The Worcester Warriors of the North but with no ground. Possibly the most pointless club in Rugby. Walked away from millions in debt, and yet didn't have to start again at the bottom, and as you can tell still so much bad feeling for them.

What are you saying?... if you are not careful you'll get your wrists slapped.

Yawn 🥱🥱🥱

Good luck in Nat 1 👍🏻

It's mainly due to the fact that most people from Leeds can read so it's not wasted print 👍, 

What a twerp. 

Not millions in debt but promised funding pulled

But don't let facts get in way of a good old gripe 

I'm not sure about how literacy levels vary across Yorkshire, but I would say it's more likely the fact that Leeds Tykes have actually achieved something meaningful at the weekend by winning promotion back up to National 1. As opposed to Doncaster beating an (admittedly very good) semi-pro side in a (currently) ringfenced league without any jeopardy or consequence in terms of promotion/relegation.

Just my thoughts of course but I'm not sure the animosity is justified. Well done to Leeds.

Wow 8 posts and you are already making friends! 

With all due respect, Leeds should have walked N2N this season - anything else would have been dismal failure. They’ve won the league, but let’s see how they do in ND1. If they can do anything similar to what Rotherham have done this year then that would be a terrific feat. I take your point about Donny, but let’s remember that Leeds are still well behind us in terms of Yorkshire rugby at the moment. I think Donny beating the (then) second placed team in the Championship deserved more credit because as well as Leeds have done this season, it’s still at level 4 of the pyramid. 

Leeds deservedly won promotion this year, but let’s not pretend that it was some unforeseen feat, it was pretty much nailed-on that they’d go up this year in my opinion. Next year for the Tykes will be interesting to see how they adapt to the higher level. 

This is first decent bit of discourse we have had for some time. The members in the north have woken up and are disagreeing. About time!

As for Leeds, they have some good players who have gained the Club promotion. well done.

But, Leeds is not really a Club in the true sense, no 2nd's, no Vets/social team, no Women's rugby, no youth or junior rugby and, worst of all, they have no Clubhouse or facilities of their own. This leaves a team that is the product of someone's ego. When he/they lose interest, who knows....

They are not on their own. Some say that this is way to go if you want success but, it's not for me. Give me a proper rugby Club, with foundations, any day.  

Again, I say well done to the Leeds team but, if anything happened to Mike Bidgood the whole Club would fall apart.

I often see coaches with mics behind the posts at one end which seems fair enough if they keep well away from the lines. What is really annoying is when coaches travel up and down the side line barking orders. They will often have a troop of replacement players following them. I always thought the coach had to stay in their square and the players had to stay seated unless warming up at one end ??? Of course the sir can put a stop to all that if they choose. 

I'm sure all the clubs in N1 love it but I enjoy travelling round the great clubs in N2N. Good luck to Leeds, I'm sure they will recruit sufficient players to be competitive.

Frankly fed up with politics.

Fact is the club were building a team to take on promotion to the prem, were promised backing then signed players from SH with Chris Stirling at the helm who throughout had no clue and I'm sure pirates and anyone who's paths crossed him knows he was a thoroughly decent bloke who did everything he could to build a side to take on a push the following season

Then rug was pulled money wasn't there players had no jobs etc noone was more gutted for them than us it was a shambles, clearly an error to build on a promise but we weren't the first and certainly won't be the last to do it, but we conformed with everyone and were allowed to carry on

Following season journeymen and young UN's got battered every week lots of folk enjoyed our demise, for those of us who stayed it was very uncomfortable but stay we did, 

Into Nat one better at WPL than headingley not fun rattling around there WPL very welcoming great facilities and a chance to reset, 

Inexperienced squad but stayed up just.... following year couldn't do it and Pete seaborne was brought in to try and turn it around, his university connections helped and we built a squad to take on Nat 2 north, had a fantastic ding dong season with Roth who came out on top and have recruited well again from higher to set them up nicely in Nat one they have had a very good season, but two teams only losing 3 games between them served up a great season last term 

Then onto this year few new additions but still paying a lot less than some clubs we have sponsors and great facilities and city/Uni links but all signings this year mostly from lower down pyramid our facilities and location help us secure talent who come from further afield as maybe while homely club is but maybe not the facilities at Beckett etc, 

Tougher year results wise much closer scorelines, lots of great away trips to established clubs with great clubhouses good crowds and for the most part very knowledgeable and welcoming, some clubs ...you know who you are seemed more hell bent on beating us than concentrating on rest of season seem to dislike us more than any other club and while tough games we won all four over the 2 seasons albeit close, hopefully without a bitter neighbour to try and beat you can put in a decent effort next year and have a go yourselves? 

