Ottawa to enter & NYC to follow

Ottawa to enter League One in 2020 & New York City to follow in 2021 

Today the rugby football league have announced some groundbreaking news for the game in that another North American and Canada’s capital Ottawa has been accepted into League One for next season with New York also likely to follow for 2021.

Bears CEO Alan Robinson thinks this is another opportunity the Bears need to embrace: 

“Ottawa will bring even more opportunities and investment into the game and we need to be ready to embrace that and make more of our own brand off the back of it. When Toronto Wolfpack came in it created a huge amount of excitement but with Ottawa and the strong possibility of New York to follow its groundbreaking for rugby league and British sport. We will certainly be looking to benefit through the potential of new sponsorship and opportunities another Trans-Atlantic club in our league presents”

 Read the full report below: 

 Overseas Clubs - update

Monday May 20th 2019

from the Rugby Football League Press Office

Last month, the Rugby Football League was asked following a meeting of member clubs in Salford to conduct further due diligence on two overseas applications to play in Betfred League One from 2020 – one to relocate the Hemel Stags club to Ottawa in Canada, and the other for a new club in New York, USA.

The RFL Board today informed the member clubs, and the consortia behind the applications, of its decision.

The application for Hemel Stags to be relocated to Ottawa has been accepted in principle – although both the RFL and the consortia have agreed that some further work is required before it can be confirmed that the Stags will be ready to start the 2020 season in Ottawa.

With regard to the New York bid, the RFL and the consortium have agreed that entry into League One in time for 2020 is not achievable without placing the club under undue pressure, because it is a start-up operation without the benefit of existing operations already being in place, and due to some change in the ownership structure during the process.

The RFL has therefore encouraged the club to work towards entry into League One in 2021.

Become a partner with rugby league and Coventry Bears for 2020  

Get in touch using our contact form here or find out more by joining the OurLeague App and becoming a Bears fan here

You can also follow the clubs journey on twitter at @coventrybearsrl @coventrybear

Bears stand up to Oldham

Bears stand up to Oldham

Oldham RLFC 34 Coventry Bears 18

Coventry Bears were in a confident mood after last week's home win against Workington, as they headed up the M6 to Oldham on the outskirts of Manchester.
They faced an Oldham side seriously challenging for promotion this season, and apart from a short spell towards the end of the first half, they were the equal of the long established and highly fancied Northern side.
The game started with both sides very much equal for the first twenty minutes, with each team attacking, defending, and making errors in equal numbers.
Oldham's breakthrough came after 21 mi items as Hewitt scored the first of the afternoon, and the conversion made it 6-0.
Langtree crossed over for the home side five minutes later, but at 12-0 down, the Bears looked far from finished.
But then came what proved to be the killer punches in the guise of two tries in the last three minutes of the first half, another from Langtree and one from Wilkinson to give the home side a seemingly unassailable 22-0 lead in which they had fought off some good play from the likes of Kareem Williams and Reece Rance.
There was a lot needed from the Bears in the second half to prevent a heavy defeat, but their determination was soon evident.
On 49 minutes, Sam Davis set up Kam Pearce Paul for the Bears first try.
Oldham needed to regain their grip, and this was accomplished by Bridge's try six minutes later.
But the Bears were determined to get back into the game, and Sam Davis, the Bears' man of the match took the ball from well inside the Bears half before passing to Elliot Hall who crashed over the line.
Oldham's Hawkyer helped his team pull away again in the seventieth minute, but still the Bears fought back, with Sam Davis getting one for himself, and a third for the Bears in the second half against the two scored by the home side.
Nick Newman added two points for each try to add to his season's tally.
However, winning the second half wasn't enough to cancel out the damage done in the dying minutes of the first half.
The Oldham fans sportingly cheered the Bears off the pitch as valiant and worthy opponents.
The task for the Bears now is to carry the grit and determination shown into next Sunday's home game against North Wales Crusaders who they will face at Broadstreet RFC this Sunday 26th May. 

Bears Tom Tsang comments after Oldham; 

“It's really mixed feelings after today's game. One the one hand it's an awful feeling any time we lose, especially when so much effort and energy was invested in the performance. But on the other hand I'm immensely proud of the fight and endeavour my team put in.

The scoreline was 0-0 after 27 minutes, and we ended up winning the second half 12 points to 18. But we were undone by a 13 minute lapse before halftime where Oldham scored 4 quick tries.

At 22-0 at half time we were staring down the barrel so to keep plugging away and come back into the match in the second half was encouraging.

