Quote GUBRATS="GUBRATS"The Scholarships didn't play games , it was club organised training Service areas did play games , my son played in trials for them and his team mates played for them A gap in your knowledge it would seem'" I think you'll find the scholarships do play games, look here for example: www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2010- ... -at-saints More reecently the Midlands scholarship lads this year played the North East Regional Academy, the Cumbrian Regional Academy and Salford's u16s. Bit strange given scholarships apparently don't play games! I know how the service areas work, you can only go to trials if you play for an amateur team, go to school or live in that area. As I said, a bit different to scholarships.

Quote GUBRATS="GUBRATS"The Scholarships didn't play games , it was club organised training Service areas did play games , my son played in trials for them and his team mates played for them A gap in your knowledge it would seem'" I think you'll find the scholarships do play games, look here for example: www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2010- ... -at-saints More reecently the Midlands scholarship lads this year played the North East Regional Academy, the Cumbrian Regional Academy and Salford's u16s. Bit strange given scholarships apparently don't play games! I know how the service areas work, you can only go to trials if you play for an amateur team, go to school or live in that area. As I said, a bit different to scholarships.

I doubt that "Great" is the correct term but it is "Nice" to know that the Sky money earmarked for Academy + the club's contributions + fans contributions to the Club Lottery are bearing some fruit.
It's keeping hold of them that will be "Great"

Yes they have - anyone who tells you that clubs don't approach coaches and/or parents before the deadline is either naïve, or a liar.

Feels tonnes better than scrapping the academy to no doubt sign an expensive overseas pensioner.

I wouldn't disagree with that, but that's not what Gubrats was saying, he was saying academy's were signing up players at 11/12 years of age.
There has been an element of professional club training for players of these ages for a few years, it's so they can have a closer look at these lads a bit earlier and it is a system I am totally apposed to, one team in particular that I was involved with won everything at U12 & U13's in 2011-2013, however 7 of them were in (and this is the term used by the pro club) and "elite training squad" which not Only made the lads a bit cock sure of themselves, it made the parents believe that these lads were future internationals and totally ruined the team and match day atmosphere. All 7 left he club as soon as they started to lose games, blaming the "non elite" players/parents and coaches left.

Nowhere have I mentioned academies , I specifically stated Scholarships , now as you suggest the clubs might have been using the term ' elite training squad ' officially , but they were using the term ' Scholarship ' to the players and parents

OIC, my bad, my (and probably others) interpretation of what a "scholarship" is, is that it is the financial support of a learning criteria (given by a school/college/university or even an academy)
Sorry for the misinterpretation


So what you were actually saying is that "some" clubs were totall missleading kids in to thinking they were getting a financially supported learning environment

In RL terms ( specifically the Pro clubs ) the term Scholarship was just an initial agreement between club and player prior to entry into academy ( were financial support , ie payment was made ) , but you know this

All of little relevance

Maybe in your world, but scholarship means scholarship

So is Starbug still trying to convince everyone that it isnt the clubs who don't run academies fault that they dont run academies, its because of the clubs who do? Has he tried to blame the RFL for Leigh not running an academy yet?

Again