RL in Wrexham isnt an entirely new thing. They had an amateur team in the mide 90s that did okay, I think it was only the youth teams though IIRC.

There was one at some point yes, though it's new at pro level and not been there a while. The only north Wales club is Rhyl Coasters and they don't turn up to half their games in case they're within a month of the RU season

It could be because Wakefield still own their own stadium and won't be relocating 130 miles away from Wakefield and have a competitive squad.

It rather looks like it [url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/09/12/07/RUGBYL_Crusaders.htmlHAS[/url happened. Or is very close to it.

Still has RL in Wales and is more accessible for the rest of RL fans(and only 7 minutes on the train for me)

Can we now lock this thread as it clearly is going to happen?

Come on expansionistas - put a positive spin on this one!



F Capper.

They don't, you know.

The great club, Crusaders Rugby League, are still alive and signing players for a new season in which i predict we will come 9th.
C'mon the Saders!

You had me until you said 9th...

got a season ticket?

The Wrexham Cashchasers (the newest contractionism team) can go procreate with themselves. They wear the corpse of the once-loved Celtic Crusaders like a morbid suit.

The sop of a Championship club in S Wales MIGHT have kept our great development work form being wasted.

But we wanted the Bridgend application to be accepted. Independent of the Wrexham Cashchasers and based ino RL's natural home in Wales.

But the clueless RFL are going to gift a Cashchasers dependent team in NEATH.

Deny Bridgend an independent League side and League in S Wales will die.

This I guarantee. Within 1 season.

Now THATS what I call a post

Understand totally how you feel. Is there a market for a Supporters Trust club in Bridgend. Do you have enough strength to go independent of Neath in CC2? Player shortgae no doubt but if there is a market well......................

Don't need a supporters trust.

Brewery Field application is strong and is popular amongst the betrayed Crusaders fans.

Unfortunately the crappy Neath application seems to be about to be foisted on us by the RFL.

It's all down to the common sense of the Championship clubs which, if any, of us gets the place.

PLEASE Championship clubs, give it to Bridgend. They really ARE the ONLY option if you want RL to stay in Wales.

The Neath option reeks of CC round 2 imo.
Grendel, I don't see why you've turned against the Crusaders so quickly, at the end of the day they had to go, Samuels sold them out and if the interest isn't down your way then... they're playign games in south wales anyway, just a much higher percentage in wrexham. tbh for games against wire, wigan, saints, salford it makes most sense

Well said Dico.

If there wasn't interest or interest with the money to buy out LS down here then sadly South Wales doesn't deserve the club.

Surely you deserved at least the CC1 side though?

The RFL would be better off making its decisions by flipping a coin, at least that way they'd get it right half the time.

On reflection I should have said Super League team.

I don't agree with the RFL giving a club to Neath as a feeder to the Crusaders and having direct links to the same people who have failed to run a club right once down here.

For me Bridgend would have been the way to go and to give it to the Brewery Field Limited. I really think this club could have progressed. Can't understand the thinking behind it.

true hedgehog.
The rfl have a pretty good idea of what the situation is though.
I think they'd rather the Crusaders return to Newport/Bridgend as soon as possible and possibly consider the idea of keeping the C1 club away from Bridgend in anticipation of the return
When will that stadium be ready? '13ish?

how big is neath actually, population wise?

as a fan your head must be wrecked with all this, it really is beyond belief what they are doing

I think you answered your own question there... yes. The figures that you give don't look at all attractive, do they?...

The only pro team of the top sport in the UK manages a paltry attendance, the semi-pro team also get a paltry attendance and the WRU have 'looked seen and vanished'... what grounds do you have for optimism?????

It is but you have to make the best of a bad situation.

I'm never one for giving up or curling up and dieing. As long as the club are there I'll be there to support them.

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but as CC clubs are going to draw fans from a more local area than a SL club, and as ther is support and backing for a club in Bridgend and in Neath, then why can't both be supported in CC ? After all, it'd give you a local S Wales derby straight off.

About.... 45,898 in 2001 (about 10k bigger than Cas)

But it is close to Swansea... well about as close as Cas is to Leeds

(maybe a bit less, about 7m I think)