On saturday 22nd May Rotterdam Rugby will make their debut in the League code when English club side St.Helens Clock Face Miners cross the Northsea to play in the Netherlands.
Rotterdam a premier Dutch union side are hoping to go one better than Ter Werve Den Haag who last year lost 64-14 to another English club, Essex Eels.
Clock Face will be doing some promotional work in the city center before both clubs hold a joint coaching session followed by the match at 16:00.
The two other clubs, currently being coached by development officer Ricky Oakes, are from the east of the country and both are based in the city of Nijmegen.
Again the Wasps and Oblix clubs are Union clubs who have taken to the League game.
The NNRLB are looking to organise friendly games between the three clubs plus Ter Werve and possibly two teams out of Amsterdam as a selection process to choose a squad to play Scotland Students,England Students and Serbia in the Rotterdam Cup which is part of the Rotterdam International Rugby League Festival.
Once the domestic teams actualy start playing the NNRLB are confident this will encourage other union clubs to become involved and help create a domestic competition in 2005.
Getting Rotterdam to play League is a great achievment as they are one of the top sides in the country and the majority of players that have shown interest and enjoyed the coaching are first team players with over 25 regularly attending the sessions.
The enthusiasm and encouragement the Dutch League have had from the Rotterdam club in organising the august festival ,which will feature nine international games and a nine a side tournament,has been unbelievable and the two codes in this major Dutch city are looking to form a lasting relationship with Rotterdam becoming the first club in Holland to have a League section within its organisation.
Rotterdam Rugby and the NNRLB are also activly working in schools in the city introducing the game of TAG into what is a predominantly soccer mad country with great success and the kids are loving their experience of the oval ball.
Rotterdam a premier Dutch union side are hoping to go one better than Ter Werve Den Haag who last year lost 64-14 to another English club, Essex Eels.
Clock Face will be doing some promotional work in the city center before both clubs hold a joint coaching session followed by the match at 16:00.
The two other clubs, currently being coached by development officer Ricky Oakes, are from the east of the country and both are based in the city of Nijmegen.
Again the Wasps and Oblix clubs are Union clubs who have taken to the League game.
The NNRLB are looking to organise friendly games between the three clubs plus Ter Werve and possibly two teams out of Amsterdam as a selection process to choose a squad to play Scotland Students,England Students and Serbia in the Rotterdam Cup which is part of the Rotterdam International Rugby League Festival.
Once the domestic teams actualy start playing the NNRLB are confident this will encourage other union clubs to become involved and help create a domestic competition in 2005.
Getting Rotterdam to play League is a great achievment as they are one of the top sides in the country and the majority of players that have shown interest and enjoyed the coaching are first team players with over 25 regularly attending the sessions.
The enthusiasm and encouragement the Dutch League have had from the Rotterdam club in organising the august festival ,which will feature nine international games and a nine a side tournament,has been unbelievable and the two codes in this major Dutch city are looking to form a lasting relationship with Rotterdam becoming the first club in Holland to have a League section within its organisation.
Rotterdam Rugby and the NNRLB are also activly working in schools in the city introducing the game of TAG into what is a predominantly soccer mad country with great success and the kids are loving their experience of the oval ball.