I am a 17 year old playing in the North West Counties League and our season has just finished. Why ? we had game after game cancelled this last winter cause of snow water frost.
Please can somebody organise our league to change to Summer Rugby. I'm being told the old timers at the head of the leagues don't want to change??

Speak to your club officials, it's being discussed at quite an advanced level at present.

See this press Release from Barla today.

BARLA PRESS RELEASE
“Summer Rugby”

Following a BARLA Board of Management meeting, the Board have issued a statement which they feel offers clear guidance of its views they will be presenting at the Community Board meeting on Friday 30th April.

The Board’s view is that; at this present moment in time, The British Amateur Rugby League Association are committed to providing winter competition for teams at all age groups who wish to remain playing the game, in the present September to May playing season. They would however offer support to any members who wish to make changes to their playing season.

BARLA would support a more detailed study into moving the Youth & Junior from its current window, but believe that there is clear evidence emanating from the open age ranks that there is no desire to move their playing season. There is a groundswell of support to continue playing from September to May.

BARLA does not dismiss the idea of summer rugby, but the Association has to act in the best interests of and on the instructions of its members.

Kind Regards,

Roger Fagge
Administrator
The British Amateur Rugby League Association

If open age did move to Summer Rugby, would that render BARLA as a governing body useless, as the RFL would assume control of the summer rugby?

It's a joke that we have two separate structures, one for Winter, one for Summer; a joke that I had to go training on swamps in the bitter cold, rain, dark; joke that we had 8 games called off due to bad weather! A bludy joke I tell thee!

They already are.

The arguement for Junior summer rugby and open age summer rugby are worlds apart and should not be considered together. We will never improve our young players core skills, pace, tackling, awareness etc playing in freezing temperatures on heavy pitches and in the rain. Simples.

I think that juniors should play in summer so as to improve skills and increase participation, but open age should stay in winter simply due to the pitches being too hard in summer.

Myth, if anything there just about right to play on

Having played both, summer everytime for me

[urlhttp://www.lasttackle.com/blogpost_249-amateur-summer-switch-makes-sense.html[/url

It's not a myth, I've played in both summer and winter and as a prop/fat lad who cant play anywhere else, I know which I prefer.

So 'pitches too hard' translates to 'I am too unfit to cope in the heat'?

To be fair it is a killer playing in the summer. I don't see why the winter stuff can't have a lengthy break while the weather is at its worst. Maybe start fixtures around late August, play to the end of November. Then restart in February with the remainder of the season.

What is the point in that?