Important development in Derbyshire Rugby League

Rugby league in Derbyshire took a major step forward with the announcement today that the Chesterfield Spires will combine forces with the North Derbyshire Chargers to form one club to serve the north of the county. The team will retain the Chargers branding but will play and train from the Spires' base at Chesterfield Rugby Club. Chesterfield bring three years experience of playing games at open age level and already have a relationship with the Rugby Union club in the town. The Chargers were formed in January this year as a way for pupils at Eckington School to extend the rugby league they have experienced at the school to club level. The Chargers have junior teams at the Under 16 and Under 14 age groups and will be playing in the Midlands League through the summer. In addition to the Eckington players, whose year 9 team are the current Derbyshire Schools Champions, the collaboration will enable the club to offer junior rugby league to rugby union players from the Chesterfield club and other players in the area new to rugby.

Both clubs have entered teams into the Impact Sports RL Merit League at open age (16 and over) level but after discussions between the committees it was felt that one club, combining the strengths of both, would enable players to get better coaching and playing standards over the short and long term. Once joint training is fully under way, the club hopes to confirm that it will field two teams in the league, giving playing opportunities to the whole squad.

The Chargers also have a women's section that has been training throughout 2008 in preparation for a season in the newly formed Women's Rugby League Conference. The competition allows teams to enter at their own level, with festivals where any numbers from a club can turn up and join forces with other development clubs to get game experience through to a full league program for clubs at a more advanced stage. The "Chargettes" will also play touch and tag rugby for those players who enjoy the skills part of the game without the rough and tumble of full contact.

The Chargers' Chairman, Tim Fellows, is happy to see the collaboration. "As someone born in Chesterfield who has lived in three different villages in the area for most of my life, the development of the sport of rugby league in this part of Derbyshire is close to my heart. This club has the potential to develop rugby league from the ground up, through a pro-active junior development program." Spires co-founder Ken Huckle agrees. "Developing local junior players has been aim of the Spires since we started it, but there has been limited resource to act on the plans. The Eckington development program has accelerated this dramatically and enables us to drive our plans forward sooner rather than later." Luke Holt, introduced to rugby league by the Spires, is now at the Sheffield Eagles and two of the Eckington based juniors have been accepted onto the Eagles' scholarship program.

The club is also looking to develop new coaches to add to the existing team put together by Chargers' Performance Manager Rob Potts and are looking for more volunteers in any aspect of club management or administration. Several sponsors are already in place, but the club is always on the lookout for help from companies or individuals who want to contribute to junior sport in the area. Training continues on Wednesday evenings with juniors (aged 13-16) and women from 6.00 - 7.15 and Open Age (over 16s) continuing from 7.15 onwards at Chesterfield Rugby Union Club, Tapton View Road (from May 14th, May 7th still at Eckington School). All players are welcome, regardless of rugby experience.

For more information, call Tim Fellows (midlands_rl@btinternet.com, phone 07855-281746), Rob Potts (pottsrob@hotmail.com, phone 07980-625497) or Ken Huckle (secretary@chesterfieldspires.com)