What schools play rugby Union around here? Hardly any compared to league.

Great idea in theory but they should also include a break of 3 or 4 weeks at the peak of summer to allow people their summer holidays.

Schools playing through the summer holidays is a none starter. Kids and teachers won't want to give up their summer holidays to train and play for a school team. Also what happens in the final year of school? No one will want to come back in September and October to finish last years season off. Does it also take into account that a high schools first year intake can't have a team either due to them missing the first half of the summer season due to being at a primary school whilst it's going on?

Absolutely no problem whatsoever in moving schools RL to summer. It would be a masterstroke.

As a PE teacher who has successfully managed to introduce RL to two new schools it would make life so much simpler.

In winter we have to fit in with football, basketball, and Rugby Union. Admittedly very few schools play in both RL and RU leagues but in the developing schools many enter both emerging competitions. Also in winter, getting kids to training is so hard. Its just plain unpleasant training in poor conditions and when your trying to teach kids new skills like the PTB its so hard. Additionally, just as you get them going, its too dark for matches.

Summer leagues are the way. Better training, less competition, light, and the summer term of 16 weeks is plenty. Sure, the champions schools cup would be a tight squeeze but its not insurmountable. The only clash is with Year 10 and 11. Year 11 are a no go due to exams and Yr10 often have exams too, but the second half of the summer term should be ok for Year 10.

With careful consideration to planning in each Sevice Area there is no reason why this would be any problem.

Indeed, its a major solution.

Best news of the last 10 years if true.

Would be brilliant.

The last few years as a young amateur team with very few facilities we've gone ok until late November and then had a maddening time, playing 3-4 games over 2-3 months as pitches are waterlogged, frozen, etc, etc... From late January games are mostly completed on but some have still been switched.

We have some excellent players who choose football over RL in the winter, but want to train and play RL out of the football season. Plus it's a lot harder motivating players to train in a dim floodlit quagmire rather on summer evening grass. Training in mud up to your ankles, in dim ambient light from the 5-a-side pitches next to you, or in the evening light on a grass surface?? No brainer.

Summer RL, please!!

There's some very ambitious growth targets for player numbers in that article, I would be very happy to see those achieved.

Indeed. If the RFL manage to meet those targets, Richard Lewis deserves a knighthood. Particularly with bucking the long-term trend of declining adult player numbers across all other outdoor team sports.

Is there a worry about competing with cricket for players & facilities?

Better to compete with cricket than head on with football and RU. The main problem would be at clubs that have a pitch overlapping with a cricket field and where the cricket club play on both days and use all the changing rooms.

We play in summer and last year reached the semi finals in the under 12s on August 8th and the open age merit league final on August 16th. We had no players missing for the U12s game and only 4 on holiday out of a squad of 26 for the final.

If we went to double summer time you could train for the bulk of a March-October season without lights. Even when it rains in the summer its not freezing cold.