The Rugby League Conference (RLC) (also known as the Co-operative Rugby League Conference as a result of sponsorship from the Co-operative Group, is a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Co-operative Group Limited, trading as The Co-operative Group, is a United Kingdom Consumers' co-operative, and one of the world's largest consumer-owned History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. There will be 13 divisions in 2007 (1 National, 4 Premier (Northern, Midlands, Southern and Welsh) and 8 Regional (Scotland, North West, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, West and West Midlands, South West, South and East).
The aim of the RLC was initially to provide regular fixtures for new clubs based outside the 'heartland' of rugby league, although as the standards have raised it now also accepts teams from the 'heartlands'. The hope is that at least some of these clubs will eventually progress to become semi-professional clubs that could one day join the 'traditional' clubs in the national leagues to date only London Skolars have done so. Media Some games are shown on Sky Sports, games involving Celtic Crusaders are shown on Welsh-language channel S4C. London Skolars are a Rugby league team based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in north London.
Confusingly, the top (winter) league administered by BARLA is also titled conference: the National Conference League. The British Amateur Rugby League Association ( BARLA) is the governing body for social and recreational Rugby league in the United Kingdom. The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur Rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA Although many of the clubs are affiliated to BARLA, the RLC is run, not by them, but by the Rugby Football League. History See also History of rugby league On 27 August 1895 as a result of an emergency meeting in Manchester prominent Lancashire clubs Broughton Rangers
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History
Predecessors to the RLC
The Southern Conference League was a 10-team pilot league founded in 1997. It had grown out of the defunct Midlands and South West Amateur Rugby League (MASWARLA).
The teams in that foundation season were North London Skolars, West London, Ipswich Rhinos, Cambridge Eagles, Kingston (who failed to complete the season), Birmingham, Worcester Royals, Oxford Cavaliers, Leicester Phoenix and Bedford Swifts. This article refers to the Rugby league team For the American football team please see Oxford Cavaliers. Reading were originally lined up to play in the 1997 Southern Conference League, but withdrew beforehand, being replaced by Cambridge. Some of the teams had come from the East Midland League (EMARLA), and others from the London Amateur Rugby League (LARL). West London was a joint venture between two LARL clubs and Bedford Swifts were the first ever cross code club. North London Skolars were the winners of the first and only Southern Conference. London Skolars are a Rugby league team based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in north London.
The formation of the RLC and early expansion 1998 to 2002
The Rugby League Conference was founded in 1998 with 14 teams (initially planned to be 15), this expanded to 20 in 1999 and 24 in 2000. The East Midland League (EMARLA) was absorbed by 1999 with the admission of Derby City and Nottingham Outlaws (based on the now defunct Nottingham Crusaders). Nottingham Outlaws are a Rugby league club from the city of Nottingham, England. The North East League (NEARLA) provided teams for the 2000 Northern Rugby League Summer Conference, won by Teeside Steelers before being incorporated into the Rugby League Conference in 2001.
The best of the London League was gradually included, with the rest reforming as a summer merit league for new clubs, police/prison sides and second and third teams.
The Conference expanded into Wales for the first time in 2001 when Cardiff Demons joined the Central South Division. Cardiff Demons RLFC are a Rugby league side who play out of St Along with the new North East Division this left the Rugby League Conference with 30 teams in the 2001 (and 2002) season. Teesside beat Coventry Bears by a narrow margin in the grand final at Webb Ellis Road, Rugby. Plans to expand to Scotland with a Glasgow team in 2002 on the Cardiff model failed to materialise, and the Conference had to wait until 2007 to have Scottish full members for the first time.
In 2002 London Skolars were accepted into National League two, the first club in eighty years to make the transition from the amateur ranks to the professional leagues. In September, last year's losing finalist Coventry Bears beat Hemel in the grand final held at Cheltenham.
Further expansion 2003-4
Hemel Stags, St Albans Centurions, Coventry Bears, Manchester Knights, South London Storm and Teesside Steelers joined the newly formed National League three in 2003. Hemel Stags are a Rugby league team based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire playing in the Rugby League Conference National Division St Albans Centurions is a Rugby league club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Coventry Bears are a rugby league club formed in 1998 They play in the Rugby League Conference West Midlands division and the Rugby League Conference Premier League South London Storm is a Rugby league club who play and train at Streatham-Croydon RFC in Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon A Welsh Conference was formed in 2003 as the conference continued to expand. The conference made the leap from 30 to 52 and there has been criticism that standards were being eroded to allow rapid expansion. It is true that far more teams have resigned from the league since 2003 than beforehand. It is unlikely that teams such as the Haringey 'A' side of 2006 who forfeited 7 out of 10 games would have been allowed to remain in the early seasons.
