Rugby Club Issue 52 | Page 45

carlisle Gladiators the kids. They cannot wait to put themselves out on the playing field to show everyone how much they have come on since last year. We, the adults, are looking forward to enjoying a great year taking this club onwards and upwards and showing any doubters that we are still here and mean business.” 2014 “2014 has been an amazing year for Carlisle Gladiators. We have held several festivals, the first one in February being the first ever Junior Rugby League festival to be held in Carlisle. We played at other festivals in the North East at Whitley Bay and Catterick, and games in West Cumbria as well as travelling to Dewsbury Rams to play at half time during their match against Workington Town. The Gladiators were mascots for Wales in their European qualifying game against Scotland at Derwent Park in October. We rounded the amazing year off with a super awards evening attended by the entire club, friends and families and a Christmas party where we took them bowling.” 2015 “We plan to secure a home ground to play from full time so we can put on training camps, open days and fundraising days for both the club and local charities. I believe we have done enough to be now taken seriously in the world of Rugby in our area and people will now recognise the benefit of having Carlisle Gladiators around. Our coaching team has already increased with the arrival of Marc Quinn who will work alongside Stuart Minnis and Andy Rudd, providing us with a great coaching team to grow the club with. This coaching team will lead our recruitment drive this year which is being driven to start the early age groups so we can feed up through the ages behind our existing U10/11/12’s squad.” Community “We are a community club. Despite our struggle in a football and Rugby Union led city we strive towards being a community club. Gladiators are being recognised more all of the time with people commenting on the well behaved and respectful youngsters that proudly sport our badge. We advertise ourselves all over the local area open to boys and girls of all ages and plan to hold open days, training camps and to send our coaching staff into schools for sessions to help introduce Rugby League into Carlisle sports criteria.” Challenges/Ambitions “Getting the attention and acceptance that Rugby League deserves in Carlisle. It will be hard work but we will persevere and do all we can until we achieve this. Once we have the fully established club with a secure home ground working to promote the great sport we will have finally laid the foundation to carry on building from. We want to build into an established Rugby League club with a competing self-sustained adult team of ‘home grown’ Gladiators being brought up from “Mini Ruggers” age through the Minis and juniors ages. We want to be the club that provides Carlisle with the opportunity to either participate in or simply enjoy Rugby League at all ages.” www.pitchero.com/clubs/carlislegladiatorsjuniorrugbyleague www.sportip.biz 45