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A bit later with the announcement than we have become accustomed to over the last two or three years, but well worth the wait. More details on the link to the club website. http://northwalescrusaders.com/news/2020-kits-launched/ Edit: The pink away shirt is in support of Nightingale House, which is a hospice in Wrexham.

Further to my original post, looking forward to the game at London Skolars. It has really cought the imagination of our fans. There are now just nine seats available on the 50 seat supporters bus, three months before the game! Well done London Skolars, Toronto and St Helens for arranging/agreeing to the double header. Should be a great occasion.

Looking forward to the double header on the 29th February, when we play London Skolars away. I wish there was a proper League 1 cup, with the final at the big bash. That worked really well, and I don't understand why they don't do it anymore. Just like last year, we are not entering the 1895 cup. I quite like the golden point idea, it will be interesting to see what effect it has on the league table at the end of the season.

Copied from the club website: North Wales Crusaders will hold a fans forum at the Maesgwyn in Wrexham from 3pm on Sunday, November 3. It is an opportunity for fans to hear about how plans for the new season are coming along, as well as ways they can get involved to support the team. With season tickets for 2020 now on sale, fans will also be able purchase one of the various packages on offer. Crusaders chief executive Andy Moulsdale said: “It’d be great to see as many fans as possible come along to the fans forum. “It’s a really good way for fans to have their say and find out what has gone on so far during the off-season. “Our recruitment for 2020 has gone well and we’re all really excited to see what next season holds.”

Good idea, base it in Cardiff and save money on a new logo?

To be honest, I really don't mind Queensway. It's only a mile from my house, it's available and it's cheap. We can make more money with 300 here than with 1,000 at the Racecourse, although as you say it is understandable for the club to look elsewhere for better facilities. In an ideal world we would build our own ground, but that's not going to happen unless one of us wins the lottery. You're right about losing fans when changing grounds. It happened when we moved to the Rock, and that was only for four games when the pitch was being relaid, the same the following year, and then again when we left the Racecourse for good. The last thing I want to say about the Racecourse is that we were paying around £1,500 a game before we left. We only need one stand, which reduces the capacity to around 3,000. We moved out because the Stereophonics were booked to play there on the weekend we were due to play Coventry. You can't really blame the Uni who own the ground, £1.5k from us or £1m from a concert. The following week, the football club took over the lease to the ground and promptly doubled our rent. It was still £3,000 (as far as we know) until a few weeks ago. By the way, they don't have a license to hold concerts any more, it was only valid for three years and has expired. Andy Moulsdale had been asking for a very basic package, just one stand and the dressing rooms, we would do the rest, turnstiles, stewards, the bar and food, and use the exec boxes for sponsors, after match formalities in the Turf or the Maesgwyn. Of course he wanted to haggle them down to a price we can afford but they never gave him any reply. Now they want £9,000 a game, probably prompted by a story in the Leader suggesting we were thinking about moving back, when in fact the club had already given up on the idea. Finally, I only found out this morning that an international match was played there last Thursday, Wales v Belgium in the European Under 21 Championships. The crowd was just 305, which makes the 1,257 attendance for the RL international against Ireland last November look quite respectable.

Interestingly, at the game yesterday quite a few people said they were pleased to hear we are not moving, some even said they would not go to the Racecourse if we moved back after hearing about the attitude of the football club. Speaking to Andy Moulsdale last night, he said that after the supporters trust meeting he had a conversation with Wrexham FC legend Dixie McNeil (he is the football club's president). When he told Dixie about the £9,000 a game rent he hit the roof, not at all happy to hear about the way we are being treated. Some other news from the meeting, the supporters trust have agreed to make funds available to sign players for next season. Andy Moulsdale is confident that the majority of this year's squad will re-sign. But we have the lowest budget in the league, so with the help of the supporters trust we hope to sign two or three quality players to make a real challenge for the playoffs next year, and not just settle for being "best of the rest". Hopefully we can get the results to boost the crowds at Queensway, as well as increasing membership of the supporters trust.

We will be staying at Queensway next year after all. The question was asked at the end of a supporters trust meeting tonight. As mentioned before, Cefn Druids are keen to have us back at the Rock, but the pitch is not the required standard for rugby. We can only hope that when it is eventually due to be resurfaced (the 3g was only laid three years ago), it can be replaced with a suitable surface. Cefn Druids FC would be fantastic partners for us. The club also approached Buckley Town FC in neighbouring Flintshire, but have not had any reply. It is now thought that the pitch is probably too small anyway, and parking at the ground is very limited. We also heard that Wrexham FC have doubled the rent AGAIN. They want £7,500 rent per game plus VAT, plus all the bar takings and food kiosk takings, so the Racecourse would now cost a staggering £10,000 per game. This is roughly the cost of renting Queensway for the last three years!