We also created many more  chances than we were able to finish off and but for a little bounce of the ball here and there, the result today could have been  very different.
We matured as a team today and should now go into the next phase of the season very confident of being able to mix it with any team in the competition.”

Workington Town Match Report

Bears on cruise control against the Cumbrians.

COVENTRY BEARS 41 WORKINGTON TOWN 30

Report by Mike Hyde

Photography by David Jessop

Broadstreet RFC, Coventry, Saturday 11th May, 3pm Ko

Coventry Bears cruised to a comfortable victory against their long established Northern rivals in a convincing display where the fast, fit and well trained young players put in a strong all-round performance.

Workington had experience and weight on their side- FuiFuiMouMoiis 39 and still built like a South sea Volcano- and others were well into their thirties.

The Bears kicked off at the wide and spacious Broadstreet ground- theirtemporary home while the pitch at Butts Park is being relaid.

Town looked powerful in the middle as they took the ball upfield with FuiFui MoiMoi driving hard in the opening encounters.

A kick on the final play of the set took theaway side close to a try inside three minutes, but offside was given to the relief of the Bears fans who were still settling into their new home.

Although the Bears came more into the game, a good move from the visitors resulted in a try for ScottRooke on the far side of the pitch, converted by Isaac Ferrell.

It was hard in the unfamiliar surroundings not to fear the worst at conceding on only seven minutes, but things soon improved.

Coventry were keen to respond and man of the match Nick Newman gave a foretaste of what was to come with a neat layoff to start a move which he finished, but was held over the line by a desperate Town defence.

Newman was to the fore with a quarter of an hour gone as he set Jacob Jones free to score in the middle. Newman duly took his first conversion to level the scores.

We now had a game on our hands.

Three minutes later, Newman was set free in the middle of the park to race over and then convert. It was clearly going to be his day.

The Bears pressure was relentless, causing great problems for the away side, but they came back and thought they had equalised but no try was given.

Kieran Sherratt pierced through the Town ranks before passing to Kam Pierce Paul who crashed over for the Bears, with another successful conversion following.

The Bears’ lead was extended further as an interception just five yards out from the Bears line, by that man Newman yet again, was followed by a spectacular full length of the field run for a try he duly converted.

The Bears cruised into a comfortable lead just before half time as Reece Rance crossed over on the far right,making the conversion a little too difficult , even for Newman.

With a 22 point deficit to make up, Town had to start the second half well to have any chance in the game, and the onus was on the Bears to not lose their grip on the game.

Workington’s newly appointed Head Coach Chris Thorman’s half time talk seemed to have done the trick as Jonathan Walsh crashed over after a dazzling break from defence. Farrell’s conversion added the extras.

After a powerful MoiMoi carry-out, Ryan Fieldhouse finished a flowing move with a try. Bears fans could only gaze at the scoreboard as the conversion narrowed the gap still further.

But, bang on cue, the visitors’ comeback hopes were dashed when Elliot Hall ran the full length of the pitch to score a try in response, with Newman’s conversion again being on target.

Five minutes later, Jacob Jones scored another long-range try, and Newman’s conversion made it 40-18, a comfortable margin as the match drew to a close.

But Town weren’t going to give in as Jamie Doran added to the away sides score with nine minutes left.

Newman’s drop goal tormented Town and ate into the remaining minutes but there was still enough time left for Workington’s Rooke to add a little more respectability to the final score, but it really was too little, too late, the extra points serving merely to flatter Workington’s performance.

This had been yet another victory against a traditional heartland team. The Bears were nearly three years in the league before beating an established Northern side, but now they are firmly in the pack in the middle of League 1 and need fear no-one, and that was the real outcome of the day.

MATCH FACTS

BEARS

1 Elliott Hall

2 Hayden Freeman

3 KadeemWillams

4 Kam Pearce-Paul

5 Reece Rance

6 Brad Sheridan

7 Nick Newman

8 Peter Ryan

9 Mitch Shaw

10 Lewis Taylor

11 Jacob Jones

12 Kieran Sherratt

13 Chris Barratt

Subs (all used)

14 Nathan Conroy

15 Will Tully

16 Harvey Hallas

17 Harry Kauffman

Tries: Jones (14,68), Newman (17,34),Pearce-Paul (30), Rance (38), Hall (64)

Goals: Newman 6/7

Drop Goal; Newman(75)

