This is a map I made. The only widespread national map of professional Rugby League. Any teams I missed out? maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF ... 753418&z=6 Is it me, or is this rather an alarming number of clubs? Missed opportunities? Flawed from the start? Any memories, thoughts, or eulogies of the Rugby League graveyard?

This is a map I made. The only widespread national map of professional Rugby League. Any teams I missed out? maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF ... 753418&z=6 Is it me, or is this rather an alarming number of clubs? Missed opportunities? Flawed from the start? Any memories, thoughts, or eulogies of the Rugby League graveyard?

Massive amount of missed oppertunities. Its a shame Maurice was not around way back at the start of the sport. His vision would have made the sport huge.

If ever a thread was designed to make RL look like more of a local hobby than it already does...then this is it folks



WTF is the point of it? Soccer teams, Union teams, netball teams....clubs from every other sport have gone under over the years....but the map of these other sports now defunct clubs would cover more than 16% of the UK's land mass




we get it....it's a sad day when a proper club goes tits up....and it will be a sad day if a 'proper" club gets binned in June.....but for fuxache....really....what is the point?

By the way...."widespread" map....who are you kidding



1 team in Cumbria, one in coventry and a couple of London clubs that were never going to make it.........widespread my ar5e...I bet there are farmers who wish foot and mouth had been that "widespread" a few years back

It's all relative, innit. As far as RL in this country is concerned, this subject brings about the most widespread of locations.

Most of those teams were from the very early days of the sport, so it's difficult to say that they were missed opportunities really. The only ones that stand out are Nottingham and Kent. Hopefully Nottingham will make a return to Championship 1 in the not too distant future.

Looking at the list, I'm struck by the last one.

Seems clubs relocating is hardly a new concept!

why not make a map highlighting all the new clubs??

I was thinking that spud. If the clubs RL13 had mentioned were started today, they would be fine as there are the conferences to start off in which work brilliantly.

*Is brilliantly a word?

A lot of those clubs would be not much different from a good National Conference side today but despite GF's sensible words I'll bite.

What about all the welsh ones?

They had foot and mouth there as well!

You've missed some Welsh clubs out of it.
Ebbw Vale, Barry, Treherbert, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare, Mid Rhondda (all between 1907 & 1912), Cardiff (1940's), Cardiff Blue Dragons (later to become Bridgend Blue Dragons)& South Wales RLFC.

Certainly taught me something.


RL in London was failing even back in those days.

You would think we would all have learned by now wouldn't you.

Interesting title to the map... Defunct RL Clubs UK (in progress) – does the ‘in progress’ demonstrate a lack of faith in some of the current clubs adminstration?

In addition to the Welsh clubs mentioned earlier, you are also missing

Carlisle City 1928-29
Pontypridd 1926-28

Yes that map needs to be updated particularly with the Welsh clubs and a note saying, These clubs signed up to the NU but were offered loads of money by the RFU to stay with RU.

Oh look.

Another 'it's all the RU's fault' thread

No you just need to learn your NU and RL history. There were lots of other NU clubs at the start and there was no way that they would all survive. In the warrington area in the early days there was a club at Stockton Heath and another at Cadishead that were playing in the Lancs Combination. The Coventry club were banned from the RFU because they were found guilty of paying players and then re-instated 3 years later.
If Maurice Lindsay were around at the time he would have realised that there were too many clubs and that not all were going to survive. He would have encouraged mergers, and in a number of cases this is what happened.
Good to see Maurice weaving his magic at PNE at the moment. He'll have them as Div 1 champions next season!

Amended for accuracy

Is it just me, or have you missed out [iall[/i the various Welsh clubs?

Lots of Welsh teams.

Aberdare
Barry
Cardiff (twice at least)
Ebbw Vale
Merthyr Tydfil
Mid-Rhondda
Pontypridd
Treherbert

Most very early on, some between the wars.

It's just you.

Fair enough.

And Liverpool City were also Highfield, London Highfield, Runcorn Highfield and Prescot Panthers at various stages. They had other incarnations too I'm sure.

Almost as complicated as Bradford's history

Not that complicated really. Split two ways in 1907 and needed to be reformed in '64.

A better analogy would be the spiral shape of the typical Cas' family tree.