jools wrote:
The games on its ariss because enough kids aren’t playing it- and enough kids aren’t playing it because there’s no money at grassroots level, the number and standard of coaches is shocking, most are volunteers some of whom haven’t played the game themselves to any level. Finding enough people willing to volunteer is difficult. There are fewer clubs running u13-u16 teams. Should realise that at Leeds- given it’s just been the Rhinos challenge weekend.
My lad has played RL since he was 6- there were loads of local clubs in our area he played against back when he started, he’s now 15 and there are only two other teams that are running an U15-and it sounds like one of those may fold.
Did you watch the games at the summer bash? A lot more entertaining than the hyped up cheating sh*te we see every week in SL.
Problem with Leeds is they think the game revolves around and relies upon SL. And it really doesn’t.
Whilst I don't agree with its entirety with your first point, thank you for confirming mine by saying it. Not all clubs have these poor coaches you talk of, some are very very good indeed. Some of the clubs are absolute first class run clubs. I can only speak for West Yorkshire clubs, and in particular the ones Leeds play a big part in and help develop. Hence on that basis you see the issue with the biggest club missing from the game, what damage that would do. How many other clubs do the equivalent of the butlins weekend just done?
The numbers of kids might well be dwindling, but that is a direct result of how poor the competition is now, and has been for the last five years, getting worse and worse each. The stupidity of bringing down the top clubs to the level of the bottom ones was absolute commerical suicide. The state of our officials in the game now, is an absolute joke to watch, they are absolute pathetic and should not be on a permanent job role at the level they are producing.
Yes I watched the summer bash, and I enjoyed quite a few of the games. In particular I thought the reffing performances in three of the games was excellent, which I never seem to get to say in super league anymore. So why are these guys ignored? I have seen that fella Grant now twice this season on TV, once in Super League in a Catalans game, and once at the weekend, I have also seen him live at a Featherstone match, and on each occassion the guy has been very impressive and puts Super League officials to shame. Yet all I ever see on the TV is Chris Kendell, who to be frank must be the worst official ever. Is there any wonder people are turning off the game?
You are wrong on the last bit. I don't agree with Hetherington for last few years, and think he has played a part in holding super league back, however, everything he has done has been based on the game as a whole rather than just super league, which is what other clubs have done the oppossite on. The fact is that without Leeds, Super League will suffer, and as a result so too will the rest of the game, because without that top level income then the bottom level will not benefit from the club.