Sheffield

[coldhardbitch]

Sheffield seems to be the only city in Yorkshire not represented in Super League. With Shefield being a major city in the area, and have strong junior talent and amateur teems, shouldn't the RFL make sheffield a priority?

They could be a real assett to the game.

 

[langpark]

Sheffield seems to be the only city in Yorkshire not represented in Super League. With Shefield being a major city in the area, and have strong junior talent and amateur teems, shouldn't the RFL make sheffield a priority?

They could be a real assett to the game.

I've been saying for ages that sheffield need a super league team. they are the third largest city in England and used to have a team in the super league (they're now in NL2).

A sheffield team could easily average 5000+, which is better than the likes of salford, harlequins and wakefield. the advantage that sheffield have over london and catalans is that they are in yorkshire so teams like leeds and bradford can bring 2000 or so to sheffield games

 

[Evil Homer]

I live in Sheffield(well Rotherham),and TBH RL is virtually unheard of round here,even after the Eagles won the Challenge Cup back in '98.I used to be an Eagles fan,but the crowds were fairly small and it wasn't all that successful a venture.

By all means let the Eagles work their way up from NL2,but a team certainly shouldn't be fast-tracked into Super League.Not yet anyway.

 

[Der Kaiser]

Huddersfield pillaged them and left them for dead! Agree with Homer tho-no team should be fast tracked in to European SL. Thats why its good the Celtic crusaders are starting life in NL2 as they will build a proper base

 

[Evil Homer]

Huddersfield pillaged them and left them for dead!

Completely untrue.If it wasn't for the merger,Sheffield RL would have ceased to exist altogether.The Eagles were in great debt,and it was thought that this might preserve Super League in Sheffield,albeit in a limited state.The merger proved unsuccessful,but mainly due to poor on-field results and low crowds in the Sheffield-based games,so the plug was pulled on the Sheffield side to avoid killing two clubs instead of one.It was a sad affair for everyone involved though,as Huddersfield lost a lot of support and were relegated the year after.They have now built themselves back from the bottom into the respectable SL club they are today.

Naturally,opposition fans have distorted the details somewhat and some are still bitter to this day.

 

[terracesider]

Huddersfield pillaged them and left them for dead! Agree with Homer tho-no team should be fast tracked in to European SL. Thats why its good the Celtic crusaders are starting life in NL2 as they will build a proper base

Actually, Leeds pillaged them. We just got the carcass after Hetherington had picked it clean.

 

[SalfordRedsWA]

I've been saying for ages that sheffield need a super league team. they are the third largest city in England and used to have a team in the super league (they're now in NL2).

A sheffield team could easily average 5000+, which is better than the likes of salford, harlequins and wakefield. the advantage that sheffield have over london and catalans is that they are in yorkshire so teams like leeds and bradford can bring 2000 or so to sheffield games

But the Eagles were getting smaller crowds than Salford when they were in SL, George.

 

[terracesider]

An old Rothmans gives Sheffield's average gates as

1996 4613
1995-96 3106
1994-95 2661
1993-94 3050


I think part of Sheffield's problem was that they played at the worst ground I've ever watched RL on, or any other code: an oversized athletics stadium in which you needed a telescope to see the action.

 

[bartman]

Like someone said, their time will come again if their ambition and growth from NL2 level warrants it. I expect operations like Celtic Crusaders and perhaps a second French or London team may be the league's expansion priorities from now on though?

 

[playdaball]

Who remembers the movie, The Full Monty? One of the main characters (the big, fat bloke) wore a Sheffield Eagles jersey for a large part of the movie.

 

[In-goal]

hard to compete in a very football dominated market, but in saying that Sheffield United and Wednesday were both competitive then.