Scorpions to face Wigan in a pre-season friendly

Wales’ newest professional rugby league side, South Wales Scorpions will open their season with a prestigious home friendly against Super League side Wigan Warriors.

The match will take place at The Gnoll in Neath on Sunday 21st February (kick-off 2.30pm).

Wigan will bring a team consisting of first team squad members as well as players from their Super League under 20 squad.

The Warriors visit to Wales comes less than a year after they were famously beaten by the Crusaders at the Brewery Field in the 2009 Super League.

Scorpions’ chairman Phil Davies said: “It is a fantastic coup for the club in bringing Wigan to The Gnoll. They are the most famous name in rugby league and they will test our young side to the limit. It will be the perfect trial match for us before we go into a tough Championship 1 campaign.”

Tickets for the match cost just £8 for adults, £4 for concessions with children aged 11 and under admitted free (a maximum of two under 11s per paying adult). They will go on sale online today at www.scorpionsrl.com and are also available to buy at the Scorpions trial match in Porthcawl this Friday evening.

The Scorpions’ Co-operative Championship 1 season starts on Sunday 28th February with a home game against Workington Town. Kick-off for this game is now at 1pm following a request from the visitors.

The club’s newly designed website is expected to launch next week.

South Wales Scorpions on Bay Radio 102.1

Listen again to Mark Rowley, Phil Davies and Rob Buckley who were on Bay Radio 102.1 FM this morning. Click here

Scorpions directors to talk on Bay Radio tomorrow

South Wales Scorpions owner Phil Davies and commercial director Rob Buckley will be talking on Bay Radio tomorrow (Saturday) between 11.30am and midday to answer any questions fans have on the new club.

The Scorpions are Wales’ newest professional rugby league side and will kick-off their Co-operative Championship 1 season against former Super League side Workington Town on Sunday 28 February at The Gnoll in Neath.

Bay Radio can be listened to in the Swansea and West Wales area on 102.1FM or online worldwide at www.swanseabayradio.co.uk.

Davies and Buckley, along with their fellow directors, were in attendance at the first ever Scorpions supporters evening at The Gnoll on Thursday (yesterday).

A supporters club was formed with Andy Birchall from Port Talbot elected as chairman. Neil Goodman was appointed secretary and Rob Yates as treasurer. Aaron Hill, Chris O'Brien, Jon Nightingale and Glenn Colbridge will also sit on the committee.

The prices to join the Supporters Club were set at £5 for adults, £2 for 12 to 16yr olds and free for children aged 11 and under. The club can be contacted by emailing swscorpions@rugbyfans.net.

The new supporters club discussed having an influence in half-time and post match entertainment as well as the selection of mascots from within the supporters club junior section.

All members will get a discount on Scorpions' merchandise which the club are aiming to have on release for the season opener on February 28th.

Everyone at South Wales Scorpions RLFC and the Supporters Club would like to thank all supporters for the excellent turnout.

Primary School children to go free

South Wales Scorpions' chairman Phil Davies has announced that children aged 11 years old and under have the chance to enter every game for free during their 2010 season which kicks off with a home game against former Super League club Workington Town at the Gnoll in Neath on Sunday 28 February.

A maximum of two children aged 11 or under, per paying adult or adult season ticket holder can enter free. Any additional children can see the rugby league match for just £4 at the gate. Adult entry will cost just £8 per game.

"We want to make every game a family affair," said Davies. "To do that we want to make prices economical for families. Our season tickets will be going on sale soon and we hope we'll have an excellent response as throughout 2010 we'll be hosting the best value for money professional sporting events in the country."

Season tickets will cost just £60 for adults and £30 for all concessions.

We are the Scorpions!

Wales’ newest professional rugby league club has been named “South Wales Scorpions RLFC”.

The newly formed club, who will play their home matches out of Neath RFC, open their inaugural Co-operative Championship 1 campaign with a home game against former Super League club, Workington Town, at The Gnoll on Sunday 28 February (kick-off 2pm).

The Scorpions moniker was chosen following an internet and radio campaign to suggest a nickname for the club. Congratulations must go to supporter James Bowes from Cardiff for originally suggesting the nickname. He will be sent two season tickets for the Scorpions as a prize.

“We’d like to thank all the fans for submitting their entries,” said Scorpions’ chairman Phil Davies. “We chose Scorpions above all other names as we felt we needed a new identity. It’s a new nickname for professional rugby league and one that is completely original for the area.

