Coventry Bears
 | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Coventry Bears Rugby League Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Bears |
| Short name | Coventry |
| Colours |
 |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) |
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| Chairman |
 Alan Robinson |
| Coach(s) | Tom Tsang |
| Competition | Kingstone Press League 1 (From 2015) |
Coventry Bears are a semi-professional rugby league club based in Coventry, England, formed in 1998. They have a proud history pioneering rugby league in the Midlands, their major honours include winning the National League 3 title in 2004 (now called Rugby League Conference National Division) and the Rugby League Conference in 2002.
They play at the Butts Park Arena, and run two open-age sides as well as a women's team and a selection of youth teams.
The "bear and ragged staff" is a traditional symbol of Warwickshire, which could explain the team's name.
History
Coventry Bears were formed in 1998 by a group of University students led by Alan Robinson. They made an approach to Keith Fairbrother, the Coventry rugby union club’s Chairman and one time rugby league player, with a plan to form a team to play from Coundon Road Stadium.
Coventry Bears were admitted into the Rugby League Conference for the 2000 season and were unbeaten by any club within their division. The Bears then won their quarter-final against Manchester Knights before being narrowly defeated by only one point in the semi-finals at Super League club Warrington Wolves’ Wilderspool Stadium.
Further success followed in 2001 with the Bears reaching the Grand Final at Webb Ellis Road, Rugby, only to lose out by a very narrow margin in a match against the now defunct Teesside Steelers.
This was topped when the team won the Rugby League Conference Grand Final in September 2002 when they beat Hemel Stags at Cheltenham.
Following on from this success the club applied for, and won, elevation to the newly formed National League Three. This proved a trying time, but also proved that it was possible to run two sides, even though a good number of the successful 2002 side had left the club.
The Bears went from strength to strength in 2004; not only reaching the National League Three Grand Final but winning comfortably in what proved to be a memorable match.
Sadly, 2005 was equally as memorable – but for the wrong reasons. After a spell of very mixed fortunes, Coventry Bears RLFC made the difficult decision to resign from the National League to take time to rebuild and regroup. Since dropping out of the National Leagues the club has concentrated on building the club up from the bottom and 2006 saw the return of the Bears as a Rugby League Conference Midlands premier side.
Coventry Bears first team claimed second place in their division, despite having to play a strong South London Storm team in their cross-conference fixtures. They went on to beat Leicester Phoenix in the qualifying semi-final to set up a Midlands Grand Final with Nottingham Outlaws, which ended in defeat.
2007 was a good season for the Bears defeating old rivals Nottingham Outlaws to win the Midlands Premier and also winning the Kilkenny 9s, The Bears went on to finish as runners-up to St Albans Centurions losing 28-20 in the final of the Harry Jepson Trophy.
In 2008, the Bears finished as runners up in the Midlands Premier to old rivals Nottingham, who comprehensively beat Coventry. The Bears had an up and down season.
The upcoming season sees a few changes at the Bears with the departure of Ty Watson to Leicester and a return to the old school with the introduction of key player and Ireland international Alan Robinson as head coach, The Bears are looking towards the future and will again play in the Midlands Premier. The second grade will fulfil a strong fixture list by playing in the Midlands Rugby League.
In 2010, Coventry linked up with Super League side Wigan Warriors.[1]
They were among nine clubs invited to join the National Conference League Division Three for the 2013 season. They were accepted into the semi-professional ranks of Championship 1 for the 2015 season.
2015 squad
*Announced on 14 February 2015:
| No | Nat | Player | Position | Former Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Tropy Brophy | Full Back | Crosfields ARLFC |
| 2 | |
Chris Dixon | Wing | Coventry Bears |
| 3 | |
Nick Taylor | Centre | Sheffield Eagles |
| 4 | |
Eddie Medforth | Centre | Sheffield Eagles |
| 5 | |
Ben Parry | Wing | St Helens |
| 6 | |
Billy Sheen | Stand Off | Crosfields ARLFC |
| 7 | |
Cameron Boulter | Half Back | Leigh Miners Rangers ARLFC |
| 8 | |
Ben Tyers | Prop | Sheffield Eagles |
| 9 | |
Alex Brown (VC) | Hooker | Coventry Bears |
| 10 | |
John Aldred | Prop | Coventry University |
| 11 | |
David O'Connor | Second Row | Coventry Bears |
| 12 | |
Chris Barratt | Second Row | Salford Red Devils |
| 13 | |
Simon Phillips (C) | Loose Forward | Norths Devils |
| 14 | |
Dylan Bale | Hooker | Midlands Hurricanes |
| 15 | |
Callum Wishart | Prop, Utility | Loughborough Students RUFC |
| 16 | |
Alex Beddows | Prop, Back Row | Coventry Bears |
| 17 | |
Alex Calvert | Utility Forward | Loughborough Students RUFC |
| 18 | |
Daniel Poulton | Half Back | Midlands Hurricanes |
| 19 | |
Tawanda Chipadza | Centre | |
| 20 | |
Jamahl Hunte | Wing | Halifax RLFC |
| 21 | |
Stephen Coleman (VC) | Second Row, Centre | Coventry Bears |
| 22 | |
Jake Pratley | Hooker, Half Back | Worcester Warriors |
| 23 | |
Liam Scott | Wing | Coventry University |
| 24 | |
Richie Hughes (VC) | Hooker | Halton Simms Cross ARLFC |
| 25 | |
Josh Bell | Centre, Wing | |
| 26 | |
Matt Cooper (VC) | Loose Forward | Villeneuve Leopards |
| 27 |  |
James Geurtjens | Prop | Norths Devils |
|
Andy Winfield | Utility Back | Oxford RLFC | |
| 29 | |
Liam Thompson | Second Row | Queens ARLFC |
| 30 | |
Daniel Parker | Centre | West Hull ARLFC |
| 31 | |
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| 32 | |
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| 33 | |
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| 34 | |
Andy McGrory | Wing, Centre | Oxford RLFC |
| 35 |  |
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| 36 | |
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| 37 | |
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| 38 | |
Tom Hall | Prop | Leeds Beckett University |
| 39 | |
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| 40 | |
Matt Reid | Centre | North Wales Crusaders - On Loan |
2015 transfers
Gains
| Player | Club | Contract length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Hall | Leeds Beckett University | 1 Year | April 2015 |
| Daniel Parker | West Hull | 1 Year | April 2015 |
Losses
| Player | Club | Contract length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Kaufman | Oxford RLFC | 2 Years | December 2014 |
Juniors
Coventry Bears' junior teams take part in the Midlands Junior League. The Bears also have four feeder clubs North Coventry Nightmares, East Coventry Eagle, South Coventry Slayers and West Coventry Wolfpack.
Club honours
- RLC Western Division: 2000
- RLC Midlands Division: 2001, 2002
- Harry Jepson Trophy: 2002
- National League 3: 2004
- RLC Midlands Premier: 2007, 2009, 2010
- Midlands Rugby League Division One: 2013
- Kilkenny 9s: 2007
- Midlands 9s: 2008, 2009, 2013
- Women's RLC Plate: 2010
- Women's RLC South Division: 2011
References
External links
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