Another move criticised by some people was the allowing of heartland teams to enter. This was tested with the entry of Leeds Akademiks (now Akkies) in 2003 and many more heartland teams were included from the 2004 season. While this is controversial it has allowed standards to improve in the North and setting up the Premier Divisions would have been near impossible without them. It also allowed all NL3 sides to enter reserve teams if they chose.
The following season saw Birmingham Bulldogs, Carlisle Centurions, Gateshead Storm and Essex Eels leave the Conference to join National League three. Carlisle RLFC were a Rugby league team based in Carlisle, Cumbria. Gateshead Storm are the top amateur Rugby league club in the North East of England
Further developments 2005-onwards
The RLC Premier North, Midlands (initially Central), South and Wales divisions were set up in 2005 to include the stronger teams in those areas who were able to travel further to play away games. South London Storm and Manchester Knights resigned from National League three to join the RLC Premier (the latter only lasting two games before having their fixtures taken over by Dewsbury Celtic). South London Storm is a Rugby league club who play and train at Streatham-Croydon RFC in Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon Dewsbury Celtic is a Rugby league club in the town of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Coventry Bears, Essex Eels and Birmingham Bulldogs also quit National League three to join the RLC Premier for the 2006 season with Carlisle joining the RLC Regional. Coventry Bears are a rugby league club formed in 1998 They play in the Rugby League Conference West Midlands division and the Rugby League Conference Premier League
In 2006 a new league was founded as a feeder league to the RLC in the Midlands and South Yorkshire. The Midlands RL Merit League (now known as RL Merit League) was based on the principles of the successful London League and consists of new clubs who are not ready for the full commitment of the Conference season together with RLC clubs' 'A' teams. The RL Merit League, formerly the Midlands Merit League is a summer Rugby league tournament in England. The London League (LL is a Rugby league competition founded in 1965. It is hoped that other regions can set up merit leagues on a similar basis to the existing two.
From 2006 the Rugby League Conference provided administrative and promotional support to the Scottish domestic league as a pilot scheme which has provided a Scottish division of six teams as a full part of the Conference for the 2007 season. The Scotland Rugby League is the governing body for Rugby league in Scotland. Gloucestershire Warriors became the first Conference side to beat a 'traditional' amateur side when they beat Pennine League team Illingworth 25-24 away from home in the 2006 Challenge Cup. Gloucestershire Warriors RLFC are a Rugby league team from the county of Gloucestershire in England. The Challenge Cup (as of 2008 known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons is a knockout cup competition for Rugby league clubs across Europe South London Storm were crowned RLC National Champions after beating East Lancashire Lions 30-0 in the final at Broadstreet RUFC.
In 2007, Bradford Dudley Hill withdrew from National League three to return to the National Conference League and St Albans Centurions decided to join the RLC Premier South. Bradford Dudley Hill Rugby League Club is an English rugby league team based in Bradford West Yorkshire now playing in the prestigious National Conference League. The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur Rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA St Albans Centurions is a Rugby league club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks had previously re-entered the Rugby League Conference for the 2006 season after resigning from National league three a few weeks into the season. Hillsborough Hawks ARLFC is a Rugby league club based in Sheffield, England. Hemel Stags were left as the only southern team and National League three was absorbed into the Rugby League Conference as the Rugby League Conference National Division with the addition of three teams from the Premier North Division: Leeds Akkies, Cottingham Phoenix and East Lancashire Lions. Hemel Stags are a Rugby league team based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire playing in the Rugby League Conference National Division Cottingham Phoenix were subsequently expelled about half way through the season for forfeiting three fixtures. The 2007 season will include many new teams in the deep South West allowing a division completely comprising of clubs in Devon and Somerset, this has the advantage of vastly reducing travel for both the existing clubs in the region and the West Midlands/West Country clubs having to travel down there.
