[url=http://loverugbyleague.com/news_5332-summer-beckons-for-national-conference-league.htmlThe Hatton’s Solicitors National Conference League will be playing summer Rugby League from March 2012.[/url


Absolutely massive news about the top amateur National Conference League division switching to Summer. Excellent news all round IMO. Soon the junior leagues will switch to Summer and the British game will start to catch up with our Antipodean cousins!





EDIT - Doh, double thread. Websites a bit unresponsive this morning, sorry...

Oi! I put it up before you!!!

But agree - this should matter to all RL fans as its all about the pyramid from particpation rugby through to Championship then Super League then internationals.

Good to now have the top four tiers in English RL all operating in the same timescale.

defo need the kids to switch to summer before we start seeing a impact though

I just hope that there is some sort of provision to ensure that the kids aren't playing on rock-hard dustbowls during the summer though (although that's never a problem in Oldham at least

)

As a bit of background.

We currently have - Super League and the Championships in summer. We also have a series of RFL run summer amateur leagues but these play a condensed season in the North so as not to clash with the traditional amateur winter leagues.

In winter we have the National Conference League (3 divisions) and then a series of regional and local leagues - North West Counties, Barrow and District, Hull, Yorkshire, Pennine etc.. These have been traditionally aligned in some form with BARLA although I stress, they are independent leagues with their own committees and so on.

Following the coming together of the RFL and BARLA some years back under the structure of a Community Board, work has been underway to see what would be best for all of rugby league including the amateur levels. Although I say this is Community Board led, its pretty clear that the RFL have been in the lead in determining the options for a future structure.

The Community Board proposals are for tier 1 (Super League), tier 2 (Championship) and then for their to be a tier 3 level (top end amateurs) and tier 4 level (particpation amateur leagues) and for them all to play summer.

The NCL switch paves the way for those clubs to form that tier 3 level within the RFL plan. How that will integrate with the current Summer Conference top level is yet to be determined but logically they should integrate into a single structure.

However, BARLA have indicated that they will continue with a winter conference. So, the 10 clubs who voted against the switch might stick within winter and be joined by some other clubs from the top end of the North West Counties, Pennine, Yorkshire leagues etc. that operate currently in winter.

At tier 4 level, the plans are for there to be new summer leagues set up in March 2012 and to run to November. Effectively, amatuer leagues and clubs are being asked to decide are you a summer club (in which case, now is the time to make a switch) or do you want to stay in winter? The individual winter leagues are making their decisions, some saying they will continue offering winter competitions to clubs who want to remain in winter. The move of the NCL however is likely to encourage more switches to summer as NCL clubs often have 2nd teams (even 3rd teams) in the regional leagues.

Why this matters is that it might see some clubs fall over while it might see some new clubs emerge and some go from strength to strength while others get weaker. It will see the current summer leagues merged into new leagues with an influx of winter clubs. It might increase overall participation and it might encourage more kids (and higher skill levels amongst kids) as the junior leagues go through the same process...

but these are all 'mights' and 'maybes'. It's all a calculated risk. My view - it's the right thing to do. Some aspects could be better managed and i have a real concern that some clubs could disappear because their facilities will not be available to them under a summer structure and I think the RFL need to do more planning and support activity to anticipate this. They also need to ensure that there is a mini-comp from Sept. 2011 to December for tier 4 clubs or else they will lose their players.

Excellent post mmp mate, absolutely spot on.

I have two amateur clubs: Leeds Akkies (summer) and Heworth (winter).

I feel that the switch will help Leeds Akkies as they will find their right level of competition with more teams to play against. They won't lose many players (if any) as none of our players come from NCL clubs and we have great (if modest) facilities to use all Summer at Old Modernians.

As for Heworth, I believe it will help their junior ranks immensely by playing in the Summer. They own all their own great facilities and it will allow them to make more of an 'event' on a matchday with better weather. I just hope Heworths comittee really embrace and capitalise on the switch.

Could be great if amateur clubs have a whole day of rugby league: a couple of junior games and an open age game at the same venue, with stuff for the kids to do and food and drink. Would be a great source of revenue for the clubs.

Also a good move for clubs that don't have access to floodlit training facilities in the winter.

all of that is our situation in Bury. We were preparing for the possible summer switch so entered this season's NW Merit League at the same time as setting up our first junior initiatives. We have one winter game left, start Merit fixtures in May. The plan is to have junior training immediately before open age, and the same arrangement on a Saturday for games.

and facilities, esp. floodlit training has been the biggest issue (and cost!) we've had. Training in the light will save us considerable money and be much better for us.

Very minor point is this but very relevant still. Having played and coached on said rock hard dustbowls something needs to be done to ensure a new problem doesnt emerge. Ive seen all kinds of serious burns and abrasions that have gone hospital bound through contact with pitches devoid of grass!!

The last thing we want to do is simply swap barriers to participate like rain/mud and dark nights with another set of problems.

Not taking away from this great news in the slightest and i trust the powers than be have thought about all angles! We continue to move in the right direction

Great decision to move the NCL. Common sense in RL, who'd have thunk it?

I wasn't even thinking of grazes etc but a good point all the same - if games are postponed for frozen pitches then I'd hate to see a similar situation where the pitches are like playing on concrete. I'd like to think the grass issue will be solved in itself for clubs who use RL-only facilities as theoretically the pitches will be in good nick with little to no use during bad weather.