New partnership helps tell the story of Rugby League in all its glory

Rugby League Cares has teamed up with the re-established Rugby League Record Keepers’ Club to champion a comprehensive record of the sport’s proud history and heritage.

The RKC is compiling the definitive story of Rugby League in the UK through the results, scoring feats and achievements of clubs and players over the last 125 years.

Originally formed in the 1970s by Irvin Saxton, the club defined the basis on which Rugby League records were compiled going back to the sport’s formation in 1895.  By the time the group was wound up in the mid-1990s they had created a paper record of the teams and scorers of nearly every game of Rugby League in its first century.

The reformed RKC members include historians from clubs across the sport who have joined forces to create and share a comprehensive record of Rugby League’s history, with an immediate focus on sharing an accurate statistical history of professional rugby league in the UK.

RL Cares Heritage Consultant Brigid Power said: “One of the key roles of Rugby League Cares is to champion the wonderful history of this great sport and our partnership with the RL Record Keepers’ Club will allow us to tell its story like never before.

“It’s fantastic to see the relaunch of the RKC and witness the enthusiasm with which they are tackling the mammoth task of sharing an accurate record of rugby league in the UK.

“Our heritage programme is committed to conserving the sport’s past and enabling the widest access to our heritage, and we believe the work the RKC is doing will be a great addition to the existing resources available to the rugby league community.”

RKC spokesman Neil Ormston, who is co-ordinating the group’s work, said: “We are delighted to have the support of Rugby League Cares, as guardians of the heritage of the sport, and are looking forward to working with them to promote the history of our great game.

“We have already had a great response from the Rugby League community, and our work is well underway, though we have much to do, and would happily welcome more members to help with our work in any way they can.

“The RKC and Rugby League Cares will be working together in the future to ensure the players who have graced the sport over the last 125 years get full credit for their achievements.”

The RKC aims to:

• Engage with the rugby league community to support their work;
• Establish an electronic record of every first-grade match played under the Northern Rugby Football Union / Rugby Football League, including date, competition, result, venue, scorers and teams;
• Create a record for every player to have played a first-grade match, to include their full name, date of birth, image and details of their playing career;
• Develop a website to freely share their records.

The official RKC website will be launched soon at www.rugbyleaguerecords.com and the group are busily working on the huge task of creating an accurate electronic record of nearly 70,000 games, and over 25,000 players, who between them have scored over 2 million points.

For more information on the RL Record Keepers’ Club, including details of membership, please contact Neil Ormston at neil.ormston@gmail.com