What I would like the club to answer is the following. "Whether your decision about Wigan is right or wrong, did you pause to consider what would be the effect on your loyal fans". Reading the reactions of many (formerly) loyal fans makes me really fear there will be no club for Wigan to 'twin' with. The next time the begging bowl comes round will signal the end. Could they not have forseen the obvious reaction?

It's a slippery slope.

Why do Leigh need Wigan to enhance development of their junior players? What happens when East/Miners play Pats/Judes and there's a Leigh 'scout' and a Wigan 'scout' and for example East/Miners win and have three stand out players, who takes them on?

Do Leigh 'let' Wigan take them on then Wigan develop them, D/R them when they're 17/18/19/20 if they're any good they're kept as Wigan's if they're naff Wigan released and Leigh pick them up?

I've read that Wigan will help in coaching, medical assistance and areas like that. At the expense of who? Ando, Littler, Duffs and Leigh's physio's ? if it's on a match day then it doesn't look too good with people turning up with Wigan gear on at a Championship game, à la Warrington gear everywhere at Swinton games.

Are we allowed to still chant "We hate Wigan" or will the little girl come over the tannoy about RL being a family game.

They obviously thought that putting it on the website would make it better, seems its made it worse. The moment we use an established first teamer from the pies to aid in his regaining fitness, then no more money comes from me. I have my season ticket so will see the season out but that will then be it. They want to beg the fans for money to cover a problem of their own making.

[size=150Use your own money BOD[/size

Unless my views change or I am convinced this is not a twinning (because the term 'returning SL players' certainly makes it sound so) then any direct debits to the club or organisations that fund the club will be stopped by the end of May. I think I am giving the club a fair amount of time to save at least this supporter.

PS Sorry Lynda

Around 15 years ago I was stood on the small Cardiff Arms park watching Leigh lose to South Wales (mk 1) , we was 2nd bottom of the entire pro RL set up with gates below a 1,000.
Ian Millward arrived not long after that and since then the club has built and kicked onwards performed pretty well and it could be argued we are the best most consistant team outside SL (having only been in SL for one season, compared to all the others) - that is until today when the current leaders of Leigh decided to take this drastic action.

I'd gladly have taken watching my club get beat by a Oxford or a Gloucester knowing we could rebuild again rather than falsely competing with the top sides with a team indirectly provided by Wigan , having said that the thing that really adds fuel to the fire with this announcement is that this current Leigh owned squad we currently have is more than capable of winning things - its a very strong one on paper and maybe with a bit better coaching / awareness we'd be higher but we are hardly in crisis and certainly not in a mess like when I was stood in Cardiff with around 50 other like minded fans.

Its just such a poor decision IMHO.

It's catastrophic surely, if it alienates fans so much that our long-standing supporters, are among those giving up. Can we afford to lose any of them?

Ive watched Leigh for nearly 70yrs and can not beleive what I am reading on here. Nothing will ever stop me from watching my team no matter what. I feel sorry for the ones who say they will no longer go to watch them and also a little disgusted.

I feel sorry for you because with the issue this has clearly caused people the drop in attendances WILL mean no Leigh Centurions in 2014. We know what they need attendance wise and last night there was only 1300 on. That's 500 below what's needed or a 50k plus shortfall for the rest of the season at that rate. Not one of the directors is going yo put any money in other than the guarantees they already shoulder ie the overdraft.

They could be said to be at the helm of a sinking ship but at least they cam go down knowing

....that they sank it.

We shall see

For one reason or another we're all a little disgusted.

.I will always watch my team Leigh no matter what , ive NEVER chanted "We hate Wigan ", in my life , so sad ,i also trust the BOD , Trevor B , Paul R , they are all people with Leighs best interests at heart .

I shall see how this situation developes over the next few weeks , thogh im not taking the Fraser "We are all Doomed ",approach , if the said fans on here decide to stop watching Leigh , theres nowt anybody can do its up to them , i know Leigh will survive , and i personally will do everything i can to assist Leigh .

I postponed the push for new members for Easter Monday as I only had 3 people including me, to help , I was going to wait a few week, but it seems pointless doing it while everyone feels like this........
.......

Your are now making me very angry with your false accusations.

That's very commendable Charlie but this initiative can only lose fans, not bring in new ones and seeing as it is now our responsibility to pay for these decisions then we are entitled to voice our opinions however strong they may have just become.

However, it wont be YOUR team....this only benefits one club, thats for sure!

