https://widnesvikings.co.uk/widnes-viki ... ouncement/ "Current Academy licenses across the sport are due to expire at the end of 2021, and it has been indicated that Super League membership and the ability to draw players from non-heartland areas will be integral to successful reapplication". I'm not sure what this means, as it isn't exactly explained, but it does represent the start of Superleague planning for the top tier under the new SKY deal 2022. Looking at this it seems academies are to be restricted to Superleague clubs only. [i"ability to draw players from non-heartland areas"[/i again unsure of what this means. Anyone?

https://widnesvikings.co.uk/widnes-viki ... ouncement/ "Current Academy licenses across the sport are due to expire at the end of 2021, and it has been indicated that Super League membership and the ability to draw players from non-heartland areas will be integral to successful reapplication". I'm not sure what this means, as it isn't exactly explained, but it does represent the start of Superleague planning for the top tier under the new SKY deal 2022. Looking at this it seems academies are to be restricted to Superleague clubs only. [i"ability to draw players from non-heartland areas"[/i again unsure of what this means. Anyone?

Looks like your dream of approx 6 M62 clubs being left with the remnants of a broadcast deal,and ever decreasing player pool is coming to fruition. Gone brilliantly since Lenagan introduced Elstone. The non-heartland Academy players explains Salford and the Welsh Academy https://www.salfordreddevils.net/salfor ... rtnership/ The question was raised,elsewhere,about Widnes joining an Academy with North Wales Crusaders. The answer is the mindset of the men in suits and with the grab for power and money. Those outside the M62 elite have been deliberately squeezed out.

Looks like your dream of approx 6 M62 clubs being left with the remnants of a broadcast deal,and ever decreasing player pool is coming to fruition. Gone brilliantly since Lenagan introduced Elstone. The non-heartland Academy players explains Salford and the Welsh Academy https://www.salfordreddevils.net/salfor ... rtnership/ The question was raised,elsewhere,about Widnes joining an Academy with North Wales Crusaders. The answer is the mindset of the men in suits and with the grab for power and money. Those outside the M62 elite have been deliberately squeezed out.

[i“The Wales Rugby League National Development Academy in partnership with Salford Red Devils will be the only RFL accredited Development Academy in Wales and will look to continue the illustrious history of Welsh talent in the Salford ranks, which dates back to 1896 and spans across 147 players. Ian Blease said: “This new partnership puts our club at the forefront of recruiting players across Wales. “This is an exciting time for our club and another big step towards our vision of creating a legacy within our rugby strategy, which Salford Red Devils will be proud of for years to come.”[/i

Salford had an academy and IIRC Koukash closed it, so it was always hard to complain of no Academy at Toronto but more particularly no academy at Les Catalans after they closed theirs. If these moves to insist all SL clubs have academies forces them to have quality development systems (of the right kind not pretending another French club was Catalans reserves/academy) then that puts Catalans and TO in a tight spot.

Catalans may have the ability to return to their (real) Academy set up, but the question there is did it really work when they ran it? TO on the other hand don't have the money and I doubt there is the talent in France to develop players to regular first teamers with both clubs fielding Anglo/Aussie teams to be able to compete here.

What has been,or is,the benefit of preventing clubs outside of Super League,in England,not being allowed to run their own reserve sides and academies?

The whole sport in this country is shrinking ever faster.

If only financing a first team is the way ahead - then those overseas clubs seem to be ahead of the curve.

All the young,talented athletes will be finding easier,better funded,better supported sports.

Rugby League has been taken over by agents from the other code.

St Helen's send a successful Academy side over to play NRL sides in Australia every 2 years.Only a small number make the Saints first team.

Increasing the player pool must be the priority...Not shrinking it rapidly!

Never has the sport looked in a more precarious position...

Which overseas clubs are you talking about ?

Absolutely embarassing that a heartlands club doesn’t have an academy.

It's more embarrassing that it is the red tape or criteria set by the RFL that restricts being 'allowed' to have an Academy !

In the interview with Matthew Shaw & Derek Beaumont, D.B tells how during Leigh's last stint in Super League they were "not allowed" to run an academy but will be allowed to *apply* to run an academy this time around, his suggestion being that he will seek to form & run an Academy & create a "legacy" that benefits the club & the amateur game longer term !

Donnyman gets his wish, kill the game, plenty of grass roots pitches to walk the whippet.

Don't let the facts get in the way of the Wind Up's Ste

Not a clue what he's on about but it's always been a fact that only one or two kids per hundred or even far more than that make it to Professional level so if all SL clubs run academies that's enough academies. OK a London academy and a Newcastle academy is needed due to distances.

But taking on kids for the sake of it and watering down the quality of the academy teams is a nonsense.

As with all "junior" sides, clubs are lucky to find one player in each year that will make the SL grade, although not all players develop at the same rate.

Academies are neccessary but, they're probably not as important as getting numbers in at the bottom and above all, decent coaching.

Exactly hence SL clubs have development foundations to encourage this in schools and community clubs.........

Puts that one to bed. We need quality in the academy system not quantity......