Rugby League in Macarthur is 'Dead'

[goldcoast_tiger]

It's junior league in general. Numbers dropping dramatically everywhere. I don't see it changing either. There just isn't anything you can do to convince parents this is a good sport for their kids to play. Grubby parents ruining things on the sideline, teaching kids to play grubby, Sydney journos hell bent on putting the game down rather than supporting it, risk of neck injuries, big islander kids destroying small Caucasian kids….The reasons for your son not to play are endless. The reasons to play are the same reasons in other sports, so league doesn't provide anything positive to convince those on the edge to come and play. Anything positive they can get in other sports without the negative league stuff.

You are right. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't QLD go on weight instead of ages? This is the way to go. Living out western Sydney there is a large islander presence and some of the kids weigh over 95kg.

No , I m involved with a large junior club on the Gold Coast, and we have the same age system as you do, and while we don't have such a big loss of kids yet, We have problems with trying to make the people who run junior league here, seethat unless something is done about the huge discrepancy of size, and the rubbery proof of age problem , our losses are going to mount.
Some have been trying to get the young kids graded earlier ( some clubs have already started doing that even though the League doesn't want them too) as there is too big a difference of experience , size and attitude in the teams from about 7 yrs up.
Unless they start either having a weight criteria, or grading the bigger or better kids so they play against others more like themselves , rather than the present system of huge differences in size and experience that now exists, then our losses will get better.
We do have grading around round 11, but it is needed earlier, as the smaller kids , ARE dropping out
But the League blindly keep going on as if everything's okay.

 

[vlad]

Macarthur isnt alone

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/nrl/whats-the-buzz-nrl-investigates-loss-of-2534-juniors/news-story/c73350f8d13cee7a871a669e5c56397c

_**What’s the Buzz: NRL investigates loss of 2534 juniors**\
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LEAGUE officials have launched an investigation into an alarming slump in junior player registrations this season.\
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Every area of Sydney except Penrith and North Sydney has recorded dramatic falls in junior numbers compared to the previous season.\
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Despite celebrating a premiership, South Sydney’s registrations fell by 10 per cent and Canberra Raiders’ by 15 per cent.\
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Surprisingly, officials are not blaming publicity around Alex McKinnon’s horrific spinal injuries for the falls because numbers in the youngest age group with six- and seven-year-olds have held firm.\
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This is despite the fact the AFL is now promoting its own code in Sydney as a safer sport and has recorded an increase in junior participants throughout Sydney.\
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The board of the NSWRL recently committed funding for a study into issues relating to retention of junior players.\
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“Our larger issue concerns retention with a significant dropout rate at the age at which children go to high school,” NSWRL chief executive Dave Trodden said.\
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“The study will determine the key reasons for participation and provide insights into participation and retention strategies.”\
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The report will be completed before Christmas to allow the NSWRL to act on the findings before junior registrations in February.\
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This is another case of the NRL failing in its 2013 strategic plan goals. According to the document: “Participation will have grown by three per cent by 2017”.\
\
It’s the same with crowds which were predicted to grow an average attendance of 20,000 but have slumped to their lowest levels in more than a decade.\
\_

RL is no different to any other business . If you're not expanding you're going backwards .

The other codes aren't waiting for RL to make the next step . They understand that the battle for hearts & minds at youth level will eventually translate to victory at senior level .

 

[happy_tiger]

It's junior league in general. Numbers dropping dramatically everywhere. I don't see it changing either. There just isn't anything you can do to convince parents this is a good sport for their kids to play. Grubby parents ruining things on the sideline, teaching kids to play grubby, Sydney journos hell bent on putting the game down rather than supporting it, risk of neck injuries, big islander kids destroying small Caucasian kids….The reasons for your son not to play are endless. The reasons to play are the same reasons in other sports, so league doesn't provide anything positive to convince those on the edge to come and play. Anything positive they can get in other sports without the negative league stuff.