For the record I have loved Nat 2 north I have been able to travel to games and sadly won't be able to do longer trips next year but hopefully we can recruit well and equit ourselves well, 

We not at same level of recruitment power as Rotherham and doubt we will hit their heights of this year it may well be tough, but wish all of Nat 2 north the best of luck next year, might nip up to Otley to watch a few if we are too far away to travel, it's a great league,  have banter try not to make it personal accept sometimes other clubs are on their day better than yours and go home having watched a decent game of rugby

We don't have a 2nds, 3rds, women's or colts our hosts have all of those and recommend watching the women's team if You get chance very impressive, 

We see ourselves as a new team we are in effect 4 years old, hopefully the ground and other teams will come in time we can only hope, 

Apologies to those who will still be offended by our presence and I'm sure there will be many but if your gonna have a pop get some facts in first and don't sulk if we have a pop back, 

Good luck to all for remainder of season and into next

My bad feeling is for people who still get the facts wrong. The club did not go into administration nor bust.

A lying toad of a investor didn't have the means. This man told the board and a preseason fans' meeting he was putting in his usual several £100ks, as he had done for a few years. His business went bust 6 weeks later. 

Many had heard the rumours his business was in deep trouble. Many doubted he'd lie through his teeth in front of so many people.

That meant the assembled, push for promotion, expensive squad could not be maintained. Your Worcesters etc would've carried on regardless. Yorkshire Carnegie didn't. Like most normal people and I would have done if we had a massive income cut, we cut our cloth accordingly, struggled for a while but now, things are looking a bit brighter.

With all due respect, you've got that dinosaur Geech consulting at Doncaster. He's a lot to answer for, for his 'franchise' vision. Just wait til he starts poking his nose into the business side, rather than the playing side... it'll happen.

As for nailed on Tykes promotion - ever watched any Nat2 rugby? It's hard - any team can win on any day and the Tykes have had to dig themselves out of several holes this season to get some of their wins. It's been grit and determination that's got them promoted.

Thank you  - the thread went downhill after this post didn't it..... I too look forward to renewing rivalries. You've had a fantastic season - at one point I thought even if we did reach Nat 1 you'd have already left it..... at least 1 local fixture next year.

As for the rest "not a true club" etc. I didn't realise there were laws on who and what rugby clubs are allowed to be. Tell that to the lads who put their bodies on the line to achieve promotion last saturday and to the coaches (one of whom has been at the club from a very young age) - oh and for the record there aren't 8 of them. Playing at West Park has benefits for both clubs and is a pragmatic solution all round.

I don't think anyone at Leeds thought we "should have walked the league this season" and I'd suggest that it's disrespectful to the other clubs involved to say that. Leeds have had some extremely tough matches. It's clear from the battle at the bottom just how tough and close this league actually is. 

The professional game in the leagues above us is an unholy mess. The National Leagues offer something different. One of the best things about rugby is leaving the rivalry on the pitch. Some of the bitter jibes on this thread make a mockery of that

What is wrong with posting some comments and views and, if necessary, be corrected by those in the know. That's what a forum is for.

Leeds will need to recruit to be competitive in Nat 1. and that will be a problem, unless Beckett have some good prospects. I say this because since Covid, at National League level, we have seen that players are not as ready to move as they used to be. 

I suppose the size of the cheque book will help with any decision to move but I hope they don't fill the squad with 'journeymen' looking for a last pay day. Retention will also be an issue as I have already heard one or two current Leeds players are in the market as they don't relish the hours on the road that Nat 1 brings.

Add to this the RFU's refusal to assist with travel expenses and you have enough problems before setting foot on the field. Good luck!

I’d be interested to know what is the general feeling at Roth with regards to missing out on promotion?. Is there disappointment there that after such a great season, they just ran out of steam towards the end. Or, have Titans now found their natural level and being a Championship club again is beyond their financial means at the moment?. 

We know it won't be from the Junior and Mini section, or from the 2nd team, no it will be from local clubs who have nurtured players since they were kids. Will they come for the pleasure of spending all weekend on a bus? Of course not.

