The North Wales Conference is a summer

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 ...

competition for teams in

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, ...

and

Mid Wales Mid Wales ( cy, Canolbarth Cymru or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands") or Central Wales refers to a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Senedd ...

History

The

Rugby League Conference The Rugby League Conference (RLC) (also known as the Co-operative Rugby League Conference as a result of sponsorship from The Co-operative Group), was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England ...

was founded in 1997 as the ''Southern Conference'', a 10-team pilot league for teams in the South of England and

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the ...

. It expanded into North Wales for the first time in 2004 when

North Wales Coasters Rhyl Coasters are a rugby league team based in Rhyl, Denbighshire, Wales. They played in the Rugby League Conference History The original ''North Wales Coasters'' formed in 1989 and joined the nearest district association which was Widnes in En ...

joined the North West Division of the Rugby League Conference. The professional side

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

announced in December 2009 that they would leave the South Wales town of Bridgend an relocate to Wrexham in North Wales. On the back of this, the ''North Wales League'', a proposed feeder league for the

was announced in 2010. There were intended to be four teams for the initial season: Conwy Celts established 2007 (based at Colwyn Bay); two new sides: Penrhyn Eagles (from Bangor, where there was already a university club) and Mid Wales Marauders (based in Welshpool, the only rugby league club in mid Wales) and Rhyl Exiles, who while technically a new club were formed from the ashes of recently disbanded club

Rhyl Coasters Rhyl Coasters are a rugby league team based in Rhyl, Denbighshire, Wales. They played in the Rugby League Conference History The original ''North Wales Coasters'' formed in 1989 and joined the nearest district association which was Widnes in En ...

(formerly North Wales Coasters). Rhyl won the North Wales 9s but pulled out of the league.

Chester Gladiators Chester Gladiators Rugby League Football Club is a rugby league club in Chester, England. They play in the North West Division of the Rugby League Conference, North West Counties and the North West Merit League. History Previous clubs in Ch ...

A were proposed as replacements but in the end the season was cancelled. There was no open-age league in North Wales in 2011; but the ''North Wales Conference'' got off the ground in 2012. The inaugural competition consisted of Conwy Celts,

Dee Valley Dragons Dee Valley Dragons are an amateur rugby league team based in Corwen, North Wales. History ''Dee Valley Dragons'' were established in 2011 by coach Mike Parry, they played a series of friendlies throughout their inaugural season and took their p ...

, Montgomeryshire Marauders,

Prestatyn and Rhyl Panthers Prestatyn and Rhyl Panthers are an amateur rugby league team based in Rhyl, North Wales. They play in the North Wales Conference. History ''Prestatyn and Rhyl Panthers'' won the North Wales 9s in 2012 and then joined the newly formed North Wa ...

and

Wrexham Bradley Raiders Wrexham Bradley Raiders are a rugby league club based in Wrexham, Wales. They play in the North Wales Championship competition. History Wrexham Bradley Raiders were formed in 2011 after discussions between the Welsh Rugby League, local coache ...

. Montgomeryshire Marauders folded mid-season and were replaced by

Flintshire Falcons Flintshire Falcons Rugby League Club is a rugby league team from the county of Flintshire, North Wales. They presently play in the Wales Rugby League North Wales Championship. Flintshire Falcons Rugby League Club are a members-run club. They ar ...

. The grand final was fought out between the top two sides: Conwy Celts and Prestatyn and Rhyl Panthers with the Celts running out 48–26 winners to be crowned the first North Wales Champions.

Rugby League Conference Pyramid

National Conference League The National Conference League (known as the Kingstone Press National Conference League for sponsorship reasons) is the top English amateur rugby league competition in the Rugby Football League pyramid, and as such is the leading amateur rugby l ...

* North Wales Conference The North Wales Conference is part of tier five of the British rugby league system. Above the North Wales Conference is the National Conference League, the highest level of amateur rugby league in the UK.

2013 structures

* Conwy Celts *

(failed to complete the season) *

* NB: the league season was't completed and the four remaining clubs were entered into playoffs to determine the champions

Participants

*2012: Conwy Celts, Dee Valley Dragons, Flintshire Falcons (replaced Montgomeryshire Marauders mid-season), Prestatyn and Rhyl Panthers, Wrexham Bradley Raiders

Winners

North Wales 9s

*2010 Rhyl Exiles *2011 ''No event'' *2012 Prestatyn and Rhyl Panthers *2013 Conwy Celts

North Wales Conference

*2012 Conwy Celts

External links

*http://www.cymrurl.com {{British_Rugby_League_links Rugby league in Wales Rugby League Conference Sports leagues established in 2012 Rugby league competitions in the United Kingdom