Of the two other possibilities, Celts had connotations from the Crusaders while Phoenix suggested a rising from the ashes. There have been a few suggestions that the mascot could be called “Sting” and the junior teams be known as “The Stingers”.

“We hope you all get behind the new team in the new year. I can further inform you that we have a website which is currently under construction at www.scorpionsrl.com. All the latest club news will be posted here for fans to read as soon as any is announced. The complete website, designed by a professional organisation, will be online before we kick off in February.

“I for one now can’t wait for 2010 to begin. In January, maybe before, we’ll be able to announce our head coach and after that, our squad. There are exciting times ahead as we continue to develop rugby league in Wales.”

The Scorpions have also launched their new badge which comes in two colours, the pink and black version will be the primary badge and worn on the home kit while the yellow version will go on the away kit.

Mark Rowley talks to League Express

OUT of the Ashes of the Crusaders sudden 127-mile relocation from Newport to Wrexham spring South Wales RLFC, Rugby League's newest professional club who will play their first League match on February 28th against Workington Town (kick-off 2pm).

The new club will only play Championship One matches this season and will not enter either the Northern Rail Cup or the Challenge Cup, whose formats had already been agreed upon. They will rely mainly on players who played reserve-team football for the Crusaders last season - the Super League side will no longer run a team at that grade.

Mark Rowley, one of the South Wales directors, told 'League Express' that the club will not sign any players from Australia or New Zealand and that they aim to be in the Championship in two years and applying for a Super League licence in six years.

"It all came about two or three weeks ago when the talk of the Crusaders going to North Wales materialised," said Rowley.

"I'm confident that the structure is all there. We have very good people on board. Phil Davies is the owner of the club and the board of directors includes Mike Nicholas, John Devereux and myself.

"John has been the sponsor of amateur Rugby League in Wales for the last five years. He has a number of business interests.

"Other people have agreed to come on board but that won't be publicised just yet."

The side will play their matches at The Gnoll, the home of Neath RUFC, which holds up to 6,000 people and Rowley is confident of attracting healthy first-year crowds, claiming that any negativity among local Rugby League fans over the Crusaders relocation has been extinguished by the formation of the new club.

"We've budgeted a worst-case scenario of 200 a game but we're confident that we'll get 600-700 a game," he said.

"I thought there was some negativity around to be fair, but people seem to be coming round and we've answered some people's questions. The birth of a new club will alleviate the frustration here.

"In six years we hope to be able to compete for a Super League licence and we hope to be in the Championship in two years, even though this first year might not be easy.

"As for players, none are signed on at the moment but there will be an open trial on 3 January for League or union players to come along. The player base is fantastic here and we'll be able to use players who were in the Crusaders reserve team last season.

"We'll be a 99 percent Welsh club which will be good for our identity. We won't be importing any players at all from Australia or New Zealand. We want Welsh players to go on and play Super League.

"Moving from the Conference to the Super League is too big a step. They need this middle ground in order to go on and play Super League."

Rowley is confident that the new outfit will soon be able to announce a new coach.

"I can't say anything about the new coach at the moment but we will be interviewing three or four people this week," he said.

South Wales club to join The Co-operative Championship One

The RFL Board of Directors has approved an application from a consortium of South Wales businessmen to enter a team into The Co-operative Championship One in 2010.

The new club, South Wales RLFC, will be independently run by a brand new management team and will play its home fixtures at The Gnoll, Neath.

The consortium is headed by local businessman Phil Davies who will head a wholly Welsh board which also features Mark Rowley, the Executive Chairman of the Wales Rugby League.

Nigel Wood, the RFL Chief Executive, said: “After careful consideration and following close consultation with existing Cooperative Championship clubs the board felt that welcoming the new club to Championship One was the right thing to do.

“The sport has made great strides in Wales in the last few years and in 2009 over 1,500 players have played the sport in the Principality, a 300 per cent increase on participation levels before Celtic Crusaders were formed four years ago.

“The new club is a vital link in the playing pyramid in Wales and maintains a career pathway for the cream of Welsh talent.

“Wales remains a strategically important region for Rugby League and we are delighted that Phil Davies and his fellow directors have shown the commitment they have to the sport in South Wales.”

South Wales RLFC will not participate in the Carnegie Challenge Cup or Northern Rail Cup in 2010 and will begin life with a home match in The Co-operative Championship One against Workington Town on Sunday February 28 at The Gnoll.

The Co-operative Championship and Champions One and Northern Rail Cup fixture lists will be published in full next Monday (December 14).