1/21/2021 North Wales Crusaders - Wikipedia

North Wales Crusaders

The North Wales Crusaders (Welsh:
Croesgadwyr Gogledd Cymru Rygbi'r North Wales Crusaders
Gynghrair) is a professional rugby
league club based in Wrexham, Wales.
They are the successors to the former
Super League club Crusaders Rugby
League. Crusaders compete in Betfred
League 1, the third tier of European
rugby league (behind the Super League
and Betfred Championship). Until the
end of 2016 they played their home
games at the Racecourse Ground in Club information
Wrexham. From 2017 they are based at Full name North Wales Crusaders Rugby League Football Club
the Queensway Stadium (also in
Short name Crusaders
Wrexham) but will also play several
games at Hare Lane in Chester.[1] Colours
Founded 2011
Website northwalescrusaders.com (http://northwalescrusader
Contents s.com/)

History Current details

Celtic Warriors Ground(s) 2012–16
Celtic Crusaders Racecourse Ground (15,500-with Kop)
North Wales Crusaders 2017- Queensway Stadium (8,256)
Symbols Hare Lane (2,000)
Stadiums Chairman Ian Edwards
Racecourse Ground Coach Mike Grady
Players Manager Anthony Murray
2020 squad
Captain Lee Hudson
2020 transfers
Competition Betfred League 1 (from 2015)
Coaches
2019 RFL 7th
Honours League 1
Statistics
Current season
References
Uniforms
External links

History

Celtic Warriors
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In the summer of 2003, the WRU voted

Home colours Away colours
to reduce the top tier of Welsh
professional rugby union from nine Records
clubs into five regions. The Celtic Northern Rail 1 (2013)
Warriors officially represented the Mid- Bowl
Glamorgan Valleys area, which in
practice meant that they were a Championship 1 (2013)
combination of Pontypridd RFC and 1
Bridgend RFC. Most capped 69 - Tommy Johnson

Financial problems at Pontypridd RFC Highest points 514 - Tommy Johnson

led to the sale of their half of the scorer
Warriors to Bridgend RFC owner
Leighton Samuel, which he gifted to the WRU. He then
later sold his half to the WRU who in the summer of 2004
decided to liquidate the club.

Celtic Crusaders

Leighton Samuel was approached by the RFL to form a

rugby league club and join the professional ranks. The new A Crusaders game in 2008
Celtic Crusaders were argued to be a continuation of the
old Celtic Warriors side and were based at Bridgend's
Brewery Field.

In 2009, the team were awarded a Super League licence and played one season in Super League before
financial problems saw the club renamed Crusaders Rugby League and moved to Wrexham. The club
created an academy side for players based in North Wales known as North Wales Crusaders. After two
seasons at Wrexham, the club pulled out from bidding for a 2012 Super League licence.

North Wales Crusaders

The club was founded in 2011 following the folding of Crusaders Rugby League. They officially joined
Championship 1, the third tier of rugby league in the United Kingdom, on 11 October 2011. Their name,
which continues the Crusaders branding, was selected in a fan contest.[2][3] A rival bid from Wrexham-
based Glyndwr Chargers was withdrawn.

The club held open trials for any new players to attend.[4]

North Wales Crusaders won their first game, a friendly, 34–12 away to Leigh East.

Symbols
The club have revealed a logo ready for use in the 2012 season which an evolution of the 2011 logo. The
badge, inspired by the Prince of Wales's feathers, has three white feathers adorning the centre of a disc
with the Flag of St David on. To the left and right of the feathers, the words "North" and "Wales" appear on
the disc as opposed to "Rugby" and "League" on the old logo. Beneath the feathers remains "Crusaders".

Stadiums
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Racecourse Ground

The Racecourse Ground is located in Wrexham in North Wales and is

the official home of the Crusaders and where most matches are played.
The club moved to the ground in 2010, in time for the start of the
Super League XV season. The first Crusaders match ever played there
was against Leeds on 29 January 2010, and that match is also the
highest attendance for a Crusaders match played in Wrexham. With a
capacity of 15,500 it is the largest ground in North Wales, the fifth Racecourse Ground stadium,
largest in the whole of Wales, and the seventh largest in Super League. Wrexham
It was first built in 1807 and first played host to Wrexham's "Town
Purse" horse race.[5] Crowd trouble stopped the horse racing and in
1864 it became home to Wrexham Football Club with the club now owning the ground.[6][7][8] The Wales
national rugby league team have played there. The ground has four stands: The Mold Road Stand, the Eric
Roberts Stand, the Kop and the Yale.

During pre-season of the 2012 campaign. North Wales Crusaders played 'Home' games at both Halton
Stadium (Widnes)[9] and Eirias Stadium (Colwyn Bay).[10]

Whilst resurfacing work was taking place at the Racecourse Ground in 2014, North Wales Crusaders took
their home games to 'the Rock' in Rhosymedre, near Ruabon.

