Not a bad return at all:

1. It's great that they managed to get the game played during curricular time! this is really how you get things moving. Weekends = Kids don't turn up, but play the xbox. Extra-curricular= schools can't afford to cover teachers! I've often wondered if rugby league could be squeezed in the pe curriculum during the summer term, when cricket and tennis are covered. During the Autumn term its competing with Football and union. During the Second term it is competing with schools who play 2 term union.

2. Also a good return. The population density of students around this area must be higher than some areas in the more traditional heartland therefor it has to be worth a shot at keeping the game alive down here, it seems to be spreading too, only this morning I received a flier from Hemel Hempstead Staggs. Hopefully it won't be long before we see London born players playing for England.

3. This interests me, I have played League and union to a reasonable level. The difference in my opinion is that in union you can play as an 'old timer', be the person who rucks and doesn't make as much contact, also due to the infrastructure there are vets teams and therefore the risk of injury is lower. League on the otherhand, due to constant crashing into each other lack of vets teams is harder to play the older you get. Unless you are Steve Menzies or stanley gene. This means that vets will often kick off early then watch a game on the telly or buy a batch of tickets and go together. It keeps the interest, and that is what I'd like to see happen with league, I know we have the masters, but it would be great if it was build upon.

Another thing I have noticed:

Union is often over coached, a lot of focus on technique rather than reading the game. League to use a Laurie Daley quote is a more "simple game" however league seems to have more some success in that I'm guessing more kids play union, however we could be looking at an ex league back line in the England union team.

I suppose you could count Offiah too as London born, I think he was anyway, but unfortunately not a product of the junior league system, we have Doug Laughton to thank for him!

Martin Offiah was a union convert and although from London, went to School at Woolverstone Hall
( ILEA ) Ipswich on the banks of the river Orwell. He played for Ipswich Rugby Club, Rosslyn Park, played sevens rugby union and for the Barbarians before going to League.

No, it was stated that the people drawing up the lease never expected to have a Pro RL club. I think the councils view of local playing fields with a couple of non-league sides that have 100-200 supportors was very wide of the mark of what TK had in mind. I know he had been in talks with RU clubs, top level netball (odd I know!!) and trying to get professional boxing matches arranged for the hive and I'm fairly confident that he has been looking for a summer sport to dovetail with the football season ever since the stadium build started, hence the formation of the London Bees.

Nothing odd about Top level netball!

I knew I spent time in Ipswich, I'm guessing because his father was involved in politics during times of instability and it is a boarding school, however this is a guess, just wasn't sure if he was born in London. I wonder if St Helens were kicking themselves when he went to widnes. One thing Laughton was good at was spotting a good union convert.