Crusaders Rugby League
| Full name | Celtic Crusaders Rugby League Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Location | Bridgend, Wales |
| Ground(s) | Brewery Field, Bridgend |
| Coach(es) |  John Dixon |
| League(s) | National League 1 |
| 2007 | National League 2, 1st (Promoted to NL1) |
The Celtic Crusaders are a rugby league club based in Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom. They joined National League Two in 2006, and were promoted to National League One at the end of the 2007 season. Home games are played at the Brewery Field in Bridgend, although some games have been played in other parts of South Wales.
Much of the squad are Welsh-qualified having been recruited from the Welsh Conference sides, mainly Bridgend Blue Bulls and Aberavon Fighting Irish. They also run an academy side drawn from every club in the Welsh Conference.
The Crusaders are attracting fans of the now defunct rugby union team Celtic Warriors,[citation needed] who participated in the Celtic League during the 2003-2004 season, before they were disbanded by the WRU.
Their highest ever attendance at Brewery Field was on Friday May 4, 2007 when 3,441 people witnessed them play Oldham Roughyeds National League Two match. Some of the crowd consisted of engage Super League fans who had travelled to South Wales for the Millennium Magic weekend in Cardiff but the majority were locals thanks to a marketing campaign by the club.[citation needed] This attendance was also an NL2 record attendance and the first NL2 match broadcast live on British television.
In only their second season of existence, the Celtic Crusaders won the 2007 National League Two, thus earning automatic promotion to National League One in 2008. The title was sealed with one match left to play as a result of Featherstone Rovers away loss at Barrow Raiders on September 8, 2007.[1]
Symbols
The Badge - The badge depicts the Cross of St David with the Crusaders logo emblazed thereon. The club colours are black and gold and the change strip blue and white.
The Motto - The motto comes from Lucius Accius a Roman tragic Poet. ‘Oderint dum metuant’ - ‘Let them hate, so long as they fear’ later became a famous motto of the Emperor Caligula.
History
The initial plan to re-use the 'Celtic Warriors' name was abandoned in favour of 'Celtic Crusaders' which had been considered by the rugby union franchise. They were to play their home games at Brewery Field and games were planned to be held at Sardis Road as well.
The Crusaders' aim was to reach Super League and to represent South Wales. Previous attempts to create rugby league franchises in non-traditional areas have met with mixed success. Gateshead Thunder and Paris Saint Germain were given automatic entry to the Super League, Paris survived only two seasons and Gateshead were forcibly merged and reincarnated as a national league two side. The philosophy behind the creation of the Crusaders was a bottom up approach to ensure that the club grew with its playing and spectator base, into a nationally recognised sporting brand.
The Crusaders' first match took place against Harlequins Academy at Brewery Field. The Crusaders used the fixture as a chance to view the fringe players in their squad and secured a 22-22 draw. [1]
Their first competitive games were in the National League Cup; Crusaders were placed in a group along with London Skolars, Hemel Stags and St Albans Centurions. Crusaders won every game convincingly and were installed as favourites to win National League two in their first year. However, the team finished a creditable third and lost out 26-27 in the Final Eliminator to Swinton Lions.
They played against Brisbane Broncos in the Bulmers Original Cider Challenge at the Brewery Field on Thursday 15 February 2007, losing with a respectable scoreline of 6-32.
2008 Squad
Fixtures
- Sun 15 Feb
- Sun 17 Feb
- Sun 25 Feb
- Sun 4 March
- Sun 11 March
- Sat 17 March
- Sun 25 March
- Sun 1 April
- Fri 6 April
- Mon 9 April
- Sun 15 April
- Sun 22 April
- Sat 28 April
- Fri 4 May
- Sun 13 May
- Sun 13 May
- Sat 19 May
- Sat 26 May
- Sun 27 May
- Sun 3 June
- Sat 9 June
- Sun 10 June
- Sun 17 June
- Sun 24 June
- Sun 24 June
- Sat 30 June
- Sat 7 July
- Sun 15 July
- Sun 15 July
- Sun 22 July
- Sat 28 July
- Sun 29 July
- Sun 5 Aug
- Sat 11 Aug
- Sat 18 Aug
- Sat 25 Aug
- Thu 30 Aug
- Sun 9 Sept
- Sat 15 Sept
NRC - Northern Rail Cup, NL1 = National League One, CC = Challenge Cup
See also
- Celtic Warriors
- Wales national rugby league team
- Rugby League in Wales
- Rugby League Conference
- Rugby League National Leagues