Chester Gladiators
Encyclopedia
Chester Gladiators Rugby League Football Club is a rugby league
club in Chester
, England. They play in the North West Division
of the Rugby League Conference
, North West Counties
and the North West Merit League
.
The club operated an open age side in the RL Merit League and received significant praise for their efforts both on and off the field; playing a total of seven matches and securing two victories, a 36-28 at North Derbyshire Chargers and a 66-14 hammering of Wolverhampton Warlords. At the end of the debut season they were named RL Merit League Club of the Year and our Chairman Jim Green received the RL Merit League Pioneer of the Year award whilst two players were named in the RL Merit League Dream Team.
The 2009 season saw the launch of a new junior section and a second open age team as the club continued to develop. They won the first Cheshire Challenge Cup final beating Crewe & Nantwich Steamers
. Our first team enjoyed a successful season in the RL Merit League, winning ten of their twelve matches and securing a play-off berth for the first time. The newly formed A team also took part in two matches, ensuring that the club was able to provide all of its members with the chance to experience rugby league. The senior sections efforts were rewarded when Alec Read was named as the Kukri RL Merit League Young Player of the Year while the club received an award for their work with the media. At junior level a number of taster days were staged and an under-12s team played five matches, securing two victories.
Chester Gladiators set up a winter side Chester ARLFC to compete in the North West Counties
league for 2010-11.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, England. They play in the North West Division
Rugby League Conference North West Division
The Rugby League Conference North West Division is a division in the Rugby League Conference for teams in the North West of England.-History:...
of the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
, North West Counties
North West Counties
The North West Counties A.R.L. are a series of rugby league regional leagues covering the following age groups in the North West of England:-* Age 8 to 12* Age 13 to 15* Age 16 to 18* Open Age...
and the North West Merit League
North West Merit League
The North West Merit League is a rugby league competition for clubs in the North West of England. It is a feeder league for the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
.
History
Chester is less than 45 minutes drive from rugby league strongholds such as Warrington, Widnes, Wigan and St Helens but rugby league has traditionally failed to capture the imagination of locals and the sport struggled to maintain a place in the city's sporting calendar. Chester Gladiators Rugby League Football Club was formed in April 2008 by a group of enthusiasts who shared a belief that the sport could prosper in the area.The club operated an open age side in the RL Merit League and received significant praise for their efforts both on and off the field; playing a total of seven matches and securing two victories, a 36-28 at North Derbyshire Chargers and a 66-14 hammering of Wolverhampton Warlords. At the end of the debut season they were named RL Merit League Club of the Year and our Chairman Jim Green received the RL Merit League Pioneer of the Year award whilst two players were named in the RL Merit League Dream Team.
The 2009 season saw the launch of a new junior section and a second open age team as the club continued to develop. They won the first Cheshire Challenge Cup final beating Crewe & Nantwich Steamers
Crewe & Nantwich Steamers
Crewe & Nantwich Steamers is a rugby league club in Nantwich, Cheshire. They play in the North West Division of the Rugby League Conference and run a second team in the North West Merit League.-History:...
. Our first team enjoyed a successful season in the RL Merit League, winning ten of their twelve matches and securing a play-off berth for the first time. The newly formed A team also took part in two matches, ensuring that the club was able to provide all of its members with the chance to experience rugby league. The senior sections efforts were rewarded when Alec Read was named as the Kukri RL Merit League Young Player of the Year while the club received an award for their work with the media. At junior level a number of taster days were staged and an under-12s team played five matches, securing two victories.
Chester Gladiators set up a winter side Chester ARLFC to compete in the North West Counties
North West Counties
The North West Counties A.R.L. are a series of rugby league regional leagues covering the following age groups in the North West of England:-* Age 8 to 12* Age 13 to 15* Age 16 to 18* Open Age...
league for 2010-11.