All Golds v NW Crusaders KPL1S 2017 Final

the two seasons old Bath
& Wiltshire Romans side
such that the Romans
pulled out of the league
midway through citing a
lack of player numbers.
The final round of fixtures
in the West of England
brought a flurry of
unplayed games with the
Gloucestershire Warriors’
fixture at Somerset Vikings
(scheduled for Gloucester
owing to the Vikings being
unable to field a team for
the scheduled trip to the
Warriors earlier in the
season) only going ahead
when the Warriors agreed
to travel – in the end with
only 12 fit players.
Forest Bulldogs perhaps
encapsulate the problem
in the area as they
were unable to travel to
Cheltenham and have
withdrawn from the playoffs
as the bulk of their
side has gone back to
playing their native sport –
rugby union.
By contrast, it should be
noted, the South West is
showing signs of growth
with Devon Sharks and the
Cornish Rebels playing the
odd game and the Dorset
Giants re-emerging under
the guidance of Anthony
Cowburn (no relation) and
former Gloucestershire
Warriors and University
of Gloucestershire coach
Steve Lee.
Swindon St George should
also be highly praised
as they have fielded two
teams week after week
and the firsts deservedly
top Pool 2 having lost just
once, while the seconds
have reached the Plate
Final in next weekend’s
double header Finals Day.
But all this good work
is overshadowed by
suggestions on various
online forums that the
sport at the amateur or
community level ‘barely
exists’ and, given the
number of scheduled
matches not played (19 of
the 60 scheduled West of
England matches prior to
the play-offs), it’s hard to
argue with that assertion.
In a recent issue of League
Express, Phil Hodgson, a
specialist in the grassroots
rugby league, pointed
out that according to
figures compiled by
Sport England from last
February suggested that
participation figures were
down by nearly 10% from
the previous year and by
an alarming 39% over the
last ten years.
Red Hall (the home of the
game’s governing body)
is aware of the situation
according to Hodgson
and are trying to come up
with solutions. He suggests
that the switch to summer
rugby is to blame and,
while it may be the case
in the game’s heartlands,
without summer rugby
league, there would simply
be no rugby league in
areas like the South West
and the West of England
and probably Wales as
well.
He does concede that
the root cause is the
lack of commitment of
players, which seems also
to be the case in winter
as well as summer with
heartland clubs running
fewer sides. The argument
does seem to hold water
as rugby union clubs
have experienced similar
problems in their particular
heartlands such as here in
the south west.
The problem, then seems
to be fairly clear but the
solution is not so.
Short term, small leagues
with a narrow geographic
spread could be an answer
but long-term strength is
difficult to achieve.
It all hinges on building
clubs. Not teams, but clubs.
Clubs with committees of
more than two or three
die-hard enthusiasts; clubs
with well-organised and
inclusive junior sections
and clubs with their own
facilities, a club house
they can call home and
engender a feeling of
belonging.
That will help to inspire
some form of loyalty and
commitment but it is
difficult to see in this day
and age with land and
money for development in
short supply how enough
organisations working on
that model will ever exist
to ensure a strong and
thriving sport right across
the country from Cornwall
to Cromarty.
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