Lindsay Welcomes RFL Initiative On Salary Cap

Correspondent

Wigan Chairman Maurice Lindsay today welcomed the initiative that was today launched by the RFL who have announced plans to assist clubs with the development of junior talent, most notibly that players outside a club's top 25 registered players will no longer count on the salary cap.

Lindsay said: "This is the way forward! Apart from it's first team roster of players a club must be encouraged to invest as much as it can in Junior development. That is being restriced at the moment as clubs might spend all their salary cap allowance on a team to keep them in Super League. Promising juniors can sometimes be offered little or nothing to encourage them to aspire to be top class professionals. This latest announcement is part of the way ahead and I would even encourage them to go further."

Lindsay continued: "If finances permit we should find a way to handsomley reward clubs who produce young players of first team and representative standard. All other sports in this country are looking to do the same and with the Olympics in mind there will no doubt be considerable financial help for Olympic sports to produce talented athletes.  That will make it all the more important to do everything we can for our own sport.

"The RFL have already introduced payments to club's who provide players for International duty. This is an excellent start and we should now find a way to similarly reward clubs who produce outstanding junior talent."