Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks
Encyclopedia
Hillsborough Hawks RLFC is a rugby league
club based in Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
, England
. The Open Age team plays winter rugby in the Pennine League
. They run an under-18 team in the Gillette National Youth League.
The club has a strong junior setup, with teams at seven different age groups.
in 1984. After three seasons without a base the club found a permanent home in the disused athletics stadium in Hillsborough Park
. The Hillsborough Arena Sports Association was set up and began work on grant applications that was to reach fruition with a successful Sports Lottery grant in 1996.
After beginning with only junior teams, an Open Age team was created that began life in the Pennine League in 1993. After a difficult start the team got going and by 1998/9 they lost only one game in winning the League title under coaches and Eagles legends Mark Aston
and Paul Broadbent. The club then entered the National Conference League
(the most prestigious amateur competition in rugby league) but then in 2002 took the bold step of joining the newly created National League 3
, switching from winter to summer rugby in the process. The club was a regular participant in the play-offs, but never reached the Grand Final. It also ran a second team in the summer, playing in the Rugby League Conference
.
Another new development in 1994 saw the Sheffield’s Women’s RL team join the club, which by then had changed its name to Sheffield Hillsborough Eagles. In 1997 the Club changed its name to Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks to avoid confusion with the professional club in the media and with the public and in the following year its new facilities were opened at Hillsborough Sports Arena following a £750,000 Lottery grant and a total investment of a million pounds.
In May 2006 the club withdrew from National League 3 as many of the players who had formed the team were unavailable and it was felt that the remaining players would not be competitive at that level.
The club withdrew completely from summer rugby in 2007 after it announced that it would not be entering a team in the Rugby League Conference
, enabling players to take a rest and focus on the winter Pennine League
team.
On 3 March 2007, Hillsborough Hawks under-16s team broke the world record for “Most Tacklebags Tackled in an Hour,” with 18 players making over 3600 tackles between them. As a result of this, the team raised enough money to go on a groundbreaking tour to Serbia
in early April 2007.
The current Under 18's play in the Gillette National Youth League.
Current Captain Robert North
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 based 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...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Open Age team plays winter rugby 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....
. They run an under-18 team in the Gillette National Youth League.
The club has a strong junior setup, with teams at seven different age groups.
History
The club was founded under the name “Junior Eagles” in 1989 as a first attempt to develop rugby league below professional level after the formation of the 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....
in 1984. After three seasons without a base the club found a permanent home in the disused athletics stadium in Hillsborough Park
Hillsborough Park
Hillsborough Park is a large parkland area in Hillsborough, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The park was created in 1897 by the Dixon Family, who built Hillsborough Hall. It is now owned by Sheffield City Council and the hall is used as a library....
. The Hillsborough Arena Sports Association was set up and began work on grant applications that was to reach fruition with a successful Sports Lottery grant in 1996.
After beginning with only junior teams, an Open Age team was created that began life in the Pennine League in 1993. After a difficult start the team got going and by 1998/9 they lost only one game in winning the League title under coaches and Eagles legends 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...
and Paul Broadbent. The club then entered the National Conference League
National Conference League
The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association...
(the most prestigious amateur competition in rugby league) but then in 2002 took the bold step of joining the newly created National League 3
Rugby League National Leagues
The Championship, known as Co-operative Championship due to sponsorship by The Co-operative Group, is a professional rugby league competition based in the United Kingdom. It is currently contested by ten teams from England. It acts as Europe's second-tier competition below the Super League, and has...
, switching from winter to summer rugby in the process. The club was a regular participant in the play-offs, but never reached the Grand Final. It also ran a second team in the summer, playing 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...
.
Another new development in 1994 saw the Sheffield’s Women’s RL team join the club, which by then had changed its name to Sheffield Hillsborough Eagles. In 1997 the Club changed its name to Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks to avoid confusion with the professional club in the media and with the public and in the following year its new facilities were opened at Hillsborough Sports Arena following a £750,000 Lottery grant and a total investment of a million pounds.
In May 2006 the club withdrew from National League 3 as many of the players who had formed the team were unavailable and it was felt that the remaining players would not be competitive at that level.
The club withdrew completely from summer rugby in 2007 after it announced that it would not be entering a team 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...
, enabling players to take a rest and focus on the winter 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....
team.
On 3 March 2007, Hillsborough Hawks under-16s team broke the world record for “Most Tacklebags Tackled in an Hour,” with 18 players making over 3600 tackles between them. As a result of this, the team raised enough money to go on a groundbreaking tour to Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
in early April 2007.
The current Under 18's play in the Gillette National Youth League.
Current Captain Robert North