THE Rugby Football League aim to regenerate the men’s amateur game in the north-east.
No mention has been made of the region in the National Community Rugby League initiative but Marc Lovering, the RFL’s director of participation and development, said: “There aren’t sufficient open-age teams, or strength in depth, to compete fully in the new pyramid structure as yet.
“The new structure is designed to accommodate other regions as and when they become ‘live’ in the future.
“We are continuing to work with clubs in the region to rebuild the open-age game, and there will be activity this year.”
He added: “One club (Newcastle Lightning – linked to Newcastle Thunder) have been accepted into the Yorkshire Men’s League.
“2025 was a year of consolidation in the North-East, with participation numbers across all age groups just above 600.”
Lightning, who have emerged through a partnership between Newcastle Thunder and Northumbria University, aim to offer regular, competitive rugby for players who are graduating through existing NERL youth club systems and the Northumbria University pathway. The team will be based at Northumbria University’s Coach Lane Campus.