Mailbox: Worry for the game’s future over disjointed decisions and drifting fans

James Gordon

Match referee Chris Kendall sends Jacques O'Neill (18) of Castleford Tigers to the sin bin

Mailbox gives you the chance to get your voice heard and start the debate with the rugby league audience. Get your letters in now via email to: james@loverugbyleague.com

Hi James,

Last year I wrote to you saying after 50 years I have given up on rugby league due to the maladministration by the RFL, since then I have seen nothing to change my mind. I follow the press and read your internet pages about once a week to see if there is any improvement. Also no… Quite the contrary, the decisions become more disjointed every time.

It’s time there was a full review of how the RFL are doing. I would suggest full independent survey on every aspect of the game was completed by every fan of every club both professional, amateur, school and college in fact anybody involved with the game at every level. What an eye opener that would be. The subject matter and key points would be from everybody and added to the survey. Without trying I could produce at least 100 questions to be scored, say a 0 for total failure, a 5 for the administration is performing adequately and a 10 for exceptional performance. Aggregating the scores to get an overall score for the RFL

If I were marking the following few topics this is how I would score it. Any chance somebody with authority has the kahunas to see what the people think?

Just a few questions

How well is the RFL expanding the game?
Should all professional and semi professional teams run
1 first team squad
2 A second grade squad (A Team)
3 A colts team (under 18)
4 A schoolboys team
If a team doesn’t run multiple grades should they be allowed to poach the best players from those who do
If a Super League team has a squad of 35 players should they be allowed to loan the players out rather than competing in a reserves grade
Should Super League and RFL be one body ?
Should rugby league be non political?
Should the RFL governors be elected?
Should RFL senior people have a salary depending on performance key performance indicators?
Plus 1000 more questions

My assessment is that the RFL has failed on every one of the questions above.

The governors and the general fans are slowly drifting apart and in the 50 years I have been watching we are no further forward, it’s still a predominantly a northern game played along the M62 corridor, and concentrated in 30 towns. It’s not played as an option in every school, or university. No teams in Scotland. One team in London a city of 20m people. How may teams does Sydney Australia have?

If you are not going forward you are going backwards.

Graham Collins

Mailbox gives you the chance to get your voice heard and start the debate with the rugby league audience. Get your letters in now via email to: james@loverugbyleague.com