A few months ago, when the new Cornwall Rugby League Club was announced, I was deeply sceptical about its prospects.
Based in the small Cornish town of Penryn, I wondered how a club could be expected to operate when it is located so far from its opponents in Betfred League 1.
My initial thought was that it might be a vanity project of Eric Perez, who had wanted to establish a club in Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, but had switched to an unlikely venue in England because of the impact of the Covid pandemic.
I didn’t think that the club had any significant long-term prospects.
But then they announced the highly experienced and respected Neil Kelly as the club’s inaugural coach and my feelings of scepticism, although still present, began to abate slowly.
And as time has gone on, they have announced a series of signings, several of which have prior Rugby League experience, as the club builds its squad prior to its first league game, which will be away against North Wales Crusaders on 2nd April before the club’s first home game against Midlands Hurricanes on 10th April.
Last week the club announced that it has agreed a partnership with Visit Cornwall – the official tourist board and online visitor guide for the Duchy.
The agreement will see Visit Cornwall promote Cornwall RLFC matches through all its online channels with information on places to stay and places to see whilst planning a trip to Cornwall to watch the Choughs.
Visit Cornwall chief executive Malcolm Bell sees the inception of Cornwall RLFC as a new avenue to bring tourists into Cornwall during the summer months.
“This is a big thing for the Cornwall brand because it is great having a club here and local people will always support the flag,” he said.
“From a tourism point of view, we see this as an opportunity to attract visitors to Cornwall who will be here to support the club’s opponents.
“They come from Wales, London, the Midlands and of course north of Birmingham in Rugby League’s heartlands. Cornwall RLFC will help visitors come to the Duchy from those areas and we hope that they have a great holiday in Cornwall by enjoying the beaches, the coast and everything else Cornwall has to offer, whilst watching some brilliant Rugby League too.”
I think that’s a great development. I’m not sure whether any other Rugby League club has this sort of partnership with a regional tourism body, although I suspect none do, but it’s a pointer to what the wider game should be doing.
Cornwall RLFC commercial director Rob Butland (pictured above with Bell) shares Visit Cornwall’s enthusiasm for the new joint-venture and added:
“It is a huge thing to be associated with a prestigious movement in the Duchy. Visit Cornwall are the people that look after Cornwall and how it is perceived as a holiday destination to those outside the locality.
“We like to bill ourselves as a team that represents every single person living in Cornwall and that includes businesses too. We will look forward to welcoming fans from far and wide to games during the 2022 Betfred League 1 season and they will in turn help support those in the Duchy that are part of the tourism industry, with the help of Visit Cornwall.
“We know that millions of people plan holidays here in Cornwall every year and that normally starts by sitting in front of a laptop or looking at a phone. Potential tourists will then end up looking at Visit Cornwall to see what is going on, along with the places to see and visit.
“The fact that our club is able to utilise a partnership like this further highlights how much of an important step forward Cornwall RLFC is for professional sport in the Duchy. All our games will be played in the summer and we want them to be real events, like an outdoor party, and Visit Cornwall will be instrumental in helping our vision become reality.”
That sounds good to me and I’m already wondering whether I’ll be able to spend a week away from the League Express office to get down to one of the best parts of England to watch some Rugby League.
I’m sure many other Rugby League supporters will share my enthusiasm.
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