Sheffield Forgers
Encyclopedia
Sheffield Forgers RLFC was a rugby league
club in Sheffield
, England. It has an Open Age team that plays in the summer in the Rugby League Conference
and the Yorkshire & Humber Merit League
and in the winter in the Pennine League
It is also developing a junior section.
supporters decided to try their hand at playing rather than just watching. As the team, called Sheffield IMBRL, was open to anyone the standard of players was unknown so the initial concept was to provide games against other supporters teams. These games were arranged via an Internet
Message Board, hence Internet Message Board Rugby League.
.
The first ever game for the club was played at Hillsborough Arena, home of the Hillsborough Hawks, against the Swinton Lions
supporters. It ended in a narrow victory for the Lions 22-20. The game was short sided, full contact, and some Beagles guested for the Lions. The team then went on to play the Castleford Aybertigers at Castleford in a tag rather than contact game and they recorded their first ever victory on a baking hot August day. A heavy loss against the Hull FC Irregulars at The Boulevard
was followed by a lesson in tag rugby at the annual IMBRL tournament. Despite these setbacks on the field, the concept had worked and was allowing new players to play rugby league as well as watching it, at a standard suitable for beginners.
The photograph shows the team for the first game against Swinton.
Having had to borrow kit in 2004, the team were boosted in 2005 by the donation of a Sheffield Eagles
kit used in Mark Aston
's testimonial. The club hosted a Tag 7s tournament at Hillsborough in May in which Aston and a number of other ex and current Eagles players guested. The tournament ended in a drawn final between the Aston 7 and Sheffield RUFC. The team played Halifax, Hunslet, York, Chesterfield Spires and the Heavy Woollen Donkeys for the first time and also recorded their first win against the Hull FC Irregulars. Towards the end of the season the team won its first full contact game against the Chesterfield Spires and were semi-finalists at the IMBRL tournament in Hull
. The club held its first awards evening and the general consensus was that the club was growing. During this season the nickname "Beagles", derived from 'B'-Eagles as a tribute to the professional club in the city, stuck and carried on as a nickname when the team moved under the Forgers banner in 2006.
Season 2006 saw the first serious pre-season training for the new squad and the arrival of the first official kit bearing the Beagles logo. At this point the senior club members decided to put things on a more professional footing and to try to develop a proper club rather than just a team. This required a permanent home and a junior development program, neither of which interfered with the work being done by the city's other club, the Hillsborough Hawks. The venue chosen, All Saints Sports College, suited both these requirements as it was located in a school in the south east of the city. It also required a more appropriate name, so the Forgers was chosen as the club name. The first age group for the new Junior Forgers was a U13 team, who played and won their first ever game against the Peterlee Pumas
in January 2006.
The Open Age team, meanwhile, entered the newly formed Midlands Merit League and warmed up with a win over the Heavy Woollen Donkeys. They participated in the first ever game in the league on April 8, 2006, beating their old rivals the Chesterfield Spires by 58 points to 8, with Greg Pursehouse scoring the Forgers first competitive try.
The club ran a second successful tag tournament in May, won by the London Griffins
. May also saw the first match against overseas opposition when they beat Bretagne Nantes XIII by 24-22 at All Saints.
The Forgers went on tour for the first time in July 2006, going to the South of France where they played the Hull FC Irregulars. Both teams were also there to watch Hull play Catalans Dragons
in the Super League.
The juniors entered the MML Under 15s league but with only one player at U15 and the rest at U14 it was difficult going and they failed to win any matches.
on the back of their success in the Merit League the previous season, while continuing with a Merit League side. After struggling in their conference debut against the highly fancied Thorne Moor Marauders, the Forgers began to adapt to Conference life with several encouraging performances, and eventually recorded their first win on June 21 with a 32-18 victory over Scunthorpe Barbarians.
The Merit League side, featuring less experienced players, suffered a shock defeat in their opening game of the season but finished in 4th place with 9 wins and 2 defeats. After a semi-final defeat to Moorends the team reached the shield final where they lost to Nottingham Outlaws.
In order to extend the competitive season, the club decided to enter the Pennine League
in 2008/2009.
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 Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England. It has an Open Age team that plays in the summer in 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...
and the Yorkshire & Humber Merit League
Yorkshire & Humber Merit League
The Yorkshire & Humber Merit League is a rugby league competition for clubs in Yorkshire and the Humber. It is a feeder league for the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
and in the winter in the Pennine League
Pennine League
The Pennine Amateur Rugby League, or Pennine League is a rugby league competition for amateur open-age clubs that runs from September to April. The clubs are drawn from West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the east of Lancashire....
It is also developing a junior section.