It's an insult to all those volunteers that put in so much hard work at rugby clubs.

Leeds wil

Think your letting your bitterness get the better of you, ... again!!!

Sometimes clubs offer better facilities or pathways, not always financial as said we are not the highest payers in the league but offer location and facilities second to none 

Prime example last season we lost Jon Okafor to Roth outstanding player and was the difference in both games last season was even man of the match in the game we won, I'm guessing he went for financial and better opportunities and good luck to him and Roth 

Players careers are short let them go where they want, I have yet to see a player especially at part time level being forced to play at a club they don't want to be at, 

Wish we had financial clout but sadly that's a way off yet, 

We never really thought about promotion. Injuries have bitten hard and that last five or six game run in would have been brutal with a fully fit squad. 

I think it has been a sensational season really. Anyone is capable of beating anyone on their day. 

Regarding the Championship, maybe just maybe, next season might just be the season where it gets back to a proper structure as it has been treated abysmally.

With 14 clubs though, the Championship ought to have two relegated and two promoted into it, but usurping clubs into it, rather than earning it must be stopped and the rules clearly defined before the start of the season, not changing it on a whim.

As for us, I think the Championship is attainable but National 1 as it stands at the minute, is for me the best and most competitive league in the whole structure. Of course the jeopardy of relegation and the opportunity of promotion keeps that intensity, rather than having stale leagues without it. 

As far as the Premiership goes, no interest whatsoever. 

A very well thought out post - yes no doubt we will need to recruit and some players will not have the desire to board a bus at 4pm on Friday travel to Plymouth for a game and then get back in the early hours of Sunday morning. They will enjoy the excellent camaraderie you get in National 2 North, play rugby to a very good level and be home with the family for the evening.

I don't actually think the management will go for the journeyman approach, I believe they will only get players that will fit in culture wise - several times this year the team spirit has got them through some very tough games, that will become key next year. I wouldn't be surprised that if a player is too concerned over the cheque book rather than playing at a higher level, with a decent set up (courtesy of a tie up with Leeds Beckett Uni - a recent article on the web site) then he will be thanked for his interest and people move on. 

Also as mentioned on previous posts, there is no benefactor promising £'000s so all spend is closely monitored and no spend will be done over what we have in the bank.

Don't get me started on the RFU...

Another yawn post I am afraid! There are several clubs throughout the leagues that will be like that, but never mind.

I think more to the point, it would suggest that you are saying that players shouldn't progress through the leagues if the opportunity arises to play at a higher level - what a shame that we wouldn't have seen Danny Care in an England shirt as he would still be playing at West Park. It has gone on for years this, a player playing in the Yorkshire leagues gets approached from a team in the Northern Leagues and then gets approached by a team in the national leagues - why wouldn't you wish them all the best in the world to play at a higher level and if it comes with added financial compensation then so be it. As mentioned in my previous post, I suspect if money is a players sole motivation then they will not be seen in a Leeds Tykes kit - yes it may mean they are more willing to spend a lot more time on the coach on a weekend, but some may see it as progression

With all due respect, you offer 'West Parks' facilities, which you rent and which West Park remain in control of, hence your occasional need for a 16:00 kick off when West Park are at home.

And, "facilities 2nd to none" - debatable.

With regards to the claim that all creditors had been paid, was it not that the creditors agreed to 15p in the £ as part of a CVA?  Somewhere, a lot of people lost a lot of money.   Where do Leeds get there money from? It can't be from clubhouse revenue, admission fees or membership fees?  Where is the sustainability? where is the development of the sport, where is the inclusivity?

I'm not bitter, I just have no time for what I don't consider "proper" rugby clubs.   I will be a happy lad if I don't have to visit Leeds Tykes at West Park Leeds RUFC or Hull RUFC.   I don't care what anyone says, visiting paces like that are just not the same.  My loathing of visiting Hartpury and Luffbra Stooodents is even worse. It is just a very poor experience; incomparable to a visit to Tynedale, Ionians, Sheffield, Fylde, Chester, Otley, Preston etc etc

Inclusively? Did you not read that we are effectively a club that's only been in place a couple of years? The people who put their money into the club now are building for the future. Watch this space.

As for being happy if you didn't have to visit us, or Hull come to that, it's really simple - don't.