TOWN

1 Ryan Fieldhouse

16 Scott Rooke

19 Caine Barnes

21 Tyler Lancaster

20 Jonathan Walsh

6 Jamie Doran

23 Isaac Farrell

8 Oliver Wilkes

9 Sean Penkywicz

10 FuiFui MoiMoi

12 Gordon Maulding

10 Stevie Scholey

11 Danny Tickle

Subs (all used)

15 Tom Curwen

17 Declan ODonnell

14 Andrew Dawson

22 Sam Hopkins

Tries: Rooke (7,90), Walsh (46) Fieldhouse (51),Doran (72)

Goals: Farrell 5/5

Penalty count: 8-10

Half-time: 28-6

Referee: S Race

Attendance: 303

Bears Supporters MOM: Nick Newman

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 12-6, 18-6, 24-6, 28-6;

28-12, 28-18, 34-18, 40-18,40-24, 41-24, 41-30

Next Home Match is a double header!

Bears take ground move in their stride

Bears will take ground move in their stride

By Mike Hyde

Starting on Saturday, Coventry Bears will be playing their next three games at Broadstreet RFC while the pitch at Butts Park Arena is relaid.

Bears CEO Alan Robinson was confident the temporary move would not disrupt the Bears progress on the field.

‘The guys will take the ground move in their stride, and it’s not the first time we have played a home game at a different ground’ he added.

While the BPA is synonymous with the Bears time in Rugby League’s semi-pro ranks, they took a game to the Ricoh Arena three seasons ago and they performed really well against Keighley, then a very strong side, so Broadstreet will be the third ground they have used while in the league.

However, the Bears have been around for twenty oneyears, and in their sixteen years as an amateur side they have played at several other iconic locations.

They started at CoundonRd, a well loved old ground back in 1998.

Barker Butts RFC was also used as a venue, and Broadstreetfeatured for the first time in 2004, so they already have history there.

But that’s not all, they have also played at the Xcel Leisure Centre and Coventry University’s Westwood Heath Grounds.

Other grounds used on odd occasions include GEC’s Copsewood ground, and recently a trial game at Newbold Revel this year before the season started, giving a total of eight grounds in Coventry in just over two decades.

Whilst being Coventry based, the Bears have made occasional excursions further afield, including a ‘home’ game at Bedworth, and back in 2000, an exhibition game at Rugby School, the first ever game of the 13 man code of rugby to be played at the hallowed birthplace of the game.

Like the game at the Ricoh Arena in 2016, this was as a prelude to the RL World Cup being held in England.

‘So, migration is nothing new for the Bears, and everywhere we go, we know we will pick up some new fans which is a positive, and we look forward to welcoming people to our temporary home which has great facilities and parking’

Coventry Bears play Workington Town RLFC at Broadstreet RFC, Ivor Preece Field, CV3 2AY Saturday 11th May kick off 3pm.

Club Statement Fixture Changes

Important Changes to Coventry Bears Fixture Schedule

Due to work which will now be taking place on the pitch at the Butts Park Arena we have had to seek immediate alternative arrangements for our up and coming home matches.

V Workington Town

Broadstreet RFC

Saturday 11th May 3pm Ko

V North Wales Crusaders

Broadstreet RFC

Sunday 26th May 3pm Ko

V Whitehaven has now been reversed and will now be played on 8th September at the Butts Park Arena. 

V Doncaster

Broadstreet RFC  

Saturday 29th June 3pm Ko 

We will return to the Butts Park Arena from 14th July: 

V Hunslet Sunday 14th July 3pm Ko

V Keighley Cougars Sunday 4th August 3pm Ko

V Oldham Sunday 1st September 3pm Ko

V Whitehaven now Sunday 8th September reversed from 9th June. 3pm Ko

We hope supporters will understand that these changes have been beyond our control and we have had to react at very short notice. We have done the very best we can to accommodate these games at a suitable local venue which has been approved by the Rugby Football League. 

The changes are now official.

Admission:

Adults £12.00

Concessions £10.00

Youth: £5.00

Children: FREE

Parking is Free

Thank you for understanding. 

 Broadstreet RFC Location 

Address:  

Broadstreet RFC

105 Rugby Road, Binley Woods, Coventry, CV3 2AY

Bears Junior Club Seeks Sponsorship

Coventry Bears Junior Club launches this May with a host of age groups and we are seeking local businesses to support our popular coaching and participation sessions at the Xcel leisure centre and at festivals across the region. 

last year the club coached over 100 juniors at under 7’s,8’s and 9’s and this year will re-launch age groups at u11, 13 and 15’s. 

All juniors, friends and family and indeed supporters will have the opportunity to purchase their own junior club jersey and we have teamed up with local supplier Scorpion Sports to provide it online with a number of order windows coming in May. 

