BARLA performs a very important role. Getting rid of an organisation simply because you do not agree with it is at best arrogant. BARLA is not preventing the game moving forward if anything it has helped RL moved forward. What are the prehistoric ways you are thinking of?

Short season divisions



Group 4:

Leeds Akkies

West Bradford Barbarians

Walton Warriors

Scarborough Pirates

Shorpe Barbarians



Group 5:

Stanley Rangers A

Normanton Knights A

Westgate Wolves

Knottingley Rockware Stolze

Rotherham Giants

Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks



Group 6:

Bradford Dudley Hill B

Siddal B

Greetland Allrounders

Slaithwaite Saracens

Dewsbury Celtic A



Merit League:

Last I heard this only had 4 teams in: South Humber Rabbitohs, Heavy Woollen Donkeys, Haworth Park and Barnsley Broncos. They might have found more.

Do you mean Rotherham Roosters?

Not sure which name they're playing under but could be. Used to be Giants in summer and Roosters in winter.

I am one of those parents with 2 kids that play, train on diff nights of the week, add in service area, muddy windswept rainy fields are my 2nd home. To be perfectly honest and admit my selfishness, I BLOODY LOVE the move to summer rugby!

A couple of other benefits we know from the deep south, which only plays summer (apart from the student game):



It's cheaper. No need for floodlights from April to August. No need to hire all-weather training facilities. Indeed, at 'pub-level', no need to hire any training facilities... We just rock up at the council park where our pitch is;



Evening games. We've staged cup finals in July on a Wednesday night. No need for lights. No need for wrapping up. Gives a sense of occasion, and the odd free weekend.



Double headers. Play the 18s or the A team at 1 on a Saturday, and the first team at 3. Make the upcoming players feel part of the club, stop the gap that can appear between firsts and seconds.



Festivals. We've run all-day events with several teams playing 13 a side, 20m each way, round robin games. Show me a pitch that can reliably take 3 hours' gameplay in December!



Likewise, the juniors can play on the main pitch. One of the reasons the Medway Dragons have a club mark gold side in Kent, with teams at every age group, is that the first priority on the no. 1 pitch are the under 8s. Then the u9s. Then the u10s... Etc. if its still playable (which it always is), the open age use it last. The kids in Kent are used to union clubs, where the littleuns are on the far paddock in the mud, and even the colts never play on the precious first team pitch.



Add these together, and the 18s can play Friday or Saturday, so stop being treated like kids on Sunday morning. Many are out on the pop on the weekend. Change the day and less drop out.



Last, you'll get those all round athletes who chose soccer, or even kick n clap, in winter, back in the game . Maybe for a short season only, but now at least they have a choice to play both.