood this summer.

Clubs would still vitually close down in winter if the games are played in summer anyway and its not like they play less ganmes, they just play them at different times.

Schools will no be able to play over summer so thats the end of school rugby teams.

We have amatuer rugby in summer. Over a 100 teams according to that article. If people wanted to play in summer they can. Why take away the chance to play in winter?

I'm not saying i'm for or against by the way, i don't know enough to make a call either way, just playing devils advocate.

 

[roughyedspud]

the summer conference,with all due respect, is a micky mouse league compared to the barla leagues..

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Ooo, didnt realise about the schools dilema, not being the in UK I wouldnt know for certain. Anyone got any more info on that?

 

[roughyedspud]

schools can play during the winter and clubs can play during the summer...not an issue...in fact its probably a bonus cos the kids will be able to play all year round then

 

[nadera78]

A couple of junior leagues (Hulld and Yorkshire) have already switched to summer for the youngest age groups and have seen a near doubling in playing numbers. That says it all for me.

As for BARLA, well a number of leagues have already loosened (or even severed) their connections to them. If the leagues vote to switch then BARLA either goes along with it or becomes obsolete.

 

[Evil Homer]

Massive news for the game if this comes off, especially the junior leagues will see a huge increase in numbers and standard. There is no issue at all with schools, what a dumb comment. Wireman obviously overlooked the fact that schools have a 'winter sports' season where they play football and rugby and a 'summer sports' season where they play cricket and athletics...

 

[WireMan]

Massive news for the game if this comes off, especially the junior leagues will see a huge increase in numbers and standard. There is no issue at all with schools, what a dumb comment. Wireman obviously overlooked the fact that schools have a 'winter sports' season where they play football and rugby and a 'summer sports' season where they play cricket and athletics...

wtf is wrong with people on the forum.

yeah a dumb comment.

My school wasn't in a cricket or athletics league. It was in a rugby and football one. The league ran with the term time. We played it all year. No one played cricket except once or twice.

There was and has always been rugby available in summer.

There is also a summer league and a winter league.

Whats so dumb about that? I mean seriously, i'm curious.
Or you not allowed to offer a difference of opinion on here? Is that the problem?


Roughyhead: Yeah that would be good. Play in a winter league when there isn't anything else to do and the ones that enjoy it can play in a summer one at a higher level, maybe region wide and not town wide. The top teams in the region can scout these leagues and maybe help out with the running or something.

 

[Evil Homer]

Saying 'that's the end of schools RL' was a dumb comment. Because even if your school did not play cricket and athletics, which is very, very unusual if true, schools break up in mid-July, and the football and rugby seasons are finished by March or April. And schools don't have to move to winter anyway, and wouldn't if it wasn't logistically possible. They wouldn't just stop playing altogether. It was a totally dumb thing to say.

There has not 'always' been rugby available in the summer, it's only in the last 7 or 8 years that this has really been the case. And the clubs that are there are nowhere near as strong as the winter clubs. The Summer Champions, Bramley, would get 60 points put past them by the stronger winter sides. Also, outside of the National Conference, Summer leagues run for 10 weeks plus play-offs. That's way too short a season for clubs to establish themselves. Also, junior rugby is not available in the summer at all, unless you are an u7 that lives in Hull. I don't know how you could argue that a move to summer would possibly be a bad thing if you had actually thought it through, which I'm guessing you haven't.

Of course differences of opinion are welcome, that's what a forum is for. Just try to make it an informed opinion, and think before you post.

 

[WireMan]

My local team played winter but moved to summer years ago.

The main team refused had to set up again and started several leagues lower down. So some people must like to play in winter.

The leisure centres would run activities over the summer holidays funded by the council. Rugby, football, swimming, archery, rounders etc. I don't know it they still do it (don't have summer holidays anymore ).

I was trying to put in the other side or the argument. I'm sure if Summer rugby was the best thing since the thing before sliced bread we all would of done it ages ago.

There must be reason why not. I one sided debate is not a debate.

Maybe school leagues will continue. Who runs this league? Will they be willing to do it in summer also? Will parents want there kids to just play one sport. Who volunteers to run the leagues? Teachers?
You know the health and safety legislations in this country. God only knows what you need to do to let 10 year olds run at each other on a hard dried out pitch.

 

[Evil Homer]

They've been trying to move to summer for a while, but haven't been able to because the dinosaurs at BARLA who run the winter game have blocked it, trying to cling on to what power they have left. The RFL are now going to the clubs direct and bypassing BARLA, this is what this news is about.