As of the 2017 season, the club is based at the Queensway Stadium in Wrexham. It consists of two small
all-seater stands on one side overlooking a rugby pitch and a running track with floodlights.

Players

2020 squad
North Wales Crusaders 2020 Squad
First team squad Coaching staff

1 Tommy Johnson - FB 14 Steven Roper - SH Head coach

2 Dave Eccleston - WG 15 Ryan Millington - SR
3 Jordan Penny - CE 16 Jordan Olmez - PR Anthony Murray
4 Earl Hurst - CE 17 James Tilley - SR
Assistant coach
5 Rob Massam - WG 18
6 Elliott Jenkins - SO 19 Jonny Leather
7 Jordan Gibson - HB 20
8 Brad Brennan - PR 21 Legend:

9 Brad Billsborough - HK 22 (c) Captain(s)

10 Warren Thompson - PR 23 (vc) Vice captain(s)
11 Matt Reid - SR 24
12 Gavin Rodden - SR 25
13 Chris Barratt - LF 26

2020 transfers

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Gains

Player Club Contract Date

Kieron Sherratt Coventry Bears N/A October 2019

Chris Barratt Coventry Bears n/a October 2019

Jordan Olmez South Sharks N/A October 2019

Brad Billsborough Grafton Ghosts N/A October 2019

Jack Cottington Rochdale Hornets 1 year October 2019

Gavin Rodden Wigan St Judes N/A November 2019

Jack Holmes Oldham Roughyeds N/A November 2019

Jordan Gibson Haydock N/A December 2019

Joey Brady Wigan St Judes N/A December 2019

Ryan Millington Rochdale Hornets 1 year January 2020

Losses

Player Club Contract Date

Kenny Baker Widnes Vikings 1 year September 2019

Ben Stead Keighley Cougars n/a October 2019

Alex Thompson Retired N/A End of Season

Jonny Walker Retired N/A End of Season

Stephen Wild Retired N/A End of Season

Coaches
Chall. Champ.
Matches SL Champ Champ
Name Nat Tenure % % % % Cup % Cup %
Won Won Won 1 Won
Won Won
November
Clive
2011 – 35/61 57 0/0 0 6/15 40 21/34 62 3/6 50 5/6 83
Griffiths
June 2014
June 2014
Anthony –
12/26 46 0/0 0 1/11 9 5/8 63 2/3 67 4/4 100
Murray September
2016
October
Mike 2016 –
Grady March
2018[11]

Updated 11 June 2015.[12]

Honours

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Championship 1: 1
2013
Championship Bowl: 1
2013
League 1 Cup: 1
2015

Statistics

References
1. "CHESTER RUFC TO HOST CRUSADERS MATCHES THIS SUMMER" (http://www.northwalescrusa
ders.co.uk/chester-rufc-to-host-crusaders-matches-this-summer/). North Wales Crusaders. Retrieved
19 April 2017.
2. [1] (http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/11/10/11/RU
GBYL_Crusaders.html&BID=480)
3. "BBC Sport – New Crusaders side awarded Championship One place" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/h
i/rugby_league/15262211.stm). BBC News. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
4. "Official Crusaders RL web site" (https://web.archive.org/web/20180327184258/http://www.crusadersrf
l.com/article.php?id=6568#). Crusadersrfl.com. 7 December 2011. Archived from the original (http://ww
w.crusadersrfl.com/article.php?id=6568) on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
5. BBC News – Old Stadium Claims World Record (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7571023.
stm) Retrieved on 5 September 2010.
6. Wrexham FC – The Racecourse (http://www.wrexhamafc.co.uk/page/Racecourse/0,,10311,00.html)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20111021144251/http://www.wrexhamafc.co.uk/page/Racecours
e/0%2C%2C10311%2C00.html#) 21 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 5
September 2010.
7. Wales Directory – The Racecourse (http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/tourist-attractions/Sports_Grounds
_and_Stadiums/Wales11453.htm) Retrieved on 5 September 2010.
8. The Racecourse Wrexham – About Us (http://theracecoursewrexham.co.uk/about.html) Archived (http
s://web.archive.org/web/20110831002801/http://theracecoursewrexham.co.uk/about.html) 31 August
2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 6 September 2010.
9. "Official Crusaders RL web site" (http://www.crusadersrfl.com/article.php?id=7042). Crusadersrfl.com.
3 February 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
10. "Official Crusaders RL web site" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120519152656/http://www.crusadersrf
l.com/article.php?id=7225#). Crusadersrfl.com. 20 February 2012. Archived from the original (http://ww
w.crusadersrfl.com/article.php?id=7225) on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
11. "North Wales Crusaders coach Grady departs" (http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/sport/16118595.North_Wal
es_Crusaders_coach_Grady_departs/). The Leader. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
12. "Official Crusaders RL web site" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120507052257/http://www.crusadersrf
l.com/news.php?search=Report+2012#). Crusadersrfl.com. Archived from the original (http://www.crus
adersrfl.com/news.php?search=Report+2012) on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.

External links
Official website (http://northwalescrusaders.com/)

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