It's always telling when someone starts a paragraph claiming that they aren't this, that or the other, but then go on to demonstrate that that is exactly what they are in the following lines. 

Why visit places that you loathe, and then have a rant about it on a forum? I presume no one forced you to visit Hartpury or Loughborough? Life's too short. Madness.

1. It's not a club, it's a team

2. If you've only been a club for a couple of years then how come you started in level 3?

3. I follow a team home and away through thick and thin, when at the matches I contribute to my club

4. It also means I've visited a huge variety of clubs and thus can form an opinion. You may not agree with my opinions, but you're more than welcome to disagree vociferously.

5. Anyone else enjoy a visit to souless places, some of which I've mentioned?

 

It was all pretty shameful

Alas RATR the very point you make is the very point backrowb is making back at you. 

Leeds in many of its variants is not a club as such, it was one of those imposed misguided and pushed  upon rugby in the late eighties to amalgamate clubs of similar aspirations (sic) into "CITY" clubs  to support the new league structure.  Another failed RFU initiative.  None of them worked. 

Except Leeds and its many variations/conceptions/re-incarnations were aggressively supported  to the detriment and over clubs who had the history, Club presence/playing infrastructure/ ambition/  to be a beacon of rugby. All within the county .

Sadly none of those aspirations of Leeds as a UBER club have ever been met. Nothing against Leeds and its many chances'  I'm Still amazed on your demotion and interpretation of it. You got off very lightly  Well done on your  promotion this season.  

Question: Was it a London Rule only: Professionalism miss-management means  level 8 for  Richmond/London Scottish/London Welsh/Jersey/Barking  

All the best 

ST               

Facilities as in the excellent university facilities the club can offer, excellent coaching facilities links with the other University physiotherapy etc etc etc I could go on but you surely get the point by now

Knock WPL facilities if you must but not sure anyone has complained about the decent beer the food always goes down well and there's always a pot you can pee in as well ample parking,  on behalf of our poor impoverished club I can only apologise for the lack of a footman to escort you to your seat, 

We have been promised running water and electricity next year

Bad form knocking any club for facilities ...and WPL do a very good job and are excellent hosts to us, 

Apologies to all Nat one clubs expecting sable seat cushions and cashmere blankets next year, hopefully a decent game will suffice, but deffo give the quail's eggs a try at half time 👍

I didn't knock WPL's facilities. I suggested that your opinion is debatable.

As for the rest of the nonsense you post, I won't comment.

I heard that their club wouldn't let them.play.  Remember when they had Yorkshire in their name.

One of their poaching team was at our last home match.  Usually part of the coaching team, but having a role change.

Times have changed! 

No, its not. Last season's county champions Kent had a lot of players from Blackheath and Canterbury. I think its level 3 and lower.

It varies depending on which Division the County competes in. It was changed a year or so ago which means that you now see less National 1- level players in particular, but also Nat 2 players as they can only play in Div 1 (or in the U20 comp). Im sure that many of them must welcome the break come May/June.

For info below are the regulations from the RFU:

Eligible Club: For these competitions:

Men

Bill Beaumont Division 1 – a Club at Level 3 (National League 1) or below;

Bill Beaumont Divisions 2 & 3 (where applicable) – a Club at Level 5 (Regional 1) or below;

Women

Gill Burns Division 1 – a Club at Level 2 (Championship 1) or below;

Gill Burns Divisions 2 & 3 (where applicable) – a Club at Level 3 (Championship 2) or below;

 U20

Jason Leonard Men’s National U20 Competition – a Club at Level 3 (National 1) or below;

England Academy Players or EAP: As defined in RFU Regulation 1;z

And it is based on the level the 1st team plays at and covers all players, even those who regularly turn out for the 3rd XV.

It was a bad one and probably put a few off, also last 3/4 games squad has been down to bare bones and can imagine lads are spent, few surgeries required and the coaching staff will be taking boots as opposed to poaching apparently elsewhere 😂, 

Guessing most clubs will have folk looking at players rather than signing them blind ? Shows due diligence and an element of professionalism, maybe that's the difference in 1st and 4/5? again bitterness creeping in that if it's the club I think it is one player has swapped clubs in the last few years ......time to get over it I would say, 

Enjoy the season end some big old tussles down bottom end and shows what a good tight Nat one north actually is, a credit to all teams involved