Who?

Or is it just to support the current salary cap debate going on over in the nrl.

two problems with this,

1) many many players make their first team debut before 18

2) i believe competition in youth development drives innovation and evolution

I,d forgot I,d even posted on this thread

As you have posted bill , yes some of the lads who have gone through our scholarship are now at other clubs , playing 18 s , reserves and including some on f t contracts

Apparently yes we are now going to continue with some form of junior coaching but not an accredited scholarship

Personally any extra coaching done by pro clubs should be encouraged

1) 18 is only an upper limit, they could be up for draft at 16

2) you still have competiton, you go into a team based on where you were born , you have pre set areas (similar to town teams or schools boundaries you already have), with strict boundaries, these teams then play each other, this is also the basis of how players get picked, you could have 6 age groups 11's 12's 13's 14's 15's and 16-18.

When they turn 16 they are eligable for draft, the bottom clubs getting 1st pick.

16 year olds arent going to move from Castleford to Wrexham for an academy contract.

There is also no benefit from to these RFL youth teams to innovate and take risks. It changes the emphasis of the competition from providing the players for the top level, to being the best youth team. An academy coaches job right now is to provide the best players for its full team not to create the best youth team

How about in general having a 'Designated Player Rule' which MLS uses. That way, up to 2 players can be signed to clubs outside the salary cap - so long as they are paid below a certain level?