But do you pay under 18's players the 16-17 rate of pay, or apprentice rate? Every semi-pro sport in this country would be on it's backside if every player had to be paid minimum wage.

tb............where`s your white charger........clippety clop.

That would depend on whether they're on an apprenticeship



Everybody else bar Leigh seem to be coping. There's no 'if' about obeying the law.

I would have thought that a good youth structure should be able to fulfil the requirements for U18's to qualify as apprentices and hence the apprentice rate.

We'd best prepare for the collapse of semi-pro sport in this country then - hundreds of non-league clubs pay no more than £20/£30 a week to players who will do at least 4 hours training and then another 5 hours on a matchday (not to mention midweek games) - are you saying they should be in effect pay almost double those wages for each player, each week?

Feel free to check the minimum wage law. In particular, you might want to look up the difference between wages and fees.

Is there any reason why they "have" to be paid? If lads are happy to play for a club for no money, but they may have the chance of earning a professional contract?

Ask the RFL that one

Yes. It's illegal for them not to be paid, even if they agree to it.

Or just check employment law. Takes 10 minutes.

Why do they have to be classed as employed?

Because they have contracts.

Because they clearly [iare[/i employed - you know, with a contract and everything, they don't just turn up when they feel like it - by a professional club. They're not playing for an amateur club for recreation.

Of course, Leigh or anyone else are free to set up as an amateur club, not pay players, and play in the appropriate league. But they've chosen to play a professional sport in a semi-pro league.

You'ld love that based on your anti Leigh comments littering these threads

But they could be registered by the RFL as amateur players.
rlhttp://www.therfl.co.uk/~rflmedia/docs/Operational%20Rules%20Part%203.pdfrl