Well said KS

I wonder how tempted the NRL is in going to back to kids playing in their weight divisions than in age groups and whether that would help at all

Suppose the problem is you could have 8 and 9 year old Islander boys playing 15-16 year olds kids

 

[king_sirro]

It's junior league in general. Numbers dropping dramatically everywhere. I don't see it changing either. There just isn't anything you can do to convince parents this is a good sport for their kids to play. Grubby parents ruining things on the sideline, teaching kids to play grubby, Sydney journos hell bent on putting the game down rather than supporting it, risk of neck injuries, big islander kids destroying small Caucasian kids….The reasons for your son not to play are endless. The reasons to play are the same reasons in other sports, so league doesn't provide anything positive to convince those on the edge to come and play. Anything positive they can get in other sports without the negative league stuff.

Well said KS

I wonder how tempted the NRL is in going to back to kids playing in their weight divisions than in age groups and whether that would help at all

Suppose the problem is you could have 8 and 9 year old Islander boys playing 15-16 year olds kids

Happy I think how it would work is that it's not based solely on size. There would be conditions. For example, you can't play more than one year above your age, and you can't play below your age. So that would mean a big 10 year old would play up an age in the 11's, not the 12's or 13's. While the big 11 year olds move up to 12's etc. There will still be weight differences in the game, just not to the same extent and the small kids would have 12 months maturity on those bigger kids which helps them cope.

 

[Tiger_Watto]

Plenty of reasons for the decline in junior rugby league could be behind the article;
- safer options selected by parents, Siro makes a good point about the size of kids from various ethnic backgrounds in fact there seems to be a dominance starting in junior rep teams up of boys from pacific island background whereas the opposite is the case in AFL and soccer from what I've see,
- more choice of sport to play and there seems to be less importance attached to playing league as there used to be
- with the greater choice of sport to play comes greater competition for players and with greater promotion of other codes, league has not kept pace,
- league tends to identify kids early with scouts and managers signing them up and developing them, if a player misses out their chances of making a career out of the game is a lot tougher, in other words league's process of concentrating on those who look to have promise comes at the detriment of the broader competition base with most interest and resources spent on rep development now this may happen in other codes but if it does it doesn't look to affect kids playing other codes in numbers (barring rugby)
- the nrl is focussed on top level league and with people like Smith at the top ( not for much longer) who only have a basic grasp of the top level then the chances of them looking broader to junior footy are small, it needs drive from the top
- there has been a fair bit of paper talk in recent times about nrl in the south west with the mayors of Liverpool and Campbelltown sprouting the virtues of their areas and the article in the Chronicle looks like another shot in the battle between both councils to have Wests Tigers choose their are as a base in the future
- the list could go on but one more, as far as I am aware, tackle rugby league hasn't been played in primary schools for years this too must have some impact.

Just on the NRL only being focused on top flight football - Junior Football is not the responsibility of the NRL.

The ARLC, QRL & NSWRL are responsible for junior RL.

People like Buzz always refer to the NRL running the game in Australia doesn't help the discussion, but he is only deflecting to protect his buddies from the NSWRL old oys club who would rather spend their funding on lunches.

 

[goldcoast_tiger]

It's junior league in general. Numbers dropping dramatically everywhere. I don't see it changing either. There just isn't anything you can do to convince parents this is a good sport for their kids to play. Grubby parents ruining things on the sideline, teaching kids to play grubby, Sydney journos hell bent on putting the game down rather than supporting it, risk of neck injuries, big islander kids destroying small Caucasian kids….The reasons for your son not to play are endless. The reasons to play are the same reasons in other sports, so league doesn't provide anything positive to convince those on the edge to come and play. Anything positive they can get in other sports without the negative league stuff.

Well said KS

I wonder how tempted the NRL is in going to back to kids playing in their weight divisions than in age groups and whether that would help at all

Suppose the problem is you could have 8 and 9 year old Islander boys playing 15-16 year olds kids

Happy I think how it would work is that it's not based solely on size. There would be conditions. For example, you can't play more than one year above your age, and you can't play below your age. So that would mean a big 10 year old would play up an age in the 11's, not the 12's or 13's. While the big 11 year olds move up to 12's etc. There will still be weight differences in the game, just not to the same extent and the small kids would have 12 months maturity on those bigger kids which helps them cope.

That's what some coaches and parents have been trying to get in our club. But the league won't listen. They hold surveys to see what people think, then ignore what they say

 

[Tiger_Watto]

My understanding is the biggest fear from the QRL is litigation GCT

No one has mentioned it yet, but I wonder what the differences are in Registration Fee's across the 4 Codes?

