Does modifying competition affect the frequency of technical skills in junior rugby league?

The technical demands of games can be affected by changing the number of players, pitch size and rules. This controlled trial compared the frequency of technical skills between a 'traditional' and newly introduced systematically 'modified' game of primary rugby league. A total of 475 primary rugby league players (Under 7s - 9s) were filmed playing traditional (n=49) and modified (n= 249) formats. Notational analysis examined the frequency of technical skills (e.g., number of passes) within 'traditional' and 'modified' games. At each age category, multivariate analysis of variance indicated the clear superiority of the 'modified' game for the frequency of technical skills (e.g., Under 7s total skill opportunities - 'traditional' = 342.9±47.0; 'modified' = 449.4±93.3, d=1.44, p<0.001). Systematically modifying the competitive game is an effective way to increase skill opportunities for children within rugby league. Future research should examine the outcomes of modifying games in optimizing skill development in youth sport

Exploring British adolescent rugby league players' experiences of professional academies and dropout.

The purposes of this study were threefold: to explore former rugby league players’ experiences of professional academy environments, to understand their reasons for dropping out of the sport, and to explore their recommendations for optimising future talent development environments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine ex-professional academy rugby league players up to one year after dropping out of playing rugby. A combination of inductive and deductive thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The thematic analysis revealed three general dimensions: talent development pathways, reasons for dropout, and recommendations. The findings suggest that players’ talent development experiences, and the reasons for dropout could be explained by a complex interaction of micro (e.g. negative academy experiences), meso (e.g. education), exo (e.g. player pathway structures), and macro systems (e.g. transitions to other clubs). It is concluded from these findings that talent development pathways which lack a long-term focus, and emphasise early success are likely to result in increased risk of burnout, de-motivation, and subsequent dropout. From an applied perspective, talent development pathways must consider the many personal and environmental factors which interact to determine an individual’s talent development trajectory. Furthermore, by recognising the multiple factors that may influence development, the effectiveness of development pathways may be enhanced by neither excluding “potential” through inappropriate early identification, nor ignoring crucial talent development variables that contribute toward the fulfilment of potential

Playing with the Rules: Influences on the Development of Regulation in Sport

Sport today is a rule-governed practice: constitutive rules, both prescriptive and proscriptive, define required equipment and facilities as well as setting the formal rules of play; auxiliary rules specify and control eligibility: and regulatory rules place restraints on behaviour independent of the sport itself. This article offers a broad sweep examination of the historical process of rule development in sport including an assessment of the influence over time of gambling, fair play ideology, economic pressures, technological developments and legal intervention. En route a seven-stage scheme of constitutive rule development is postulated which it is hoped will set a research agenda for sports historians to test with case studies of particular sports

By-laws and rules together with laws of the game /

First full year of the Rugby League competition in Australia.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.aus-vn623297