Lots of discussion goes on around how to make sure players stay in the sport through their junior years and how we can keep the sport safe and attractive to young players and their parents. A recent article by Russell Earnshaw proposes and explores some ideas for making sure our junior and youth players stay with the game.

There are mis-matches of size and ability in the age-grade teams and some very one sided scorelines. His theory revolves around the fact that players do not gain much from being on either end of a 60-nil scoreline, that late maturers, smaller or new to the game players can be put off by lack of playing time or the risk - actual or perceived - of being on the wrong end of a pummelling.

Perhaps a measure for success is not just games won per season (valid as that should remain), but how big each squad is at the beginning and end of a season. Read the attached article and ponder how we can make our games more productive, retain players and make sure it is fun for all.