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Blackpool Panthers RLFC was an English professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
club based in
Lytham St Annes Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the The Fylde, Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 42,954 ...
, Lancashire. They played at
Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a single-tier football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two being Raikes Hall Gardens and the ...
, between 2005-2007, then moved to the
Woodlands Memorial Ground Woodlands Memorial Ground is a rugby stadium in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. It is the home of Fylde Rugby Club and was the home of the Blackpool Panthers between 2006 and 2010. The Northern Rail Nines group matches, quarter and semi ...
owned by Fylde rugby union club. They were members of the
Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...
from 2005 to 2010.


History

The club was founded as Blackpool West Coast Panthers in 2004 for the 2005 season, and took the place of
Chorley Lynx # Chorley Lynx was an English professional rugby league club based in Chorley, Lancashire. Under various names, they were members of the Rugby Football League 1989–93 and 1995–2004. History Formation as Chorley Borough Springfield Boroug ...
, which had folded. Sixteen of Chorley's squad and Chorley coach Mark Lee joined the Panthers. Blackpool agreed an initial two-year tenancy of
Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a single-tier football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two being Raikes Hall Gardens and the ...
, the home of Blackpool F.C. and they were elected to National League Two for the 2005 season. The original chairman quit before the season started leaving Dave Rowland in charge. Coach Mark Lee was sacked before the start of the season and appointed former Great Britain international Kevin Ashcroft as Team Manager on a 12-month contract. The Panthers struggled on the field finishing second bottom of National League Two with only managing three wins all season, against
Sheffield Eagles The Sheffield Eagles are a professional rugby league club that play in the Championship (rugby league), Betfred Championship. The club play their home games at the Olympic Legacy Park (OLP) on the former site of Don Valley Stadium, their forme ...
,
Gateshead Thunder Gateshead Thunder may refer to: *Gateshead Thunder (1999) Gateshead Thunder was a professional rugby league club founded in 1999 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, which competed in the 1999 Super League but then merged with Hull Sharks af ...
and
London Skolars The London Skolars are a professional rugby league club based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in north London. They were founded in 1995 and have been professional since 2003, operating in the Betfred League 1. They also run an ...
. Overall the Panthers failed to make an impact on the Blackpool public, with attendances averaging 400. In September 2005 Dave Rowland, who had resigned from the board of directors but remained the clubs majority shareholder, put forward a proposal to relocate the Panthers to Preston where they would ground share with Preston Grasshoppers
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club. However, the board bought out former major shareholder Dave Rowland's stake in the club and a last minute deal saw them secure the use of Bloomfield Road at a reduced rent. And at a public meeting held at Bloomfield Road in October 2005, former chairman of
Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headi ...
, Alf Davies warned the club and its fans that it could take up to five years to establish the club in the resort. Davies who had been appointed by the
Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...
to help the new Panthers' board of directors revitalise the club said, ""It will be a hell of a struggle and it will take five years before you can say you are established in rugby league, but if directors hold their nerve it can be done." The club also confirmed that they were working on a plan to develop links with local schools. The 2006 season was again a difficult one for Blackpool as they finished bottom of National League Two, winning only four games. In June and July three games were played at Fylde Rugby Union Club's
Woodlands Memorial Ground Woodlands Memorial Ground is a rugby stadium in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. It is the home of Fylde Rugby Club and was the home of the Blackpool Panthers between 2006 and 2010. The Northern Rail Nines group matches, quarter and semi ...
in
Lytham St Annes Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the The Fylde, Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 42,954 ...
as Bloomfield Road was being reseeded. The Panthers beat
Keighley Cougars The Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England who compete in League 1, the third tier of English rugby league. Keighley's home ground, Cougar Park has a capacity of 7,800. History Early y ...
and
Workington Town Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria. Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team. They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...
but lost to Gateshead Thunder. In October 2006 a contract was signed to move to Woodlands Memorial Ground for an initial period of six years, covering the seasons from 2007 to 2012. The club's administrative and commercial base also moved to Woodlands, with Panthers' Chairman, John Chadwick, saying, "We're looking for stability and a base from which we can establish the Panthers as a successful national league club operating from the Fylde Coast. The set-up at the ground is first rate.
Andy Gregory Andrew Gregory (born 10 August 1961) is an English former professional rugby league footballer. A Great Britain international representative , he is an inductee of the Wigan Hall of Fame. He was the first player to win five Challenge Cup Final ...
took control of the Panthers in June 2007 when they were bottom of National League Two and had not won for 25 matches. However, Gregory resigned after the club finished the entire season without managing a single win, becoming only the fourth professional sports club to have suffered that fate in the United Kingdom. Former
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
international, Martin Crompton was appointed as coach at the end of the 2007 season. The club finally ended their losing streak, which had lasted two years and 45 matches, on 6 April 2008, when they beat Workington Town 24–20. They had not won a match since beating Gateshead Thunder 38–36 on 15 July 2006, with the run being made up of 32 National League Two matches, 12 Northern Rail Cup matches and two Carnegie Challenge Cup matches. It was the club's first win under coach Martin Crompton. In May 2008 they won back-to-back matches for only the second time in the club's history, beating
Hunslet Hawks Hunslet R.L.F.C. is a professional rugby league club in Hunslet, South Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, who play in Betfred League 1. The club was founded in 1973 as New Hunslet, they became Hunslet in 1979 and the club were the Hunslet Hawks ...
and then a week later, seventh-placed
Swinton Lions The Swinton Lions are a professional rugby league club based in Swinton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Championship. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. Before 1996, the club was known s ...
30–28 prompting Martin Crompton to target the league play-offs saying after the Swinton victory, "The play-offs have always been the goal. That victory was a fantastic achievement against a quality team. Everyone is playing with confidence now. On 12 July 2009 the Panthers won their first trophy, when they won the inaugural
Northern Rail Nines The Northern Rail Nines was a one-off rugby league nines tournament held in Lytham St Annes and Blackpool, England as part of a celebration weekend encompassing the Northern Rail Cup Final. Held over the weekend of 11 and 12 July 2009, it was ...
beating
Sheffield Eagles The Sheffield Eagles are a professional rugby league club that play in the Championship (rugby league), Betfred Championship. The club play their home games at the Olympic Legacy Park (OLP) on the former site of Don Valley Stadium, their forme ...
14–10 in the final at Bloomfield Road. The Panthers went on to finish fifth in Championship 1 in 2009, only to lose in the first round of the play-offs. After the 2009 season, Bobby Hope replaced John Chadwick as club chairman and set the Panthers' sights high for the 2010 campaign, vowing to win the Championship 1 league title. The Panthers finished the season in the play-offs but went into administration in October and had their membership of the RFL cancelled having failed to provide the RFL a financial plan for the upcoming season, and therefore took no part in the 2011 Co-operative Championship.


