THERE was a fair amount of reflection, a few short years ago, on the revelation that there were more amateur Rugby League teams at youth and junior level in London than there were in Wigan.
I never saw any actual figures to corroborate such statements and I felt, at the time, that it didn’t quite seem to be that way to me.
Nevertheless, I could easily see where those who made those announcements were coming from, and it certainly felt that a sport that’s largely perceived as being ‘northern’ was, in fact, much stronger in the capital than many might think.
I’ve been reminded of all that by the receipt, late last week, of opening fixtures for the London Youth and Junior League.
As with the Southern Conference League, there’s been nothing – nowt has come my way, anyway – from the RFL, who you would have thought would have blasted details of the new season from the rooftops.
Anyway, let’s take a look at the teams swinging into action this Sunday.
There are fixtures at Under 16 and Under 14 level – not yet at Under 18 and Under 12 – and nine clubs (not all, admittedly, situated in London) are involved.
Brixton Bulls, Bromley Bengals, Feltham Falcons (who are based in Twickenham) and nearby Elmbridge Eagles certainly are in the capital, if Greater London can be described as being in that catchment area.
Brentwood Eels, meanwhile, are just 20 miles north-east of Charing Cross while St Albans and Hemel Stags are also located in line with what the clubs’ names say on their respective tins, and North Herts Crusaders are from Hitchin.
Eastern Rhinos are situated in Colchester in yet more affirmation that Rugby League is far from being solely a northern affair.
There was yet more glorious proof of that on Good Friday, at the highest club level, too, when the oldest derby in the world, in any sport, finished quite dramatically with a sensational victory for St Helens over Wigan.
And who was the central figure in the astonishing triumph? None other than Bill Leyland who, famously as a hooker signed on loan from Hull KR, scored the two tries which shattered the Warriors’ hopes.
What interests me most about Leyland (well, okay, there’s plenty, but I’m focusing on players’ roots in this offering) is the fact that the 23-year-old hails from Maidstone, and played for Invicta Panthers (that brings back fond memories, for me, of Kent Invicta) before signing for London Broncos, for whom he made his debut, against York, during the 2022 campaign.
His progress was quite spectacular (although not perhaps quite as spectacular as his feats for Saints against Wigan).
In fact he was the Betfred Championship Young Player of the Year in 2023 and finished that season by featuring in the Championship Grand Final triumph over Toulouse Olympique in France.
Leyland is far from being the only success story in Rugby League from the south of England, or at least from beyond the heartlands.
A full roll call would probably take up several pages of League Express but I have to mention one of the greatest props of all time, namely Cliff Watson, a Cockney (or so he was described) who starred for St Helens – yes, them again – and Great Britain.
Another Saints forward from the capital who comes to mind is the recently-retired Millwall FC fan Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook (how much have St Helens missed him, I have to wonder, if only for his value in terms of team spirit?) while Mike McMeeken, of Basingstoke, is going very strongly at Wakefield these days.
I nearly forgot Martin Offiah – admittedly, a capture from rugby union – but League-reared players do also include Tony Clubb.
As I say, though, the list could go on an on. And am I not correct in stating that Joel and Sam Tomkins hail from Milton Keynes?
A northern game? Well, yes, sort of, but only sort of. I wonder how many future Rugby League stars will emerge from this Sunday’s London Youth and Junior League games?
Meanwhile the RFL quite rightly mentioned, in their recent ‘More than a Game’ report, that they have been busy generating fundraising opportunities for amateur clubs in the last few years.
One such is the ‘easyfundraising’ initiative which, if I read it correctly, simply means that if club members make their usual purchases through the right channels, their clubs will receive a donation from the vendor.
This is, surely, something that anyone involved with any club should try. It seems to me to be a painless way of making money for a team.
Finally, I’d hoped to be able to provide details, in today’s issue, of last weekend’s match in Spain between the York and District League’s Under 16 team and Birkenshaw. Unfortunately I’m still awaiting details – let’s hope the required information eventually comes my way.