So an impressionable 14 year old is asked to join several junior schemes at a selection of clubs and of course chooses his home town club that he and in particular
dad has supported since he can remember. Its a dream come true.
During two years of trying to be more stand out than the other 35 lads his age he gives up everything that his friends are doing including partying at weekends he wants to give 100%.
Thereinvested in your position with an unknown sawever a nagging issue whilst he volunteers to ball boy for the 19s he sees a regular pattern emerging. Players who he looks up to and are tearing the league apart constantly get overlooked . An injury to a 1st team player is covered by a loan player then as 1 player departs an overseas player lands on Saturday and plays on Sunday.
Its obvious that some of the lads are playing for the love of the club as they have been there since 14 and are life long fans with qualifications that could lead to a good banking position but one of them is about to get some devastating news as the 16s are now pushing for the 19s and the new wave of 14s continue the production line they are to be told that the home club dream as come to an end as they have just invested in an unknown Kiwi who has failed to get a 1st grade game in 8 years.
Whats more they are being offered to a club 140 miles from home on a pay as you play contract with a small token salary.

The sad thing is when they departed the schooling system they had the grades and potential to really go places. The dream was to be a teacher of science and now almost 20 years old hes in a wilderness where he has a very very tough choice. How much does he love the Game ? This player was once muted as GB material did everything right anx has been shafted by the import system after giving up his career to play for his club.

So now after leaving school this spring gone and seeing whats happened to his mentor in the 19s and now adding in to the mix this is the 5th time hes seen this kind of thing happen in the last two years what should he do ?
Have faith in a club he loves and dreams of gaining a 1st team jersey or carry on his education and play play for fun in the Conference telling his Grandkids what might of been in his paid for 5 bedroom detached house in the pish part of Cheshire?

Please note I dont actually have to be talking about anyone currently 16 at Wakefield.
Its a theoretical question based on exegerated circumstances of past goings ons at all clubs.

Comments please and Hi im pleased to finally break my virginity on this site.

WOOF!

No substitute for education.

Sometimes you just have to let it go and build your own career

My advice, as a 14 / 15 / 16 year old is play for fun, play with your mates at your amateur club, never sign to join an academy no mater how good the scouts or the Academy coaches say you are. Stay at school or in education as long as you can, go to college or uni or complete a skill based apprenticeship. Never sign for a RL club were Rugby comes first. 95 % of players signed to play for 15 / 16 and 19 year old age group rugby are shirt fillers, they are signed because clubs need a team at these age groups in order to receive funding. At best most clubs will have 2 or 3 players in an age group team who they think have a chance, they know the rest will not make a living wage out of the game. Most academy coaches a poor, very little emphasis is put on Rugby skills its all about size, gym work is key so most signed young players do not even become better players they just get stronger. Parents have a massive responsibility to advise their children not to sign, they will attend very impressive lectures about why players should sign for a particular club, its all tripe. As I say if you love playing the game and enjoy playing the game with your mates stay with your amateur team. If you are a good player at 15 you will still be good at 21 by which time you may have qualified as a electrician, a printer, have a degree , be a nurse, if you still want to play RL as a pro have a go then. The only way forward is for regional academies for just the best age group players.

Well said, if you are good enough you will still be good enough later on. My lads team had about 6 or 7 signed on at 16 but none are still there and they were a good side, unbeaten in 12 months at 17s.

Or sign for a Championship team and hopefully you will get more opportunity to show your skills, but not always.

Only around a dozen or so players break into the game every season and go on to make a full time career. You should be aware of this before you embark on your choice of pathway. However even after you realise the odds are really staked against you and you think you are good enough then get on with it and back yourself. If you fail to make it ,don't moan and groan or blame anyone else. Your were simply not good enough and you are nothing more than a mere mortal just like everyone else.

You are still young when you are in your 20's and no doors are ever closed at such an early age career wise. In fact I believe people who enter higher education who are slightly more mature often fair a little better.

So stop moaning at least you tried and you should be proud of that, there is a big world outside of RL and you are still young so go out and make the most of it.

Well said Belly

For me players under 19, possibly 21 should be on a dual reg with a local amateur club of their choice.

As it stands, in some cases, clubs are taking on around 40/50 lads to play at certain age groups. This is mainly to fill shirts but also through fear of missing out on one. Only 17 can play each week. the rest get frustrated and in most cases just seem to drift away from the game.

If these were allowed to go back into the amateur set up whilst still training in a semi pro/pro environment, not only would it give them games, keep them involved, and give them a straight route back into the game should it not work out, but it would also help the amateur teams out. Something that is desperately needed at the mo.

The assumptions being made here are way off, go do some research before telling everyone how it is!

Which assumptions?
Obviously he's painted a particular scenario.
It doesn't apply to everyone or every club

Every club runs educational courses for Academy players at either Btec or A Level. They don't have to be sport related etc they can be in any subject that the player feels will be conducive to a career in any industry post Rugby. Many clubs run vocational courses for those lads that aren't particularly academic, so Electricialns, Joiners, Bricklayers etc are also careers that can be started while still exploring the opportunity of being a pro Rugby player.

The idea that a player is only put through S&C and that skills aren't taught is quite frankly rubbish! To that end to suggest that a player can miss out on 4/5 years of Scholarship and Academy training and be at the level of skill, technique and understanding required to walk back into a professional career is fancifull for the majority of players. Of course there are exceptions where players have a superb skill set and have received good quality coaching at Community level but they're just that, the exception to the rule.

Good to know Avenger.
I'm just not in that area but I know Leeds and Sts have that kind of set up but wasn't sure the likes of Wakefield do.

The OP highlights a scenario which is as common as the day is long. That is sport.

I know of a few people who signed on as youngsters at professional football teams, came through the academies but never quite got that pro contract. They are smart lads and have a good level of education (university).

Professional sporting clubs have a responsibility that kids are educated appropriately. Isn't it against the law for a kid not to be (going to school that is) unless an appropriate form of home schooling is agreed.

Sport requires a level of commitment and discipline, especially for aspiring professionals. People will not make it. That is the way it is. It is a competition. There is a risk v reward scenario in every case.

Not making it at one place doesn't mean you won't make it elsewhere. In football look at the careers of Peter Beardsley and Ian Wright - clear examples that you can battle the odds and make it to the top. Also players performance can vary with age too. You might not have the talent at 17 but at 23 you could do.

Like some, I think the marquee signing is a bad move for the game. That money for each club could fund an academy which the clubs previously said they could not afford.

We need internal player development. It is good for our national game and our national team.

As long as young lads are fully aware of the risks involved by signing up with a club then I don't have a big problem with it. That is life.

He should get himself sorted off the field, the reintroduction of relegation has and will see an increase in the use of short term measures by clubs threatened by it and a reduction of use in junior players. If it was my lad i'd be telling him the chances of success are so slim and likely to get even more so that he should stay at school and play amateur rugby. If he is good enough a local part time championship club will spot him and give him a chance.

To persue a rugby career from 15yr old the kids have to sacrifice normal teenage yrs and education to a point,you can lead a horse to water and all that,but,the kid as got to live and breath rugby,I've seen it first hand,believe me.How they do it ,missing out on mates and socializing,in their rooms all night for next day training,god knows but it's got to be done.plenty don't make it at every club but these paths have to be taken to give yourself a chance,hopefully Jordan will be one of those