I don't think anyone is talking about removing the option of playing in the winter altogether. I'm sure there will still be some winter leagues. But the emphasis will be shifted from the winter to the summer, and juniors also will be. The 'hard pitches' argument is absolute nonsense. Anyway, better to have a hard pitch than one that is so frozen or waterlogged that the kids can't play or train, and when they do get to play it's just a horrible slog in the mud. As far as I'm concerned, this is a one-sided debate with no negatives.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Doesn't take much to change the schools playing times to summer.

cricket could be impacted massively though by the looks of it.

 

[bowes]

Leave schools and universities playing in winter and switch everything else. Losing schools and university teams (which making players play in the exam season would do), is not worth it just to say they're playing in the summer. But clubs should switch.

People see this as an all or nothing, but BARLA have no rules against playing in the summer and they do have some summer leagues (a few junior league and the London merit league) affiliated to them, likewise some winter leagues (the National Conference League and some junior leagues) are not BARLA.

The reality is leagues will gradually switch with the National Conference League, juniors and the Cumberland League switching first, perhaps also Barrow and Hull leagues, with the Yorkshire League being last to switch, if it doesn't fold in the meantime (for other reasons, not for winter, if the Pennine League weren't so strict on letting teams switch over it would already be folded by now which would be a good thing as it's a joke)

 

[bowes]

the summer conference,with all due respect, is a micky mouse league compared to the barla leagues..

Yeah I'm hoping a switch will mean we get a proper amateur summer pyramid something like the following:

NCL Premier
NCL Division 1
NCL Division 2 (North West)
NCL Division 2 (Yorkshire/North East)
NCL Division 2 (Midlands/South)

With the first 2 having 12 teams and strict entry criteria but the division 2s being more flexible with criteria and numbers, promotion subject to meeting criteria.

Then regional leagues below (with multiple divisions of course) all theoretically at the same level, each autonomous but under a central governing body (effectively a merged BARLA/RLC preferably under the RFL umbrella), the first 6 being from BARLA but with merged in RLC clubs and with merit leagues underneath:

North Western Counties League
Cumberland League
Barrow League (effectively a feeder to the NWCL)
Yorkshire League (under new management or perhaps merged with Pennine League)
Pennine League
Hull League
North East League
Midlands League
South West League
London & South East League (including East)
Scottish League
Welsh League

 

[Evil Homer]

I think it's very unlikely BARLA will be involved at all, which is good news as they are backwards-thinking and for the most part incompetent. BARLA is well past its sell-by date and should either be disbanded or left to look after which ever clubs remain in the winter. I like your pyramid though Bowes, although I would look to have 'premier' leagues like the RLC currently have, and then further regional leagues under them like the current system.

 

[Coastbloke]

Would love to see France move to Summer as well..

 

[bowes]

I think it's very unlikely BARLA will be involved at all, which is good news as they are backwards-thinking and for the most part incompetent. BARLA is well past its sell-by date and should either be disbanded or left to look after which ever clubs remain in the winter.

Yeah though you need someone to run the amateur part of the game as the RFL have always neglected it, it certainly shouldn't be BARLA under the current set up though and the running should be by playing leagues with district leagues abolished.

I like your pyramid though Bowes, although I would look to have 'premier' leagues like the RLC currently have, and then further regional leagues under them like the current system.

Yeah each one I listed was meant to have a Premier League and then divisions below, which may or may not be further regionalised (it makes sense to in the south east, not so much in the Hull league). The current Premier League status is pretty random as most of them have the same geographical spread as a regional division (or 2) below them and some Regional divisions have no Premier Division to step up to, so they should just make the top league in each region the Premier Division, which ultimately just means upgrading the North East (which should happen anyway sooner or later, it won't be this year though), the South West and Scottish Leagues to Premier Division status, at least in name, as there's no logical premier divisions for their clubs.

In the midlands we have the following structure:

Midlands Premier
Midlands Regional
Midlands Merit
Midlands U16
Midlands U14
Midlands U12
Midlands U11
Midlands Girls U12

With U18 to start next season.

With the exception of the Gloucestershire sides in the premier it is all entirely midlands, and it makes no sense to send them down to Devon to play anyway, so leave them in til we have a group between south west and south east (Oxford, Swindon, Southampton etc as well) of high enough standard. But to me looks the basis of a standalone league there

 

[deluded pom?]

I don't think there's that much rugby league played in Hull schools now. The vast majority of kids that play rugby league in Hull play for an amateur team's junior section.