 

[happy_tiger]

My understanding is the biggest fear from the QRL is litigation GCT

No one has mentioned it yet, but I wonder what the differences are in Registration Fee's across the 4 Codes?

I can only speak for my area , but AFL is slightly cheaper than soccer and league in that order

No idea about Union ??

 

[happy_tiger]

It's junior league in general. Numbers dropping dramatically everywhere. I don't see it changing either. There just isn't anything you can do to convince parents this is a good sport for their kids to play. Grubby parents ruining things on the sideline, teaching kids to play grubby, Sydney journos hell bent on putting the game down rather than supporting it, risk of neck injuries, big islander kids destroying small Caucasian kids….The reasons for your son not to play are endless. The reasons to play are the same reasons in other sports, so league doesn't provide anything positive to convince those on the edge to come and play. Anything positive they can get in other sports without the negative league stuff.

Well said KS

I wonder how tempted the NRL is in going to back to kids playing in their weight divisions than in age groups and whether that would help at all

Suppose the problem is you could have 8 and 9 year old Islander boys playing 15-16 year olds kids

Happy I think how it would work is that it's not based solely on size. There would be conditions. For example, you can't play more than one year above your age, and you can't play below your age. So that would mean a big 10 year old would play up an age in the 11's, not the 12's or 13's. While the big 11 year olds move up to 12's etc. There will still be weight differences in the game, just not to the same extent and the small kids would have 12 months maturity on those bigger kids which helps them cope.

That's what some coaches and parents have been trying to get in our club. But the league won't listen. They hold surveys to see what people think, then ignore what they say

At the moment once you reach Under 13 that you can't play up any more and Girls and Boys don't play mixed any more

That came straight from the mouth of our Junior President in 2014

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

It's junior league in general. Numbers dropping dramatically everywhere. I don't see it changing either. There just isn't anything you can do to convince parents this is a good sport for their kids to play. Grubby parents ruining things on the sideline, teaching kids to play grubby, Sydney journos hell bent on putting the game down rather than supporting it, risk of neck injuries, big islander kids destroying small Caucasian kids….The reasons for your son not to play are endless. The reasons to play are the same reasons in other sports, so league doesn't provide anything positive to convince those on the edge to come and play. Anything positive they can get in other sports without the negative league stuff.

Well said KS

I wonder how tempted the NRL is in going to back to kids playing in their weight divisions than in age groups and whether that would help at all

Suppose the problem is you could have 8 and 9 year old Islander boys playing 15-16 year olds kids

Happy I think how it would work is that it's not based solely on size. There would be conditions. For example, you can't play more than one year above your age, and you can't play below your age. So that would mean a big 10 year old would play up an age in the 11's, not the 12's or 13's. While the big 11 year olds move up to 12's etc. There will still be weight differences in the game, just not to the same extent and the small kids would have 12 months maturity on those bigger kids which helps them cope.

The upside is that the younger kids benefit from playing with older kids too which helps with their development.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

My understanding is the biggest fear from the QRL is litigation GCT

No one has mentioned it yet, but I wonder what the differences are in Registration Fee's across the 4 Codes?

I can only speak for my area , but AFL is slightly cheaper than soccer and league in that order

No idea about Union ??

In my area of Penrith rego costs are as per the following:

Rugby League:
U7-U15: $170, discounts for additional children
U16-U17: $220, discounts for additional children

AFL:
All junior ages: $150, flat $110 discount for additional children

Football:
U5-U7: $125
U8-U9: $145
U10-U12: $175
U13-U16: $185
U17: $195

Football has always had historically higher fees in our area, don't know if that is the same everywhere.

The NRL really needs to make League attractive by helping put some money back into juniors. As KS said, there's a lot more negativity surrounding the game at all levels than the other codes, AFL & football offers just as much money (football moreso if you make it overseas unless you end up an Australian marquee at an A-League club,) for lower impact sports. Out of control parents seem to be in every sport, cricket included, by they seem to be far more common in League.

Things like Simon Dwyer's and Alex McKinnon's injuries and repeated concussions of players in the spotlight would have turned a few mums of watching their young fella turning out for a game of League. My wife has already said our son will not be playing League for those reasons.