Good luck. Today's result sets up an unofficial "best of the rest" playoff at Queensway next Saturday (winner finishes seventh).

Some trivia for the Crusaders fans. Our game at Newcastle on Sunday will be our 200th competitive game since the club formed.

Why can't we have a League 1 cup? Of course we were led to believe we would have one this year, to make up for losing two clubs to give the championship more fixtures, plus the departure of Hemel Stags. The final of that cup is being played tomorrow, between two championship teams. Just give us a cup for League 1 with the final at the big bash, and leave the 1895 cup just for the Championship clubs.

Stadium Solutions, well worth a look at their website. https://www.stadiumsolutions.co.uk/ The new 156 seat stand at Rushden and Diamonds FC cost £30k, so about £200 per seat. I phoned them a couple of years ago to ask about the cost of a turnstile building, (I was thinking at the time about suggesting we put one up at Queensway), I was told they cost about £7k fully installed, with two turnstiles. Also worth a look on twitter. I think these people could do a good job for any Championship/League 1 club looking to improve their facilities. https://twitter.com/stad_solutions?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

This year, we were knocked out of the Challenge Cup in the 4th round at Thatto Heath. It's obviously a result we want to forget. For Thatto Heath however, it was a huge occasion and achievement. A bigger than average crowd, the challenge cup on display, the Mayor of St Helens in her chain of office watching from the clubhouse balcony, and the game watched live by thousands on television (BBC red button I think). Thatto Heath didn't just beat a League 1 team, they beat a league 1 team in the 4th round of the Challenge Cup. That makes it special. There's no harm in discussing ideas on how to increase the attendance at the final, or making the competition more interesting, but I think that any idea that denies the Thatto Heath's of this world their well earned special moment, is a bad idea.

It has been covered by Wales Online. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/wild-scenes-welsh-rugby-team-16625190

No complaints about the result, as you say, up and down all season. I heard the crowd announced as 272, which would be the third lowest since we moved to Queensway. The ground is clearly holding us back now, the directors are keen to move so it will be interesting to see where we play next year. We're limited for choice and we'll almost certainly have to leave Wrexham, but it's obvious we need to try somewhere else.

A great result for West Wales, a chance to celebrate at last after all the hard work and perseverance of the last few years. Also the response from Coventry CEO Alan Robinson is pure class. Both clubs are a credit to rugby league.

Queensway has been good for us in that it's been available and it's cheap, allowing us to get out of the financial mess we found ourselves in three years ago. The problem is the lack of facilities, especially hospitality for sponsors, also the design of the ground for athletics with the stands so far from the pitch has had quite a negative affect on atmosphere. Worst of all, is that people in Wrexham generally don't want to go there, even some of our long standing fans have stopped going because of where we are. Another problem we have is trying to be noticed in the shadow of the football club. Just take a look at the Leader online today, if you know where to look in the sport section, you will find a match report from Sunday's game against Workington. But look on the front page and, today alone, there are no less than ten stories relating to Wrexham FC and it's fans, and the football season hasn't started yet. https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/ I'm only a 20 minute walk from Queensway myself, and I'd love to see the club stay in Wrexham, but we're not welcome at the Racecourse, and the other ground where we are welcome has a pitch unsuitable for rugby. Ultimately, it boils down to money. We have the lowest playing budget in the league, even West Wales pay more than we do. It's fair to say we are more dependant on central funding than any other club, and that might disappear at the end of next year, so we need to find ways to improve income through things like hospitality and sponsorship, bigger attendances and growing the supporters trust. Our community set up is largely based in Deeside, our A team play there, the wheelchair teams play there, and Wales Rugby League have a training centre there. Flintshire council also appear to be very supportive of both rugby codes. If we can find a suitable football club willing to take us in next year, we might as well give it a go. At least the conversation has started now, it's important that we all talk about this, everyone's opinion is important. I just want to add that the presentation from the coaching staff at the forum was outstanding. I've never played rugby, but Anthony Murray's talk about how they prepare for games was one of the most interesting I've ever heard. We might have the lowest paid squad in the league, but they are extremely professional. For us fans, the game against Oldham is on Sunday, for the players, it started on Monday. With the good run of results we're having, there's a good feeling around the club at the moment, despite the uncertainty about the ground and the future of league 1, so let's enjoy it while we can.

You are entitled to your opinion and very welcome to it. There's no point trying to change it here, we can only hope that in the next couple of years, all the hard work going on behind the scenes will have paid off, and maybe that will change your mind.

