Sorry but I couldn't help join in on this thread, being from D&N and also looking at it from a common sense angle.
I think we all know that Yorkshire rugby union is stronger on the whole than it's counterpart in the north east, that is pretty obvious just looking at the standards of the respective teams when they are combined at NE1 level or whenever respective sides meet in national cups. It is also correct that travelling for us in DN is relatively less compared to you guys down here in Yorkshire which is a vast county.
There are two points to consider though when comments are made about DN rugby, firstly, in Yorkshire you have had to live side by side with a professional version of the game, rugby league, for over a century and I think this produces a totally different attitude towards payments to players, coaches etc and the raising of finance within your club and communities. If you didn't have a much more business like approach then union may have ceased to exist at all. Up in DN RL is growing in popularity but is still a minority sport and very much amateur and as such it has much less influence on the union game which in the main is still very "amateur".
It is correct that there are clubs who are much more professionally run and travel is less of an issue, you have named a few, it might be worth considering that most have slid back down and all participation issues with some unable to field regular 2nd teams. My point on the DN thread is that rugby has become fixated on 1st team only rugby, climbing up the pyramid and being run like professional clubs even when clubs don't have a fan/supporter/member base to justify it. There are a few examples of clubs who have had there very existence threatened because they've nearly gone bust by chasing unrealistic expectations.
Secondly, making lower league levels more amateur and leagues more local could help in increasing participation, more games being played (other than just league games) and stronger clubs with more players. Once a club rises through the levels then yes, geographically it will become more of a commitment but hopefully clubs can sustain it instead of boom or bust.
The charging for entry issue is based on the standard of the games I think more than the principal, but as its not common place up here spectators and members are less inclined to accept it down the levels.
I realise it's a totally different mind set to you guys in Yorkshire but the idea to improve the game up here not weaken it further. In Yorkshire the system may need to be different but at local levels that should be possible.