Past coaches

* Mark Lee 2004-05 *
Kevin Ashcroft Kevin Ashcroft (born 5 June 1944) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Lancashire, and at club lev ...
2005 *
Simon Knox Simon Knox (born 14 October 1972) is a former Scotland international rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, and also coached. He played at club level for Hensingham ARLFC (in Hensingham, Whitehaven), Carlisle, Bradford No ...
2005-07 *
Andy Gregory Andrew Gregory (born 10 August 1961) is an English former professional rugby league footballer. A Great Britain international representative , he is an inductee of the Wigan Hall of Fame. He was the first player to win five Challenge Cup Final ...
2007 * Martin Crompton 2007 *
Phil Cantillon Phil Cantillon (born 2 June 1976) is an England and Ireland dual international former professional rugby league footballer who played professionally from 1992 to 2007. He successfully captained Ireland and broke numerous try-scoring world recor ...
2008


Seasons


Honours

*
Northern Rail Nines The Northern Rail Nines was a one-off rugby league nines tournament held in Lytham St Annes and Blackpool, England as part of a celebration weekend encompassing the Northern Rail Cup Final. Held over the weekend of 11 and 12 July 2009, it was ...
winners: 2009


See also

*
Blackpool Borough Blackpool Borough was a rugby league club based in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, that played in the Rugby Football League from 1954 until 1993. The club moved to Wigan in 1987 and was renamed Springfield Borough; to Chorley in 1988 and was ...
*
List of defunct rugby league clubs This is a list of defunct professional rugby league clubs. Australia New South Wales Rugby League (1908-1994) ARL (1995-1997), SL (1997) and NRL (1998-) The teams listed above, with the exception of Adelaide, Hunter, Gold Coast, Northern Ea ...


References


External links


New Official Home Page

Blackpool rugby league supporters' club

Blackpool Panthers forum on rlfans.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackpool Panthers Defunct rugby league teams in England Sport in Blackpool Rugby clubs established in 2004 2004 establishments in England 2010 disestablishments in England Rugby league teams in Lancashire English rugby league teams