Foundation
The genesis of the club dates back to summer 2004, when a group of Sheffield EaglesSheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....
supporters decided to try their hand at playing rather than just watching. As the team, called Sheffield IMBRL, was open to anyone the standard of players was unknown so the initial concept was to provide games against other supporters teams. These games were arranged via an Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
Message Board, hence Internet Message Board Rugby League.
Ethos
The club is built on accessibility to rugby league regardless of race, age or gender. It runs open age contact and tag teams as well as junior teams and Saturday morning touch rugbyTouch rugby
Touch rugby, Refers to games derived from rugby football in which players do not tackle in the traditional, highly physical way, but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or the ball....
.
Season 2004
Swinton Lions
Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:...
supporters. It ended in a narrow victory for the Lions 22-20. The game was short sided, full contact, and some Beagles guested for the Lions. The team then went on to play the Castleford Aybertigers at Castleford in a tag rather than contact game and they recorded their first ever victory on a baking hot August day. A heavy loss against the Hull FC Irregulars at The Boulevard
The Boulevard (Stadium)
The Boulevard was a multi-purpose stadium in Hull, England. The venue was saved from demolition and reopened on 25 October 2007 as the home of greyhound racing in the city. It can also be used as a community stadium hosting amateur rugby league matches...
was followed by a lesson in tag rugby at the annual IMBRL tournament. Despite these setbacks on the field, the concept had worked and was allowing new players to play rugby league as well as watching it, at a standard suitable for beginners.
The photograph shows the team for the first game against Swinton.
Season 2005
Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....
kit used in Mark Aston
Mark Aston
Mark Aston is a former rugby league / with the Sheffield Eagles and Great Britain. He also had short spells with Featherstone Rovers and Bramley but the bulk of his career was spent with the Eagles, who he joined in 1985. He retired from playing in 2004, having been the figurehead in the fight to...
's testimonial. The club hosted a Tag 7s tournament at Hillsborough in May in which Aston and a number of other ex and current Eagles players guested. The tournament ended in a drawn final between the Aston 7 and Sheffield RUFC. The team played Halifax, Hunslet, York, Chesterfield Spires and the Heavy Woollen Donkeys for the first time and also recorded their first win against the Hull FC Irregulars. Towards the end of the season the team won its first full contact game against the Chesterfield Spires and were semi-finalists at the IMBRL tournament in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. The club held its first awards evening and the general consensus was that the club was growing. During this season the nickname "Beagles", derived from 'B'-Eagles as a tribute to the professional club in the city, stuck and carried on as a nickname when the team moved under the Forgers banner in 2006.
Season 2006
Peterlee Pumas
Peterlee Pumas are a rugby league team based in Peterlee, County Durham. They play in the North East Premier of the Rugby League Conference and their A-team plays in the RLC North East regional division.-History:...
in January 2006.
The Open Age team, meanwhile, entered the newly formed Midlands Merit League and warmed up with a win over the Heavy Woollen Donkeys. They participated in the first ever game in the league on April 8, 2006, beating their old rivals the Chesterfield Spires by 58 points to 8, with Greg Pursehouse scoring the Forgers first competitive try.
The club ran a second successful tag tournament in May, won by the London Griffins
London Griffins
London Griffins RLFC is a rugby league club based in west London, England. The club play semi and full contact rugby league against opponents in London and throughout the UK...
. May also saw the first match against overseas opposition when they beat Bretagne Nantes XIII by 24-22 at All Saints.
The Forgers went on tour for the first time in July 2006, going to the South of France where they played the Hull FC Irregulars. Both teams were also there to watch Hull play Catalans Dragons
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom...
in the Super League.
Season 2007
The 2007 season was one of improvement for the open age team but less so for the juniors. After winning only one game in the 2006 MML, the Forgers went through the 2007 MML regular season unbeaten in 10 games, scoring over 500 points in the process. With a new coach at the helm there were high hopes of success but the team went down 25-24 to the German Exiles in the championship semi-final.The juniors entered the MML Under 15s league but with only one player at U15 and the rest at U14 it was difficult going and they failed to win any matches.
Season 2008
2008 saw the Forgers enter the Rugby League ConferenceRugby 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...
on the back of their success in the Merit League the previous season, while continuing with a Merit League side. After struggling in their conference debut against the highly fancied Thorne Moor Marauders, the Forgers began to adapt to Conference life with several encouraging performances, and eventually recorded their first win on June 21 with a 32-18 victory over Scunthorpe Barbarians.
The Merit League side, featuring less experienced players, suffered a shock defeat in their opening game of the season but finished in 4th place with 9 wins and 2 defeats. After a semi-final defeat to Moorends the team reached the shield final where they lost to Nottingham Outlaws.
In order to extend the competitive season, the club decided to enter the Pennine League
Pennine League
The Pennine Amateur Rugby League, or Pennine League is a rugby league competition for amateur open-age clubs that runs from September to April. The clubs are drawn from West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the east of Lancashire....
in 2008/2009.