I find it very sad and hard to believe there is so little money in the game that this is happening in 2021.

About 30 odd years ago I knew a lad who got £50 Grand when he signed for Wigan, he was a stand out young player and went onto play test football but was not an all time great.

I knew a few others who got decent signing on fees including some who got £10 grand from Leeds and never made it at top flight level.

If you’d told me back then that 30 plus years later, the best young talent would get nothing more than a tracksuit I’d. Have thought the country must have gone communist.

I find it disgusting that a club like ours is asking some players from Lancashire to travel over 3 times a week to train and play all for nothing. Some of Gales wages should go towards that. GH should be ashamed of himself.

Again I don’t know the whole story but in some defence of the club they have invested in facilities, and I do feel they try to support and look after the young ones in other ways.

Not disagreeing with you Marty but ultimately it’s more likely the parents who are bearing cost to give their kids the opportunity in those earliest years.

To be fair there are probably some first team squad members who are not on what we might assume is professional sports money.

The current position isn’t a great sign for where the game is at financially.

Makes even more sense moving Gale on then.
Having a very highly paid player sat in the stands while the young lads are playing for a pittance would be pretty disgusting….

Lucky we offered him anything, we paid a transfer fee for him and would have been better keeping Jordan Lilley, Mclelland proved to be a poor project signing never looked anywhere bear super league std so any offer we gave him as being generous.
Ciuld we resigned lilley then loan him back to Bradford and just bring him in if we have a ling term injury

Paul Medley was my favourite as a kid until we signed Schoey, might change my name to “Paul Medleys Bottle”

Why is it disgusting? Chasing your dreams requires sacrifice. There's zero money in the game and Leeds are a huge part of keeping it going through the academy. But to play for the rhinos is a privilege, not a right. We're at the end of a global pandemic, where the club has just lost millions.

Unfortunately, professional sport is a business, paying first teamer their market rate over paying an academy player is what brings revenue into the club in the first place.

Hopefully once all has settled down, the club will be able to pay their academy players something for playing.

On the LG issue, writing has been on the wall. Barely played last season, and was shocking when he did! Right call by the club, and can hopefully focusing on retaining our excellent young players who are OOC next season.

Its tough all round at the moment for players and clubs, a dearth of real talent in the game coming through combined with the likes of Warrington throwing silly money at young players creating an arms race, GH was unwilling to go down that route and wanted young players to choose Leeds because we have the best facilities best pathway and want players who want to play for Leeds because its Leeds not because they will just get the most cash. Warrington have reigned it in as well as they got stung big time in quite a few high paid junior who were never good enough.

Getting the balance right us difficult.

Genuine question - do any clubs pay Academy players? Be it wages or refund all expenses or whatever it might be?

I don't know the set ups well enough but there is something heartbreaking about these lads paying for the privilege of being elite young players in a professional sport.

Some players will be paid, and the hot prospects will obviously command more money, but for most the opportunity to possibly be signed pro will be the carrot, no different than the old colts days and Amateur clubs under 18’s hoping to get spotted and a trial or run of games in the A team.

If your boss stopped paying you whilst he took a big salary and paid himself an annual.dividend whilst telling young kids hes no.money to pay them you wouldnt find that disgusting? Sorry i do.

Weve lost players because they cant live on nothing whilst being ask.to commit to the times they have to.commit to. On video session day the acafemy are at Kirkstall for 6 or 7 hours, quite a few have to travel from Saddleworth and Leeds cant afford to pay them. Come on. Its a scandal.

I know that the game is struggling and Leeds have suffered greatly through the pandemic however whatever the financial state of the club we should be covering travel expenses as a minimum for our acadamy players. Alternatively change the rules and you can only join a local club on an acadamy basis.I know its chicken and egg in that you need the top players to srive gates and investment in the clubs.However development of your own talent is financially beneficial to all clubs.Also if we dont look after the potential future stars they will walk away and the talent pool will continue to shrink and standards drop even further

Apparently, Gale left on good terms with the club, and the guarantee of being first choice in a world cup year, and the offer of a coaching role after he retires were the reasons he wanted to move.

I'd say if he couldn't perform at a level that makes him first choice at leeds then it's debatable whether he's of the standard needed for England.

How many games did McLelland play last year - are you suggesting we have an international standard half back on big money as cover for potentially 5/6 games?