In recent times there has been plenty of uproar about academies.
When it was revealed that certain clubs had been denied an elite academy licence, such as the Castleford Tigers, many rugby league fans were less than pleased.
In fact many believe every Super League side, and even every Championship side, should have an elite academy.
To the Tigers credit, they worked hard to regain their academy licence but there is one club still battling for theirs in the shape of Bradford Bulls.
The club confirmed in a statement today that they are still working hard to gain a licence despite reports that one was close to being awarded to the four time Super League Champions who now ply their trade in the Championship.
They said:
“We have not yet received confirmation of our elite academy status being granted. If and when we do, we will be the first to let you know!”
The comments come after Hull FC boss and former adversary of the Bulls back in his days at Leeds Rhinos, Tony Smith made a key point about academies on Sky Sports:
“We need to promote the young people in our sport. There are Super League clubs that still don’t have an academy.
“The same clubs are spending money every season signing overseas players and are putting no money into growing the sport and their club from within.
“At the moment we’re just looking for a one-off and for things just falling into place, but that won’t happen without a strategy from club and country.”
Many want academies to become a key part of IMG’s grading which will come into force next year.
