Chester Gladiators Rugby League Football Club is a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

club in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, England. They play in the North West Division of the

Rugby League Conference The Rugby League Conference (RLC) (also known as the Co-operative Rugby League Conference as a result of sponsorship from The Co-operative Group), was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England ...

North West Counties The North West Counties A.R.L. were a series of rugby league regional leagues in the North West of England. Most clubs at open age level joined the North West Men's League in 2011 and 2012 but it carried on until folding part way through the 201 ...

and the

North West Merit League The North West Merit League is a rugby league competition for clubs in the North West of England. It is a feeder league for the Rugby League Conference. History The Midlands Merit League was founded in late 2005 to support the growth of ru ...

History

Previous clubs in Chester

Although Chester is less than 45 minutes drive from rugby league strongholds such as Warrington, Widnes, Wigan and St Helens but rugby league has traditionally failed to capture the imagination of locals and the sport struggled to maintain a place in the city's sporting calendar. The most notable attempt at developing the game in Chester was when Chester Wolves entered the

in 1998. They were crowned champions the following season, after a Grand Final victory over Crawley Jets. Unfortunately, the club were unable to build on this early success. In 2005, the Chester Wolves name returned to the Conference after Widnes based club West Bank Bears played under this name. However, this venture failed to capture local interest and the club left the Rugby League Conference for a second time at the end of the 2006 season.

Chester Gladiators

A new side, ''Chester Gladiators Rugby League Football Club'', was formed in April 2008 by a group of enthusiasts who shared a belief that the sport could prosper in the area. The club operated an open age side in the

RL Merit League The Midlands Merit League, was a summer rugby league tournament in England held between 2006 and 2009. It was a feeder league to the Rugby League Conference and had a season that ran from April to August. In its last season of 2009, it was also kn ...

and received significant praise for their efforts both on and off the field; playing a total of seven matches and securing two victories, a 36-28 at North Derbyshire Chargers and a 66-14 hammering of Wolverhampton Warlords. At the end of the debut season they were named RL Merit League Club of the Year and our Chairman Jim Green received the RL Merit League Pioneer of the Year award whilst two players were named in the RL Merit League Dream Team. The 2009 season saw the launch of a new junior section and a second open age team as the club continued to develop. They won the first Cheshire Challenge Cup final beating

Crewe & Nantwich Steamers Crewe & Nantwich Steamers is a rugby league club in Nantwich, Cheshire. They play in the North West Division of the Rugby League Conference and run a second team in the North West Merit League. History Crewe Wolves entered the Northern Divisi ...

. Our first team enjoyed a successful season in the RL Merit League, winning ten of their twelve matches and securing a play-off berth for the first time. The newly formed A team also took part in two matches, ensuring that the club was able to provide all of its members with the chance to experience rugby league. The senior sections efforts were rewarded when Alec Read was named as the Kukri RL Merit League Young Player of the Year while the club received an award for their work with the media. At junior level a number of taster days were staged and an under-12s team played five matches, securing two victories. Chester Gladiators set up a winter side Chester ARLFC to compete in the

league for 2010-11.

Club honours

* Midlands 9s: 2011 * north west men’s league division 4 winners: 2015 * North west men’s league shield winners: 2015 * North West Men’s league division 4 grand final winners: 2015

Previous players

Rob Massam Rob Massam (born 29 October 1987) AKA The Thing on The Wing, is a Wales international rugby league footballer who plays as a er for the North Wales Crusaders in Betfred League 1. He has previously played for the Rochdale Hornets. He was a ke ...

North Wales Crusaders The North Wales Crusaders ( cy, Croesgadwyr Gogledd Cymru Rygbi'r Gynghrair) is a professional rugby league club based in Colwyn Bay, Wales. They are the successors to the former Super League club Crusaders Rugby League. Crusaders compete in Be ...

* Sam Broadbent -

Harry Cartwright Harold "Harry" Cartwright (born 12 May 1951) is a former English cricketer who played cricket for Derbyshire between 1971 and 1979. Cartwright was born at Halfway, Derbyshire. He began his career in the Derbyshire Second XI in 1971 and played ma ...

South Wales Scorpions The South Wales Scorpions, known as the South Wales Ironmen in 2017, were a semi-professional rugby league club based in South Wales. They played in the third tier of the British rugby league system (currently known as League 1) between 2010 an ...

* Andrew Oakden -

* Billy Brickhill -

Swinton Lions The Swinton Lions are a professional rugby league club based in Swinton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Championship. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. Before 1996, the club was known ...

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester Gladiators Arlfc Rugby League Conference teams Sport in Chester BARLA teams Rugby clubs established in 2008 Rugby league teams in Cheshire English rugby league teams 2008 establishments in England