As Halifax dont appear to be interested at all in investment of any youth policy I will see fit not to support them. How they can even be considered when they blatently don't support youth development is beyond me.

Ah but they do, they now have an U23 side, but have separate organisation throiugh which they want to raise 50,000 from the fans to run it. Token gesture after several years where they have stockpiled senior players allegedly on match payments only, with no reserve team.

several years? really? Must have been mistaken that they last played in 2007. And its £25k, that our supporters trust are funding.

But apart from that ,the rest of your post is garbage.

3 years, Coincidentally the period for SL qualification. All the money ploughed into the first team, whereas other teams have developed their own players. Now you have qulified to apply, you thought you had better show you were developing your own players. I reckon 3 years of no U21's/Reserves or whatever they have been over the last 3 years should and probably will count against you. That and the two fingers you effectively stuck up to the RFL with your 'amazing' crowd in your last home game of 2010, although that did make me laugh

I`m with you charlie on this one.

Is that right ' Nigel ' ?

Look what happened to Carlisle when they merged with Barrow, also Huddersfield/Sheffield and Hull/Gateshead. I think mergers are very risky in the UK. In France, NZ and Australia they seem to work.

They dont 'work' per se barring a couple but have been more succesful.
When you lot are harping on about the RFLs crusade of expansion, I often say to look back at Gateshull and note that an expansion team was sacrificed in order to save a heartland club

I agree Dico, apart from the Catalans franchise. RL is France would have died without it.

How has french RL changed because of catalan ?.

I think if the Catalans franchise hadn't been given a place in SL when it did, it would have died in France. Now that Cats have been a success, I think Toulouse and other clubs in the South of France will thrive from the added interest that Cats produce.

I just dont see it jonny.
Its still semi pro or amateur,i dont see any more players coming to SL or playing international RL,have the gates gone up ?.It seem to me like nothing has changed in decades.

I think there's definitely been a decrease in the amount of the better youth players who previously tended to gravitate towards RU where they could get a full-time opportunity.

I hope your right matt but Are these players coming from french clubs or are they coming through the youth systems of catalan dragons.