Hi, I've sent you a message about the venues. Don't want to name any here as the club has not made any approaches yet. The Racecourse is ruled out because it is too expensive and the football club don't want us there. Cefn Druids are keen to have us back, but their synthetic pitch is not suitable for rugby so we can't go there. If we do leave Queensway, we will be leaving Wrexham, but we will be staying in North Wales.

Hi guys, always a pleasure to have you at Queensway. We're going into the game an the back of 2 really good wins, against Whitehaven away and Keighley at home, so the team is starting to show a bit of confidence. Should be a good game. There are some roadworks in progress in Wrexham over the weekend which might affect your journey. If you are following satnav, you will probably be directed off the A483 at junction 6, which is being resurfaced over the weekend and may be closed (there is some confusion here as to whether it will be closed all weekend or just at night). If it is closed, carry on to junction 5, and take the exit for Wrexham (A541). There are brown signs for Queensway after the football ground, also follow the signs for Nantwich (A534). After leaving the roundabout in front of Tesco, the next right turn into Montgomery Road leads to Queensway (signposted). For the return journey, go back along Montgomery Road and turn left at the end of the road. Follow the signs for Mold (A541) until you pass the football ground, then follow the signs for Chester. If you follow the signs for Chester too soon, you will end up at the closed junction. Also, please be aware that we now have a deposit scheme for beakers at the bar, doing our bit to cut down on plastic waste. There is a deposit of £2 on a pint and £1 on a half pint, when you've finished your drink, you can exchange for a fresh beaker for your next pint. When you're all done just go to the bar and ask for your deposit back, or keep your beaker for a souvenir. See you Sunday, have a safe journey.

I expect that most Cru fans who post on here will already be aware of this, but just in case it's passed you by, there will be a fans forum at the Maesgwyn Hall on Mold Road, Wrexham (opposite the Uni and the Racecourse) at 5:30 pm on Saturday, 6th July. Anthony Murray will be there to talk about the season so far, and there will be discussions on how to progress the club such as increasing revenues and improving the match day experience. It will be interesting to discuss what options, if any, we have regarding our home ground. I'm sure most of us would love to move from Queensway, but where can we go? We hope to encourage more people to join the supporters trust, which can make a difference. We don't have a benefactor at the moment so the only investors we have are the fans. Everyone who joins the trust has an equal share and a say in how the funds are spent. Since the AGM two months ago, the supporters trust has spent or is committed to spending about £2,500 for the benefit of the club. We are sponsoring our head steward to qualify as a ground safety officer, we have introduced recyclable beakers for the bar to cut down on plastic waste, and we have started to bring in new merchandise. Our latest merchandise has arrived this morning, and will be available at the forum. The new mugs are priced at £5 each. Hope to see you there.

Just to repeat last weeks message, for any Workington fans travelling to the game at Wexham on Sunday, regarding possible traffic disruption. If you are following satnav, you will probably be directed off the A483 at junction 6, which is being resurfaced over the weekend and may be closed (there is some confusion here as to whether it will be closed all weekend or just at night). If it is closed, carry on to junction 5, and take the exit for Wrexham (A541). There are brown signs for Queensway after the football ground, also follow the signs for Nantwich (A534). After leaving the roundabout in front of Tesco, the next right turn into Montgomery Road leads to Queensway (signposted). For the return journey, go back along Montgomery Road and turn left at the end of the road. Follow the signs for Mold (A541) until you pass the football ground, then follow the signs for Chester. If you follow the signs for Chester too soon, you will end up at the closed junction. See you Sunday, have a safe journey.

Nice to read this in today's Leader. https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/17736072.alyn-and-deeside-mp-supports-wheelchair-rugby-team/

Loved the Bulldog Bitter on our visits to Batley.

A word of caution for any Kighley fans travelling on Sunday, regarding possible traffic disruption. If you are following satnav, you will probably be directed off the A483 at junction 6, which is being resurfaced over the next two weekends and may be closed (there is some confusion here as to whether it will be closed all weekend or just at night). If it is closed, carry on to junction 5, and take the exit for Wrexham (A541). There are brown signs for Queensway after the football ground, also follow the signs for Nantwich (A534). After leaving the roundabout in front of Tesco, the next right turn into Montgomery Road leads to Queensway (signposted). For the return journey, go back along Montgomery Road and turn left at the end of the road. Follow the signs for Mold (A541) until you pass the football ground, then follow the signs for Chester. If you follow the signs for Chester too soon, you will end up at the closed junction. See you Sunday, have a safe journey.