If any businesses are interested in supporting our Junior club and featuring their brand on the jersey please get in touch and email us on alan.robinson@coventrybears.co.uk

Available positions:  

£250 per position (x6 positions available) 

£350 per back position (x2 positions available)

£500 to sponsor t-shirts (x1 available) 

£1000 front of shirt sponsor (x1 available)

Skolars edge the victory

Squad v London Skolars

Coventry Bears v London Skolars  

Good Friday 19th April  

Butts Park Arena 3pm  

Coventry Bears Squad to face London Skolars tomorrow in the Battle of the South! 

1.Callum Merrett

2.Chris Barratt

3.Elliot Hall

4.Errol Carter

5.Euan Tiernan

6.Harry Kaufman

7.Hayden Freeman

8.Jacob Jones

9.Kadeem Williams

10.Kam Pearce Paul

11.Kieran Sherratt

12.Lewis Taylor Loan Sheffield Eagles 

13.Mitch Shaw

14.Nathan Conroy

15.Nick Newman

16.Pete Ryan

17.Reece Rance

18.Sam Davis DR London Broncos 

19.Toby Richardson DR Dewsbury Rams 

London Skolars Fan Guide

A Skolar’s guide to Coventry, its’ Bears and other attractions

First of all, Skolars, a quick geography lesson……..

Most Rugby League is played in the North, and Coventry is definitely headed that way, but not too much so for the capital city’s travelling fans.

Indeed it’s a very quick train ride away from Euston, except on Good Friday, when Euston is closed and Virgin Trains start and finish at Harrow and Wealdstone! [Maybe try Chiltern Trains from Marylebone and change at Leamington?]

Anyway it’s still pretty handy up the M1 and then on our very own cuddly little M45, where as well as being the home of the Bears, Coventry is also designated as UK City of Culture for 2021, and we know Southern softies like that sort of thing.

And since Oxford and Hemel are no longer in this league, we are now your nearest neighbours.

So, you’re up for it and whether you’re arriving early, staying on for a beer or two afterwards, or maybe even making a weekend of it, we’ve put together a guide to point you in the right direction.

Coventry Bears and the Butts Park Arena

Our ground is very close to the city centre and has a 3,000 capacity stand along one side. There is a members’ bar at the top of the stand, and another large bar under the stand which has a great atmosphere after the match.

Before the game a suitable nearby watering hole, recommended by Bears fans, is the CAMRA acclaimed Broomfield Tavern. 

Another Bears favourite before or after is Bayleylane Kitchen in the city centre.

We have a car park [£3], so that’s not a problem for drivers, [postcode CV1 3GE for Satnav by the way], while the stadium is only a 15-20 minute walk from the station if you can locate a train on Good Friday.  

The BPA has a strangely ‘Northern industrial’ feel to it with a railway high up on an embankment overlooking the ground, but don’t worry, London is only 100 miles away.

We may appear to some folks like new kids on the block from the Midlands, but we have been around for twenty years, turning semi-pro five years ago. And now we are at the centre of a network of RL teams and initiatives from Merthyr to Loughborough, not dissimilar to the Skolars in our approach.

We also see ourselves as the proud descendants of a previous Rugby League team which played on this very spot from 1910 to 1913, before the First World War took its terrible toll. 

Coventry-City of Culture 2021

The mantle of City of Culture is heading south, from Hull, one Rugby League city to another…. Coventry.

And we are also City of Sport 2019 too, and the home of an RL World cup venue, just like that London!!!

At which point we’ve put together a few things Skolars fans may want to see and do as well as watch the match……

Coventry Cathedral[s]

Forget Westminster Abbey, we have an amazing Cathedral, or rather two Cathedrals. The first was almost destroyed in WW2 but was poignantly left in ruined state while a striking and iconic new cathedral was built in the 1960’s, along with much of Coventry’s City Centre.

Museums

We have a really good Transport Museum with free entry. And if you have ever wondered where London Taxis come from, the answer is……….Coventry.

We make them here and there’s a special exhibition called ‘Taxi; the story from A to B’ on at this museum until June.

And if transport is your bag, there’s also the Midland Air Museum and just down the road [A45 that is] there is the National Motorcycle Museum.

There is also a Music Museum, with a focus on the Ska, or two-tone, genre which hails from Coventry.

Around the City

Our mediaeval Spon Street is worth a visit. Other city centre highlights include an IKEA, some great examples of 60s architecture [if you like that sort of thing], and a ring road also harking from the great days of sixties town planning [first-time visitors often spend quite some time on this].