 

[Tiger_Watto]

Well said KS

I wonder how tempted the NRL is in going to back to kids playing in their weight divisions than in age groups and whether that would help at all

Suppose the problem is you could have 8 and 9 year old Islander boys playing 15-16 year olds kids

Happy I think how it would work is that it's not based solely on size. There would be conditions. For example, you can't play more than one year above your age, and you can't play below your age. So that would mean a big 10 year old would play up an age in the 11's, not the 12's or 13's. While the big 11 year olds move up to 12's etc. There will still be weight differences in the game, just not to the same extent and the small kids would have 12 months maturity on those bigger kids which helps them cope.

That's what some coaches and parents have been trying to get in our club. But the league won't listen. They hold surveys to see what people think, then ignore what they say

At the moment once you reach Under 13 that you can't play up any more and Girls and Boys don't play mixed any more

That came straight from the mouth of our Junior President in 2014

Cant play up???

I get they might want to have that in place as a 'forced' measure, but outside of that, its a ridiculous scenario… I was sometimes up 2 years, as I'm sure many of your Black Cats were.

 

[Doc_Tiger]

I coached a junior soccer team for a number of years over here. Our rego for the kids was the cheapest by a long way at $350\. Some were well over $600\. (Outrageous I know)
League for my son last year cost $150
AFL - not sure

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

I coached a junior soccer team for a number of years over here. Our rego for the kids was the cheapest by a long way at $350\. Some were well over $600\. (Outrageous I know)
League for my son last year cost $150
AFL - not sure

Does that Football rego include uniform?

 

[happy_tiger]

Happy I think how it would work is that it's not based solely on size. There would be conditions. For example, you can't play more than one year above your age, and you can't play below your age. So that would mean a big 10 year old would play up an age in the 11's, not the 12's or 13's. While the big 11 year olds move up to 12's etc. There will still be weight differences in the game, just not to the same extent and the small kids would have 12 months maturity on those bigger kids which helps them cope.

That's what some coaches and parents have been trying to get in our club. But the league won't listen. They hold surveys to see what people think, then ignore what they say

At the moment once you reach Under 13 that you can't play up any more and Girls and Boys don't play mixed any more

That came straight from the mouth of our Junior President in 2014

Cant play up???

I get they might want to have that in place as a 'forced' measure, but outside of that, its a ridiculous scenario… I was sometimes up 2 years, as I'm sure many of your Black Cats were. _Yeah Jason Twist was Watto

My family (Dad and his brothers ) had a man crush on Richie Twist Until he injured his knee they swore he was as good as McCarthy or Raper as a back rower

Big bloody rap

Some sports I played much higher Played Under 16 cricket and hockey as an 11 year old and played in the old man's senior baseball team as a 12 year old

Unfortunately I played up 2 years in Rugby League and this little blonde kid would make a mockery of us playing Ipswich Norths and then we'd play Booval Swifts and these twins who played hooker and 5/8 would tear us apart

You learnt very quickly you had to man up and stand up for yourself_

 

[Geo]

Good God man…it's not about you and your delusions of grandeur... :unamused:

It's about the children...

 

[happy_tiger]

Good God man…it's not about you and your delusions of grandeur... :unamused:

It's about the children...

The point that both of us talented Qlders were making was playing up you learnt so much and then made to step up to grade so much easier

You play the same kids every week for years on end and aren't testing yourself

It makes you wonder would it be helping these kids that are coming from NYC any easier ??

Even if they allowed to have say two kids to sit on the bench just to play a few minutes to help get used to it ??

 

[Abraham]

"Western Suburbs Magpies have moved to Liverpool"

Really?? So they don't base themselves out of Cambo anymore? News to me.

Even back when I played back in the 1990's and early 2000's the Wests Comp was merged with the Canterbury Comp.

And the Balmain Comp was merged with the St George Comp.

I can only suppose it has gotten worse by now.

 

[tig_prmz]

i was talking to a mate about this who has no interest in sports. he said there's no way he'd allow his kids to play rugby league because "it's a game of pigs" and wouldn't want his kids to hang out with people like them. He considers union, soccer and AFL much more mallow and professional

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

i was talking to a mate about this who has no interest in sports. he said there's no way he'd allow his kids to play rugby league because "it's a game of pigs" and wouldn't want his kids to hang out with people like them. He considers union, soccer and AFL much more mallow and professional

What's it like having a pretentious spanner for a mate?