Second chance for young talent

Roughyeds to launch scholarship scheme
OLDHAM Roughyeds have paved the way for an influx of exciting young players by signing up for the RFL’S Championship Scholarship scheme.

The Whitebank outfit have joined Keighley, Hunslet and York in embracing the idea.

The aim of the scheme is to find clubs for youngsters who have not been offered deals elsewhere at the end of their scholarship.

Many turn their back on the sport after being cast aside by Super League teams at the age of 16.

But the RFL want to break the pattern and clubs like Roughyeds, who don’t have the financial muscle to splash out on inflated wages, are pursuing the chance to unearth some hidden treasure.

And to see how these lads fare in real match situations, Oldham are poised to enter a team into the Gillette National Youth League, with Phil Costin, formerly of Saddleworth Rangers, as head coach.

Roughyeds chairman Chris Hamilton said: “This is designed specifically for Championship clubs, and it represents a major step forward for ourselves.

“Of the hundreds of lads trying to get deals when they come off their scholarships, only a small proportion receive contract offers.

“An awful lot miss out and they become disillusioned. Some stop playing altogether, so this is one way to stamp that out.

“We can tap-in to these lads and give them the chance to forge a career in the professional game. They can spend two years here working with our staff.

“Not all players develop at the same rate. Just because they have been deemed not good enough at a certain stage, it does not mean they never will be.

“Everyone wins. The lads without a club have a chance to make it, and clubs like ourselves and the others who have signed up for it, can take some in and help them to eventually develop into first team players.

“Obviously it comes at a cost, because there will be a lot of travel involved to away matches all over the place, there are kits to sort out, but it is money well spent.”

The process begins on December 11, when unattached players head to Whitebank for a ‘skills session’.

Roughyeds coaches need a closer look before deciding who should join the club, not least because the list of lads provided by the RFL neglected to mention the positions in which they play.

Costin (48) will whittle them down to a squad of 24 before the Gillette National Youth League gets under way in March, 2011.