Anton Kui and Seigfreid Gande

Quote: Pepe "
Some will make it and some won't. To suggest that none of them will make, while knowing practically nothing about these players, is beneath you, Littlerich.

I’m not suggesting they’ll all make it in SL, because they won’t, but one or two may. With a club in SL, we’ll be able to entice the better local players into our academies and slowly build a team with a backbone of local players, which have come through our system.

Running academies now, gives us a head start on this. It’s important for local pride that we try to continue to bring our own youth through our club. It is something Widnes have, until recently, have always done. We had 5 or 6 Widnesians in the side when we won the World Club Challenge.

If a club has no immediate ambition to join the pinnacle of the sport, then investing in a youth set up, probably isn’t worth it. But if you do, then an academy is a prerequisite for entry - It just is. It has to be as well.'"

I agree. Bringing the youth players through is certainly not easy and is very much a roll of the dice. Back in 2006 our u18's went the regular season unbeaten, but it didn't lead to immediate success in bringing players through to the 1st team. Some of that was probably down to Steve McCormack seemingly not having any faith in young players, some of it because of administration and most obviously despite some player being outstanding at u18's level doesn't automatically mean they'll make it at open age. We still have some players at the club who were part of that u18's team who are still finding their feet in the 1st team.

The point is that its easy for Halifax fans to turn round and say youth development doesn't work and that you reached 3 reserve finals in row but no players came through etc. You have remember though that (as far as I can remember) all 3 of your reserve finals were played against Widnes. We have kept faith in the youth development and to a certain degree, prove that in the long term it does work. Sometimes players have to be brought through from a young age maybe over 3 or 4 years. The message Halifax are sending is that youth development is too much like hard work and there's no guarantee that it will work so we won't bother. Its a bit of a farce that any publicity Halifax are getting is always accompanied with comments like "and we wish Halifax all the best in reaching their aim of SL for 2012". From what we are told youth development is one of the major criteria now so how can anyone even consider Halifax of getting a licence when they are blatently ignoring parts of the criteria.

People talk about the licence process and how it should all be out in the open with no surpises or anything hidden. With Halifax having such an obvious omission (was going to call it weakness - but how can it be a weakness if there is no youth development?) why is the Halifax club still talking about SL? There's no youth development, you don't fulfil the criteria, go straight to jail do not pass go, goodnight, god bless.