Just read an article in the latest RL Journal about Leeds RL supporters clubs and it amazed me how many there were a few years back. I grew up on the Whinmoor estate and there was always a good support base up there, but I didn't realise that back in the late 60's there was 3 supporters branches all within a 15 minute walk of my house, Swarcliffe WMC, Cock Beck and the Whinmoor pub. Here's a list of active branches back in the late 60's.

Aireborough; Albert Inn, Yeadon.
Burley Liberal Club.
Burley + Kirkstall; Rising Sun pub.
Cock Beck Hotel, LS15.
Dalesman pub; LS16.
Eldon Hotel; LS2.
East End Park WMC.
Fforde Grene; Harehills.
Gipton Hotel; LS8.
Headingley Grounds; social club Headingley.
Harehills WMC.
Harehills Labour Club.
Haddon Hall Hotel.
Ireland Wood social club.
Meanwood WMC.
North Leeds WMC.
Park Hotel; LS3.
Quarry Mount WMC.
Swarcliffe WMC.
West Ward Liberal Club.
Whinmoor Hotel;LS14.

None in South Leeds as Hunslet were still going strong I guess. Is anyone old enough to have been a member or even remember any of these. Swarcliffe have run a bus for many years so I suppose there's always been a branch there of sorts.

I know growing up my parents were in the Headingley Grounds branch of the Supporters Club and this is still going today, although I believe that due to falling numbers all the above branches essentially merged into just the one Supporters Club.

Where are they running from now the social clubs been levelled ?

A very interesting post from Leeds owl, how many of those pubs and clubs are still going and functioning ?.

Christ how popular were the club in LS14?

SWMC, Cock Beck & Whinmoor all within 10mins walk of each other.

SWMC the only one that hasn't been shut down & the Supporters club is going strong. Cracking away day with them

That's not a full list. Just checked with my old man and there was three branches in the 60's in Morley alone. He also recalls branches in Tingley, Churwell, Birstall and Ardsley

Seconded with the SWC.

Well The Rising Sun is a second hand furniture shop and The Burley Liberal Club (Queens) closed earlier this year. Sad, very sad.

I defected from my Whinmoor roots some 20 years back but my folks tell me the Whinmoor and Cock Beck have opened and closed more times than a door in recent years, word is they're currently closed, I'm sure some of the Swarcliffe lads will know the current situation. As for the Gipton, don't know if that was the old Courtier on the roundabout, if so it's now an Aldi or something. Meanwood WMC was closed for a while but has opened its doors again recently. North Leeds club is still going, God knows how, but don't know much about the other places. There was talk from the club about getting local branches going again, the problem in this day and age is whether the pubs/clubs holding the branches would stay open for any length of time.

Both somehow currently open! Although the Whinmoor looks in a state from the outside.

From what I gather back in the past, this may have been in the 30s or just after WW2, that Leeds RLFC was second only to Glasgow Rangers in terms of the numbers of supporters clubs it had.

As some of you might know, back in the late 90s, I was an economic refugee in London for a couple of years and made it back for games home and away every week. I've heard a story from an old Loiner that even back in the 30s (I presume in the days of Acton & Willesden or Streatham & Mitcham) that there was London based supporters called "The String O'Beads" (geddit ?)

Also, during the great recession of the 30s, the club used to employ 'beaters' with big sticks to stop skint fans from climbing in over the walls.

Can anyone confirm or expand ?

Haddon Hall closed a couple of years ago.

Got done up and turned into a couple of commercial units. Currently just an Indian takeaway there now.

Burley is crap for pubs.

The cynic in me wonders whether GH has decided "why pay for a commercial department going out to pubs/clubs etc when we can get existing fans to do it for nowt"?

Dress it up as some nostalgic hark back to a better time and the job's a good 'un.

Or instead of spending money in finding out where fans are congregating by wandering around aimlessly, mailshoting uninterested pubs/clubs why not you know, get the fans to tell the club where they are so the club can hopefully focus their attention on them.

Bar 2 fan run coaches I know of(Funbus and of course the SWC) I have no idea where any other fans coaches are running from, which is a bit of a bummer seeing as I live in West Leeds now but commute over to Swarcliffe to use the coach there.

It would be nice to know should I want to catch a coach/cadge a lift to a game I know who/what and where to go.

seems a good idea to me.