The Avenger wrote:
The Academy isn’t funded by the club, that’s a purposeful myth put forward by those for whom it suits if fans believe it to be so.
The Academy is funded by a lump sum payment from the RFL, bolstered by further kickbacks for Academy graduates becoming Super League squad members and further funded by annual payments from College for each Academy player who completes his course.
Not quite correct. I looked it up on Google
The current funding model sees every academy receive around £100,000 of base funding, with a reward on top of that depending on how productive the academy is. Clubs then had to match that funding, which didn't include player wages. Finney estimated that Widnes' academy was costing around £450,000 a year to run.