London Skolars
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| London Skolars | |
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| Full name | London Skolars Rugby League Football Club |
| Emblem | Coat of arms |
| Colours | Green, red and black |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Sport | Rugby league |
| League | National League Two |
| Ground | New River Stadium |
| Official website | www.skolars.com |
London Skolars are a rugby league team based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in north London. They were founded in 1995 and have been professional since 2003, operating in National League 2. They also run an A-team under the title Haringey Hornets to play in the Rugby League Conference and the London League.
London Skolars also host the Mx9s (Middlesex 9s) tournament which is competed for annually. In 2006 this became an international tournament.
[edit] History
North London Skolars were founded in 1995 by Ian "Hector" McNeil. They were initially created for post-university graduates in London, with a number of ex-student international rugby league players. The team originally played at Hackney marshes
The club quickly went "open"; relying on players from the student game and London-based antipodeans as well as local players.
After initial success in the London League, in 1997 the club became a founder member of the Southern Conference (the forerunner to the Rugby League Conference) and won the inaugural competition. They also moved to New River Stadium. Later in 1997, they entered the National Conference League and were the only club south of Sheffield in the competition for four consecutive seasons.
In 1998 Skolars hosted Strella XIII, the first time a team from Tatarstan had toured Great Britain. During the 1999 season, the Skolars toured Tatarstan and Russia, the first time that an amateur club had toured the former Soviet Union.
In 2002 the club applied to join the National Leagues and was accepted, the first club in eighty years to make the transition from the amateur ranks to the professional leagues.
In 2003, their first season in National League 2, they finished bottom but made progress in 2004. They also won the Middlesex 9s. They changed their name to 'London Skolars'.
The appointment of Latham Tawhai as a full-time coach at the end of the 2005 season marked another step forward in the club’s progress.
| Rugby League National Leagues - National League Two |
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See also: Rugby League Championship Third Division |
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