There’s also a nicely restored canal basin, and the canal network between London and Coventry is open at Easter, but we still don’t expect many Skolars fans to get here by this mode of Transport.

Castles

OK, so you’ve got the Tower of London and a few other historic buildings but If you are staying a little longer there’s two of Britain’s greatest castles on OUR doorstep;

Kenilworth Castle, English Heritage owned and possessing amazing Elizabethan gardens.

Warwick Castle, probably worth a whole day to itself it is so impressive and packed with attractions.

And did we mention Culture???

Culture vultures may wish to take in the Herbert Art Gallery where there is currently a Wildlife Photographer of the Year display [do they have any pics of Bears, or Cougars, Wolves and Rhinos for that matter?] and we have a Theatre and Arts Centre called the Belgrade [although it is not their team that recently played in the Challenge Cup].

And on Saturday 20th April, Ian Mc Kellan is presenting his new one man show there.

Just down the road is Stratford, birthplace of Shakespeare and rivalling Bicester Shopping Village as a destination for overseas tourists.

Where to stay

There’s plenty of accommodation available to suit all tastes and budgets. There’s a comfortable Premier Inn almost next door to the ground and very handy for the city centre too.

The staff, players and fans at Coventry Bears look forward to welcoming London Skolars and their fans for a great game and more.

To find out more visit;

http://www.coventrybears.com/

https://coventry2021.co.uk/

http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/wpsite/

http://www.transport-museum.com/

http://www.covmm.co.uk/2016/

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenilworth-castle/?gclid=CjwKCAjww6XXBRByEiwAM-ZUIBi0sGuuMBxvHwsXhFjlSKs-O9pbkKtOyaeieAQq3veaHXpVkQHAdhoCcdUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.warwick-castle.com/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/why-historic-england-is-hailing-the-charm-of-coventry-a6952956.html

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/west-midlands/coventry/coventry-city-centre-earlsdon-park.html

https://en-gb.facebook.com/The-Broomfield-Tavern-156105161115317/

http://www.theherbert.org/

http://www.belgrade.co.uk/

http://www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk/

http://www.midlandairmuseum.co.uk/

http://www.coventryblaze.co.uk

Coventry Bears to play New York next season?

London on Good Friday, next year New York?

By Mike Hyde

After what seems an eternity, Coventry Bears will be playing their third home game of the season on Good Friday, kick off 3pm at the Butts Park Arena.

An early exit from the cup in Doncaster, the postponement of the home game against Workington, and the general quirkiness of the fixtures have all conspired to create a two month gap between games for home followers of the Bears.

But the good news is that the Bears won their first two home games and are now looking for a third win in a row, against London Skolars.

The last game between the two sides was in London last July and the Bears emerged victorious  20-24. The last game between the two in Coventry saw the away side win.

The two sides are adjacent to each other in the League 1 table; Skolars 7th and Bears 8th, and there is a rivalry between the teams, both being outposts of the game in the Southern half of the country, with the Skolars representing London, and our Bears being the pride of the Midlands.

Mention ‘Rugby League’ to the average sports fan and their perception may still be that this is a game of the North of England, indeed this is still very much the Heartlands of the game, along with Australia, New Zealand and Southern France.

But this is a great game and deserves a bigger audience, and the game is taking root in a number of countries such as Serbia.

Bears fans may well remember the team travelling to Canada to play the fledgling Toronto Wolfpack, who are now knocking on the doors of Super League, along with Toulouse Olympique..

Manhattan Skyline

Well that is proving not to be a flash in the pan, as a team from Ottowa [Canada] are applying to join the Rugby League structure next year as is a team from New York, and that is NEW York, not that rather nice Yorkshire city whose team is also doing well.

So from being almost a guarded secret, which spread to London in the 80s, and to the Midlands as an amateur sport around the same time, the game is going transatlantic with a vengeance.

Bears and Skolars fans will no doubt applaud this expansion, and Bears owner Alan Robinson who attended a meeting last week on the subject commented;

‘I am very supportive of both Ottowa and New York, both different but impressive presentations. I hope everyone can see the bigger picture with the investment they are making in Rugby League for the future. Its an opportunity for us all we need to embrace’

All this means that Good Friday’s game soon wont be seen as a clash between far flung outposts, but as a local derby!!

Coventry Bears v London Skolars, Butts Park Arena Coventry, Good Friday 3 pm kick off.

The Red Bull Arena where New York Rugby League plan to play home games.