The 2007 season also saw a new sponsor for the league with Totalrlc being replaced by United Co-operatives in a six figure deal. United Co-operatives, or simply United Co-op, was the largest regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom until its merger with The Co-operative [1] Following United's merger with the larger Co-operative Group, the league was named the Co-operative Rugby League Conference for sponsorship purposes. Co-operative Group Limited, trading as The Co-operative Group, is a United Kingdom Consumers' co-operative, and one of the world's largest consumer-owned
Season and play-off format
There is no promotion or relegation between divisions, teams may apply to join higher divisions and may or may not be accepted based on different criteria.
In the event of a default, the game is awarded 24-0 to the non-defaulting side.
National Division
The ten teams play each other on a home and away basis providing eighteen games. The top six teams then enter the end of season play-offs in the same format as the play-offs for the Super League and National leagues
Premier divisions
There are three English divisions and one Welsh division with seven to ten teams per division. Media Some games are shown on Sky Sports, games involving Celtic Crusaders are shown on Welsh-language channel S4C. Teams play fourteen games each in the English divisions and just seven games in the Welsh division. Each division then has its own play-off series to determine the champion with the four divisional winners entering the semi-finals of the play-offs for the Harry Jepson Trophy.
The premier divisions were added in the 2005 season to provide for clubs wanting to play a longer season and the development of those clubs within the Conference.
There is a minimum criteria attached to membership including the organization of at least one junior team. There will also be a requirement over time to add additional teams at junior level and to register for clubmark. It is also recommended to have a second open age team.
Regional divisions
There are eight regional divisions (seven English and one Scottish) in 2007 with four to eight teams and six to twelve fixtures per team with varying fixture formats. Each division has play-offs with varying formats with the winners entering the quarter-finals of the play-offs for the national title.
Representative fixtures
After the end of the RLC season a series of games between the different English regions (as defined by Sport England) are held. Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a Non-departmental public body under the Department for These regional teams draw upon players from the clubs in their region. After this a selection is made for the North versus South origin game as well as England Lionhearts who represent England in a competition against national amateur sides from Wales, Scotland (players drawn from RLC teams) and Ireland (players from their own national amateur championship).
2008 structure
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NB:Kent Ravens (South Premier Division), Glasgow Bulls (Scottish Division), Manchester Jets (North West Division) and Macclesfield Titans (Cheshire Division) have all either resigned or been struck from the fixture lists
Past winners
Rugby League Conference National
- 2003 Warrington Woolston Rovers (as National League three)
- 2004 Coventry Bears (as National League three)
- 2005 Bradford Dudley Hill (as National League three)
- 2006 Bramley Buffaloes (as National League three)
- 2007 Featherstone Lions
Harry Jepson Trophy
The Harry Jepson trophy was competed for by all the Conference sides up to 2004. Bramley Buffaloes is a Rugby league club from the Bramley area of West Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Dewsbury Celtic is a Rugby league club in the town of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. East Lancashire Lions are a Rugby league club from Darwen in Lancashire. Gateshead Storm are the top amateur Rugby league club in the North East of England Hemel Stags are a Rugby league team based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire playing in the Rugby League Conference National Division Liverpool Buccaneers Rugby League Football Club are an amateur Rugby league club from West Derby in Liverpool. Warrington Wizards are a British Rugby league team They were first invited into the league by the RFL in 2003 on the creation of the new National Carlisle RLFC were a Rugby league team based in Carlisle, Cumbria. Durham Tigers are a small Rugby league side based in Bishop Auckland just outside Durham in England. Sunderland Nissan FC is a football club based in Sunderland, England. Bedford Tigers RLFC is a Rugby league club based in Bedford, England. Coventry Bears are a rugby league club formed in 1998 They play in the Rugby League Conference West Midlands division and the Rugby League Conference Premier League Gloucestershire Warriors RLFC are a Rugby league team from the county of Gloucestershire in England. Leicester Phoenix are a rugby league club formed in 1986 They play in the Rugby League Conference Midlands Premier division and the Rugby League Conference Nottingham Outlaws are a Rugby league club from the city of Nottingham, England. Kingston Warriors are a Rugby league club from Esher in London The Ipswich Rhinos Rugby League Football Club is