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Crusaders: coming to Super League

The biggest hurdle will be for Dixon and the Crusaders, and Salford City Reds for that matter, to find a squad of 25 men capable of competing in 27 Super League games a year - and remaining competitive until that 27th round.

Phil Clarke
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Also see

• R League on Sky
• Rugby League Scores
• Sky Sports experts
• Crusaders join Super League
• Ed says Celts can do a Dragons

The big news this week was the announcement of licences for a place in Super League for 2009 to 2011.

Celtic Crusaders and Salford City Reds made the cut and will be relieved after such an anxious wait.

The big talking point is obviously the addition of a Welsh side to our competition. Rugby League in Wales is nothing new, it has been around for over 100 years, admittedly little success.

That in itself highlights the problems facing the Crusaders, but one thing for certain is that they will receive a greater degree of funding from the RFL than their predecessors from the principality. The annual distribution to each Super League club is over £1million.

They are also guaranteed revenue for the next three years, so it does allow the people in charge to put in a place a business plan to make sure their place in Super League goes beyond 2011.

Nobody knows what the future holds of course, but the general consensus is that there is the potential for a club in South Wales.

I am sure the Crusaders have carried out their own market research, but the fact that when Wigan met St Helens in the 2004 Challenge Cup at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, 15,000 tickets were sold to people with Welsh postcodes, suggests the support is there.

Sadly, we haven't been able to attract the same local interest for recent Millennium Stadium, which suggests that is the first challenge faced by the Crusaders.

Renovating

The critics and cynics will point to the fact that they are currently pulling in crowds of just over 1,000 at their tired faclities at Brewery Field, Bridgend. So, does the club's benefactor Leighton Samuel put money into renovating it, or do they wait for a new one - which is unlikely to be ready before their Super League exemption runs out.

And what will attract supporters more? A nice stadium and surroundings, or a decent side? If on-the-field events have an influence the Crusaders, on current evidence, appear to be in safe hands. Their Australian coach John Dixon has fought off prostate cancer and his side certainly play with a sense of freedom and love to entertain. A quick look at the spectacular tries of the season on their website prove that they are worth watching.

Player recruitment is another major dilemma for the Crusaders. Again the cynics will say they are just a side made up of Aussies, but recently they have started to blood one or two local lads.

And although the 15-man code is the dominant force in Wales, the performances of Maurie Fa'asavalu at St Helens and Simon Worrall at Leeds are current proof that union players can perform in Super League - and we all know there is an abundance of those in the valleys.

The biggest hurdle will be for Dixon and the Crusaders, and Salford City Reds for that matter, to find a squad of 25 men capable of competing in 27 Super League games a year - and remaining competitive until that 27th round.

But do they go with more or less what they've got and look to recruit quality players for 2010 or do they spend big money buying players now, who might be at the bottom of the wanted list, as it were, in the hope that will make them competitive in their first season?

Development

It is very difficult to attract supporters and just as importantly, sponsors, if your team is not playing well on the pitch - especially at home. No-one will turn up if the Crusaders are getting beat 50-0 every week and I guess the best way is to follow Hull KR's example and keep a similar squad and add a couple of faces in the first season before bringing in more quality for their second.

And then there is the question of youth development to ponder. How much of their budget do the Crusaders spend here and now on players who are 14, 15 and 16 and might not be ready for the first-team in those crucial three seasons? I can also envisage a time when the RFL stipulate how much you need to spend on youth development and the staffing in the junior set ups.

Some clubs have spent almost £10million in the last five years on first-team players but just a slither of that on their future talent. Crusaders have to have one eye on the future to make sure we finally establish the game in Wales, but also have to bear in mind that they have to make an impact of some sort in their first season.

Of course, all thise applies to Salford as well, although given their history, fanbase and player pool, not as much.

As for Widnes, you have to feel for everyone at the club because effectively they have been relegated for the next three years. It will be hard to take but the good news is their owner, Stephen O'Connor, has said he will stick around, which will mean they should be back with a stronger application next time around.

And although nothing in life is certain, I am sure that Widnes will still be playing rugby league in three years' time. Given the brave and bold move to include Wales in the Super League set-up, I hope we are saying the same about the Celtic Crusdaders come 2011.

What do you prefer from your club? Success on the field, superb facilities, youth development or commitment to the community? Phil has raised several issues, so why not respond by using the feedback box below?

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