Club information | |
---|---|
Full name | North Wales Crusaders Rugby League Football Club |
Short name | Crusaders |
Website | www.crusadersrfl.com |
Colours | |
Founded | 2011 |
Current details | |
Ground(s) |
|
CEO(s) | Jamie Thomas |
Coach(s) | Anthony Murray |
Captain(s) | Andy Moulsdale |
Competition | Kingstone Press League 1 (from 2015) |
2014 Championship | 11th |
Current season | |
Records | |
Northern Rail Bowl | 1 (2013) |
Championship 1 | 1 (2013) |
Most capped | 69 - Tommy Johnson |
Most points | 514 - Tommy Johnson |
North Wales Crusaders R.L.F.C. (Welsh: Croesgadwyr Gogledd Cymru Rygbi'r Gynghrair) is a professional rugby league club based in Wrexham, Wales. They are the successors to the former Super League club Crusaders Rugby League. Crusaders compete in Kingstone Press League 1, the third tier of European rugby league (behind the Super League and Kingstone Press Championship). Until the end of 2016 they played their home games at the Racecourse Ground. From 2017 they are based at the Queensway Stadium in Wrexham.
In the summer of 2003, the WRU voted to reduce the top tier of Welsh professional rugby union from nine clubs into five regions. The Celtic Warriors officially represented the Mid-Glamorgan Valleys area, which in practice meant that they were a combination of Pontypridd RFC and Bridgend RFC.
Financial problems at Pontypridd RFC led to the sale of their half of the Warriors to Bridgend RFC owner Leighton Samuel, which he gifted to the WRU. He then later sold his half to the WRU who in the summer of 2004 decided to liquidate the club.
Leighton Samuel was approached by the RFL to form a rugby league club and join the professional ranks. The new Celtic Crusaders were argued to be a continuation of the old Celtic Warriors side and were based at Bridgend's Brewery Field.
In 2009, the team were awarded a Super League licence and played one season in Super League before financial problems saw the club renamed Crusaders Rugby League and moved to Wrexham. The club created an academy side for players based in North Wales known as North Wales Crusaders. After two seasons at Wrexham, the club pulled out from bidding for a 2012 Super League licence.