Reading the "Benefits of the Partnership" part of the press release it all but says merger, this type of language has been used in industry and banking for years to avoid the word takeover, sad day

Derek you know how much i respect you , and your opinions , i also know how much you love the Club , as i do , no more or less , i agree how this initiative can only lose fans at a time when we need them , it pains me to see fans reacting in this way , but im going to keep on doing what i can to help , and will never give up .

I do hope things turn out OK , some fans will see me as a YES man , to the Club , but im just a Fan who wants to watch his team play , and will try to help them in any way possible .

Still can't get my head around it. I read earlier that every junior player registered to a Community Rugby League Club in Australia can go to any NRL game FOR FREE.

What would Leigh lose by letting every junior player up to u16s at Leigh East, Leigh Miners, Atherton Dragons, Golborne Parkside, Culcheth, Westhoughton free entry with proof of registration?

I don't know how old kids are when their parents let them wonder about on their own these days but I was 15 when I was allowed to attend games on my own. Before then from the the age of 9 I dragged a parent, an aunt, uncle or older cousin with me to a game (who I presume paid full price) because I had 13 idols + parky pig to see on a Sunday afternoon.

I'm not sure weather I got a membership pass from Leigh East U10s that meant I was only charged £1 for entry, I can't quite remember but it was something along those lines.

Granted I know at the time entry fee for adults was cheaper as was fuel, the price of chips, pop and everything else but surely a scheme which to me seems simple, is worth a go.

It creates links with all amateur clubs in the area, when people become aware of such a scheme it may encourage and increase participation in the junior teams at these clubs, giving Leigh RL a greater chance of finding the next local star. The more people playing and watching rugby in Leigh, the better.

On this point I will say there is an excellent deal being offered to any club / organisation that registers don't how many have done it though.

The way I see it:

* We'll have some Wigan players in our youth system. We'll also have the players we have contracted. Wigan will have no more right to sign up these players than they did previously. However, Leigh will be in a much more favourable position to sign any Wigan contracted youth players that Wigan decide they don't want to sign to their senior squad.

* We'll have up to 4 Wigan players on-loan (more stable) or on DC (more flexible). These players will be U23 and not regular members of the Wigan first team squad (numbers re: experience would be handy here)

* We'll work with Wigan on off-field matters wherever the two clubs can agree that it's favourable.

* Wigan have no rights to our players. We have no obligation to fill any of our sides with Wigan players.

However, I am extremely worried about the way the club has communicated this. The press release was too long, contained too much information and wasn't anywhere near clear enough on the salient points that matter to lifelong Leigh supporters who feel they have been betrayed by the club.

Like toadstools says an urgent fans forum needs calling before we lose more fans

Some people are missing the point of this " arrangement " , the training methods being used to train the young kids are archaic and 20 years out of date and by the time they get to open age they need retraining to progress to the next level and will be behind the kids who have benefitted from modern training .

For those who don't follow the amateur game it's dying on it's arrse on this side of the Pennines with teams folding left right and centre , so what would you rather have a fat oaf who hasn't played the game teaching an U10's team things he knows nowt about because he's the clhairman or the likes of Shaun Wane , Pat Richards & Sam Tomkins going down to the Miners or the Easts ( If the committee ever passed it ) and gave a few training sessions on a regular basis and the same for Paul Rowley , Ryan Brierley & Sean Penky doing the same at St Judes & St Pats to improve the standards of play across the borough .

There's only so many players that Wigan can have in their squad so if maybe we may lose 2 players to them but possibly have the pick of 10 -12 released by them , It benefits everyone all round , especially the people who matter the kids who are being tought modern playing methods .

In principle everyones a winner , but I still want to see it in action for the rest of the season before I'm truly convinced

That's basically the way I've heard/seen it too Michael. There really isn't anything sinister in it. I agree also that we could have done more to communicate it. I'm also totally weary of the scenario, whereby however we communicate it, people will 'read between the lines'. (I.e. as in when something is communicated, there are those who have decided that the 'club' is lying)

From Trevor Bartons programme notes on the 13th Jan 2013..............
"Our fans should be aware that we are not signing a partnership agreement with Wigan because ‘we beLEIGHve’ and we have ambition to get to be a Super League Club".

From the Leigh website on the 22nd Mar 2013............
Leigh Centurions are thrilled to announce an official partnership with Wigan Warriors.

I presume Barton now doesn't 'beLEIGHve' we have ambition to be in SL anymore or was he just lieing in January ?

Wallace i support everything that is good for Leigh Centurions , i dont know anything about the Amateur game at grass roots , my brother-in-law coaches at St Judes and knows more my nephew played for the Leigh reserves a couple of seasons ago and now plays for Judes first team , but i bow to your better knowledge of the grass roots game , hopefully this problem can be sorted out without to much Damage to our Great Club .