Wednesday 17 October 2007
Source: Salford Online
International rugby league players from Great Britain and New Zealand will be paying a special visit to a rugby club reborn in Salford – the New Broughton Rangers .
One hundred years after the New Zealand International Rugby League Team last played in the Broughton area of Salford, rugby stars including Robbie Paul will visit the New Broughton Rangers’ pitch on Thursday 18 October.
The players will train with pupils from local schools Albion High and The Friars Primary School, working with coaches from Salford City Reds to teach pupils key rugby skills, tricks and techniques.
The New Zealand International Rugby League Team, who are currently on a world tour, last visited Broughton in 1907 when the All Golds played the original Broughton Rangers on Wheater’s Field. The Broughton Rangers team later fell on hard times and moved out of Broughton before giving up rugby all together. On Saturday 20 October teams from New Zealand and Great Britain will meet in a commemorative match.
The birth of the New Broughton Rangers is bringing professional rugby back to the Lower Broughton area more than 75 years after a team last played there. The club will provide facilities for players and fans who are currently forced to travel out of the area to enjoy the game. The club will play on a specially created pitch at the heart of Countryside Properties’ New Broughton development. With the support of Salford City Reds the club will also enable local community members to take free coaching qualifications so they can work with their local club.
New Broughton Rangers Rugby Club has been created as part of a joint initiative between Countryside Properties, social landlord Contour Homes and Salford City Reds. Salford City Reds successfully applied for a National Sports Foundation award and this will match funding from Countryside Properties and Contour Housing to re-establish rugby in the area.
The club, which is actively recruiting players, will have adult squads, an under 16s team and an under 10s team for both boys and girls. It is hoped that full training will start with the under 10s as soon as possible so they can compete over the winter. Training for the adults is expected to start in March next year in time for next year’s playing season. Anyone who is interested in playing for the team should contact Ben Cramant, Community Rugby League Development Officer for Salford City Reds on 0161 737 5515. Ben said: “We are really looking forward to working with talented players, young and old to make the New Broughton Rangers a success. The next month is a busy time for rugby league in England, with the arrival of New Zealand to play Great Britain and it’s testament to the appeal of New Broughton Rangers that the players have come along and got involved today.”
Les Brown, Regional Project Director for Countryside Properties said: “We hope that the New Broughton Rangers will bring together the community of New Broughton, those who have lived in the Lower Broughton area for a long time and those who have recently set up home there. It’s something that everyone can enjoy and play a part in as players, coaches or fans getting behind their team. The New Broughton development aims to give back to the Lower Broughton area the prosperity it once had and truly deserves and we think the new club will take us some way to doing this. It’s fantastic that players as famous as those from New Zealand and Great Britain have taken an interest in what we are doing and shows that the New Broughton Rangers are helping to put Lower Broughton back on the map.”
Samantha McHale from Contour Homes added: "This is such an exciting time for the game in Lower Broughton. We are delighted that the players have shown such an interest in all our efforts and this visit is set to encourage even more resident participation. It can only be good news for sport in this area."
Countryside Properties’ New Broughton project, in Lower Broughton, is one of the country’s largest and most ambitious regeneration schemes. Working in partnership with Salford City Council and Contour Homes , the development will include 3,500 new homes, a new primary school, recreation and open space along with new retail and local facilities.
The first phase of the New Broughton development has been completed and has succeeded in not only providing new homes for existing residents, but has also brought new residents into the Lower Broughton area who have an investment in the area’s regeneration. Work on the next phase of the New Broughton project has just started at the junction of Great Clowes Street and Camp Street in Lower Broughton.