Bury Broncos Rugby League
Rugby League and Bury are not traditionally names that go together, but this is beginning to change.
Swinton Lions are presently based at Sedgley Park RU, and Salford City Reds have training facilities at Philips High School; facilities that we now share. However, Bury Broncos Amateur Rugby League Club remain the only side in the borough to offer the opportunity for amateurs the opportunity to get involved, and are the first amateur rugby league team to be based in the Borough since the demise of Prestwich ARLFC in the mid-1990s.
The Broncos were born out of an open meeting held at the Castle Leisure Centre in December 2007. A group of potential players based in the south of the Borough joined another group based around Bury and out to the north, both of whom had been separately looking at the possibility of setting up a new club for some time. With the support of the RFL, a letter was sent to all individuals in the area with a connection to the game, and advertisements were placed in the rugby league press. Around 25 people attended the initial meeting.
Open age players began meeting on Wednesday nights at Goshen Sports Centre, Bury for informal training sessions. Then, despite their small playing squad, the club made the brave decision to enter the North West Counties League in September 2008 and the inaugural summer North West Merit League in 2009.
The club continued to recruit players to the open-age team and was promoted from Division 6 in the North West Counties League to Division 5 for the 2009/10 season. More and more players arrived but despite some excellent wins, especially a home win to third placed Eccleston, the season tailed off disappointingly.
In its first two years the club played from the terribly boggy (and illegally small!) pitch at Derby High School with a nomadic life for after game refreshment; the lack of a true home was a big problem. However the club began playing on a newly marked pitch marked at Phillips High School in time for the 2010/11 season, forging a partnership with the nearby Stand Cricket Club for post-match entertainment. We have now begun to train at our new base as well, and our first junior sides are close to their first games representing the Broncos.
The club is always welcoming to anyone in the local community interested in giving the game a go - experience is not required. Open age players have come forward from Stacksteads in the north, Tottington, Bury itself, and from across Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich. Many of the players have played for other clubs, including the old Prestwich team, while the club have attracted a host of new recruits who are experiencing the game for the first time.
The club are proud to have signed the RFL Community Clubs agreement, and seeks to advance the sport in the borough of Bury. New players, sponsors, and anyone wishing to get involved are very welcome. Going forward, the club hopes to see many more people participating in what has always been one of the toughest, but most sporting of games around. Our deal to share facilities with Salford City Reds and Philips High School sees us working closely alongside our local partners, whilst we maintain strong relations with Jigsaw Wheelchair Rugby League.
Cliff Tamou is our local Community Rugby League Coach and his position is part funded by Swinton Lions. He has had a great deal of input in coaching young players at Philips High, and their progression into our developing junior teams.