a British Rugby league club based at Ipswich RUFC in Ipswich, in the county of Suffolk. London Skolars are a Rugby league team based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in north London. St Albans Centurions is a Rugby league club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. South London Storm is a Rugby league club who play and train at Streatham-Croydon RFC in Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon West London Sharks RLFC is a Rugby league team based in Middlesex. Bridgend Blue Bulls RLFC are a Rugby league side based in Bridgend, Wales. Cardiff Demons RLFC are a Rugby league side who play out of St Newport Titans RLFC are a Rugby league side who play out of Pill Harriers RFC in the city of Newport, Wales. West Wales Sharks RLFC are a Rugby league side based in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. The Carluke Tigers are an amateur Rugby league team that play in the Scotland Rugby League Conference The Edinburgh Eagles are a Rugby league team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Fife Lions are a Rugby league club participating in the Scottish Rugby League Conference. The Paisley Hurricanes are an amateur rugby league team that play in the Scotland Rugby League Conference Crewe Steamers RLFC | emblem = ??????????????????| colours = ???????????????????????| founded = 2008| sport = Rugby League | league = Rugby League Conference | ground Legends Winnington Park Rugby Football Club is situated in Winnington, Northwich in Cheshire, England. East Riding could be East Riding of Yorkshire East Riding of County Cork, Ireland East Riding of County Galway Scarborough Pirates RLFC were a Rugby league club based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. Moorends-Thorne Marauders RLFC is an Amateur Rugby league football club playing in the North Midlands Division of the Rugby League Conference and in the Sheffield Forgers RLFC is a Rugby league club in Sheffield, England Bristol Sonics are a Rugby league club based in Bristol in the South West of England. Coventry Bears are a rugby league club formed in 1998 They play in the Rugby League Conference West Midlands division and the Rugby League Conference Premier League This article refers to the Rugby league team For the American football team please see Oxford Cavaliers. Redditch Ravens are a Rugby league club based in Redditch, England. Telford Raiders ARLFC are a rugby league club based in the town of Telford in Shropshire, England. Plymouth Rugby League Football Club is the leading Rugby league club in Plymouth. Somerset Vikings RLFC are a Rugby league team from the county of Somerset in England. Cambridge Eagles Rugby League Club are a Rugby league team representing the city of Cambridge, England Northampton Casuals is a Rugby league club based in Northampton. St Ives Roosters are a Rugby league club from St Ives in Cambridgeshire. From 2005, it has been competed for only by the RLC Premier divisions.
- 1997 North London Skolars (as Southern Conference)
- 1998 Crawley Jets
- 1999 Chester Wolves
- 2000 Crawley Jets
- 2001 Teesside Steelers
- 2002 Coventry Bears
- 2003 Bridgend Blue Bulls
- 2004 Widnes Saints
- 2005 Bridgend Blue Bulls
- 2006 South London Storm
- 2007 St Albans Centurions
RLC Regional
The RLC Regional is open to English sides that are in the regional divisions rather than the Premier divisions. London Skolars are a Rugby league team based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in north London. Coventry Bears are a rugby league club formed in 1998 They play in the Rugby League Conference West Midlands division and the Rugby League Conference Premier League South London Storm is a Rugby league club who play and train at Streatham-Croydon RFC in Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon St Albans Centurions is a Rugby league club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. It was introduced in 2005.
- 2005 Wetherby Bulldogs
- 2006 Liverpool Buccaneers
- 2007 Widnes Saints
RLC Shield
The RLC Shield is an optional secondary competition for regional sides that do not make their divisions' play-offs. Prior to 2005, it was for teams not making the play-offs of the Harry Jepson trophy.
- 2002 South London Storm
- 2003 Bolton Le Moors (now East Lancashire Lions)
- 2004 Cardiff Demons
- 2005 Blackpool Sea Eagles
- 2006 Not contested
Welsh Premier
Competed for by the RLC Wales division since 2004.
- 2004 Bridgend Blue Bulls
- 2005 Bridgend Blue Bulls
- 2006 Bridgend Blue Bulls
- 2007 Bridgend Blue Bulls
Welsh Shield
Secondary Welsh competition for teams who do not make the play-offs for the Welsh Premier.
- 2004 Cardiff Demons
- 2005 Newport Titans
- 2006 Not contested
Scotland
Scottish regional tier, introduced 2006.
- 2006 Fife Lions (not as full members of the RLC)
- 2007 Edinburgh Eagles
(For previous Scottish champions see: Scotland Rugby League)
References
Beyond the Heartlands - The History of the Rugby League Conference Julian Harrison
See also
- British rugby league system‎
- Rugby League National Leagues
- National Conference League
- London League
- RL Merit League
- Scotland Rugby League
External links
- Official website
- Unofficial RLC website
- Club directory on official site
- Official tables
- Fixture lists
- Fixtures and results on leaguenews.co.uk
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