it's not so much 'problems' but a case that they have invested a lot of time and effort in getting to the position they are in now and it is inherently a risk to go down another route without having a clear idea of what the benefits might be and what the incentives are to switch. In most cases, the clubs are pretty sustainable based on their current operating model and have structures that will keep them at the top end of the competition (and i sometimes find it curious just how much value is placed on league placings etc. above finance etc - in many sports (take RU), its being financially sound that is seen as more important). Add 'tradition' (which is not a bad thing) into the mix and the bigger question for those clubs is why should we switch?

I really do not feel that the RFL have articulated the benefits enough to those people who will actually have to implement any changes. they are speaking to BARLA, they are surveying players, but it is what the individual club (and its members/players) decides on a case by case basis that will determine whether clubs switch.

Community Board met on Thursday and press release due out today apparently...lets see what is said!

Summer or winter i just want to play every week without missing games due to bad weather/pitches.
i am always hearing how the RFL are not afriad to try things diffrent and that makes us unique in sport. do you think it could be a good option to change to summer rugby for 1 year then have a vote to see which everyone prefers, some players may have visions of summer rugby wont be for them but they may change their mind after a season at it. if not then stick with winter, discussion could then be closed??

Doesn't really matter we think, summer or winter.

The RFL have an agenda and aim to take over the youth game. They already have ear marked three amateur teams per pro club and have put forward proposed free unlimited transfers between the rest of the clubs in that area and the ones linked to the pro teams.

The summer leagues will be run by the RFL (it's part of the proposal not often advertised) and those leagues will be ran by a chairman, a service area co-ordinator and a administrator. No guesses that they will be paid employees and therefore under the control of the RFL.

Already they are ploughing money into those committees and members who they feel are key to getting the switch over made, former volunteers are now getting five figure sums and still calling themselves volunteers.

The so called community forum has a rather large number of paid employees on it, so pinch of salt with what comes out of it, as for the "minutes of the meetings" well they do seem to often miss key facts the are raised against any proposal from an employee and often show a complete difference of opinion by carefully worded paragraphs.

There will be a lot less players taking part in the game when it switches and as the two seasons overlap there will be more 18-0's not less as teams fail to complete their fixtures at each end of the season.

By the way, don't get confused about games that are shown as P-P, many are not weather related and if you look closely some of the teams involved played elsewhere and some fixtures are errors and postponed as they have already been played.

Teams who cannot play in the summer (e.g. Myton Warriors) have been simply told that "there will be casualties - disgraceful!

Just look at the number of paid employees now in ever area and ask if we as the community get value for money. Some areas have combined figures of six figure sums in wages being spent on service area co-ordinators, talent coaches, derivites officers etc etc, one Super League club even pays the wife of a player £10K towards her salary to keep it out of the cap !

I wonder what, given a chance, those former hard working volunteers, who are no longer with game, would have delivered given the same six figures every year to invest in the youth and its clubs which currently goes oin wages of people who spend most of the week in meetings!

They have ran leagues on shoe string budgets for many years producing many great players in the process, 50K to two clubs every year alone would have soon had our community clubs in a better shape than they have been ever!

Makes you wonder

chaos rules: www.nationalconferenceleague.co. ... tions.html

chaos rules: www.nationalconferenceleague.co. ... tions.html

And therein lies the problem. We are pawns in a tug-of-war between Barla and RFL and I don't think either of them has the clubs' best interest in mind.

BARLA have the clubs best interests at heart, but sadly some of its committee have only their own interests on the agenda.

RFL on the other hand, simly have their own interests at heart - i.e. the elite youth. They only need the rest to make sure their star players have a team to play for most weeks.