its a tough balancing act for teh league - to balance the quality of sides against development and rules.

Div 3 is a particular issue. Has Heysham in it also.

Hindpool, Dalton, Ulverston & Heysham we travelled to last season.

Askam surely cannot be put with these 4, it would be madness. I think (with all due respect), Hindpool may drop down due to there league position, and Dalton should go up, again due to there league position, that would be a goos seperator, however...I am glad I am not putting the bottom leagues together this season!

will be a while before its sorted - there are an army of clubs who hadnt put their forms in as of Tuesday after the meeting...

Hadn't you better get to London and tell Cameron to sack half your staff?

Travelling First Class mate??

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Somewhere down the line the NWC must look to the RFL to fund travel to cumbria. If it's classed as development of the game why not.

On another item

The comment on Hindley was interesting, they completed the 2006-7 season in Div1 but decided not to enter in 2007-8 through lack of players. When they re-applied in 2008-9 they went to the bottom division 6.

Orrell St James were in either the prem or div1 in 2007-8, played a few games then informed the league they could only play friendlies due to lack of players. Dropping out of the league early in the season, basically doing the same as Hindley, however they restarted in div 3 for 2008-9 season.

If Hindley had followed that route would they be in the lower divisions??

Didn't Hindley request to start in the bottom division to work their way up?

but the NWC is an independant entity, and accepts applications from clubs. I dont see why the RFL should subsidise costs. also...those Cumbrian clubs travel equally far, and more often, do you subsidise them?

What's needed is more clarity on the league structure much earlier so that clubs can plan it into their budgets for the year.

Playing for both Newton Storm and Newton RUFC, when the Union team travelled to the Isle Of Mann (there was a manx team in their division), the trip was heavily subsidised by the RFU. Surely NWC/BARLA could do the same?

No it doesnt - it's dull as dish water and when you do get a game against a higher standard of opposition your well and truely undercooked

Didnt they reorganise it last year so they moved mainly second teams into div 6?

no - we were put there. I believe and I'm not certain about this but the difference between Hindley and Orrell was a a possible admin error ....

i really hope theyb keep the 2nd teams seperate again, especially as there are a couple of new 2nd teams coming in.

it'll also mean Div 5 can be a genuine league for new(ish) first teams with Hindley (not newish!) and Waterhead (a 2nd team to a conf club) moving up, probably Cobras too given they will be starting a 2nd team, it will hopefully mean we get a much more even competition in 5. The new clubs of recent years (Bury, Westhoughton and Chorley) will have an extra year of experience, Bolton, Bulldogs and Newton are not massively better than the three who finished bottom while Eccleston and Wild Boars will start as favourites. Can't see the new Little Hulton, Accrington or Shaw teams being hugely better than before. In the main, it'll actually be a division of clubs who have only been formed a few years if they decide to go this way...

I'd go with a division of:
Wild Boars
Eccleston
Bolton
Wigan Bulldogs
Newton
Chorley
Bury
Westhoughton
Little Hulton
Shaw
Accrington
Blackpool S (as they didnt get a single point in Div 4 last year)

Of course, that sees three teams go up, and doesnt account for Askam, but there are a lot of clubs asking about moving divisions higher up the league so it might be possible.

Got to agree with that, Hindley and Rochdale wiped the floor with everyone, and towards the end if i remember rightly a lot of teams didnt show up to play them. Newton i think are going to struggle for a team in all honesty, the lads at training i can guarantee that 5 or 6 of them come a match day wont be there, and a few core players have gone elsewhere. Fingers crossed though.

New Springs are in big trouble aswell, a few players left to try their hand in the National Conference and poor numbers at training. Despite being promoted last season we're really struggling at the minute and I doubt we will see the start of the season.