Rugby League announce fixtures - but with a twist!

Rugby League fans can now start filling their diaries following the announcement of the newly formatted Engage Super League fixtures.

Thousands of people around the world burned the midnight oil waiting to get the first public glimpses of the fixtures going live as the clock visited 24^th November.

New boys Celtic Crusaders will kick-off the 2009 season against last years champions Leeds Rhinos at Headingley on Friday, February 6^th.

From then on in the fixtures will be spread across 32 weeks cramming in 189 league games, 9 play-off ties before culminating in the Grand Final at Old Trafford on Sunday October 11^th.

All 14 clubs that were successful with last year’s application will play 27 league games before the top eight teams will battle through the all new re-structured nine game play-off system.

And with the re-structuring of the play-offs being the biggest change to this years fixtures – the other is the venue swap of the Magic Weekend.

Although the number of fixtures remains the same as previous seasons, this season will avoid loop fixtures meaning teams will only play each other twice.

The only exception to the loop fixtures, where previously teams would play five teams three times, is the highly anticipated weekend.

The fixtures have confirmed that the venue for the magic weekend will be at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield.

Murray field is taking over from Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium where the event was hosted last year.

Each team will play there in an action packed weekend over the 2^nd and 3^rd May 2009 and is expected to be a massive money spinner for the Super League.

The other massive re-format is the introduction of an all new play-off structure.

The structure has been drawn up by the Rugby Football League and in an official statement added: “it will create great drama and bring an added dimension to what is already the most exciting period in the season.

“This new feature will also create more opportunities for broadcasters and the media to generate exciting coverage.”

The play-offs will operate over a four week period and is the first time eight teams have featured in the play-offs taking over from six created in 1998.

Explaining the structure takes some explaining and is difficult to get your heads round. But here goes…

Eight teams, from 1^st to 8^th in the league, will feature in the first week with league leaders playing fourth place, second playing third, fifth playing eighth and sixth playing seventh.

The top four team’s games will be known as the qualifying play-offs and the losers of these will play the winners of place fifth to eighth in week two.

Week three will see the victors of the qualifying play-offs against the winners of week two’s fixtures.

Here comes the twist – the winner of week one’s qualifying play-offs, who’s automatically progressed to week three and has the highest league position, will have the privilege to pick who they play.

And obviously the winners of week three will be the proud finalists who’ll walk out to over 72,000 at Manchester United’s Old Trafford.

This will be the first ever time a club can chose who they want to face in any play-off system worldwide.

Everyone who follows rugby league will be anxious to see how the new format runs but are glad to see the fixtures out in the open.

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Red Devils prepare for all-new Super League season.

Super League’s new boys Salford City Reds can now begin planning for another bout in the top flight of Rugby League following the release of the newly formatted fixtures.

Last years National League champions, Salford, are back in the league following their successful application in June and are over the moon looking at Super League fixtures.

The Reds will be kicking off their campaign at home to fellow new comers Celtic Crusaders on Saturday the 14^th February 2009.

The fixture, set to be live on Sky, will be the first of 27 games under the new 13 home, 13 away, and 1 neutral game format.

It has also been confirmed that the Reds will be crossing the Northern border to play Harlequins for Rugby League's newly introduced Magic Weekend.

The match will take place in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital, on Saturday 2nd May at the world famous Murrayfield.

It will also be the first time Salford have ever played a competitive fixture that side of the border.

Following the announcement of the fixtures, on Monday 24^th November, the Red Devils wasted no time in preparing for the big kick-off just under three months away.

On hearing the fixtures chief executive David Tarry said: “It’s certainly going to be a busy three months preparing for the season.

“We’ll be preparing on and off the field. The manager can get the players in shape, they now have a focus to aim towards - and we’ll get all the nitty-gritty things sorted out behind the scenes.

“The fixtures give us an opportunity to win some games and gain some momentum so we’re happy with them.”

(Chief Executive - David Tarry)

The first four games against Celtic, Wakefield, Castleford and Harlequins give Reds fans plenty of hope and could get their season off to a flyer.

But the chief executive was quick to throw caution to the wind insisting he will give a better indication of where he thinks Salford will end up after the first eight games.

Tarry went on to say: “My favourite games are the ones that we win but we need to go out there and get that optimistic rash of maybe this is our year - but until eight games in it will be impossible to tell.”

“If they just happen go right then all of a sudden you’ve got a catalyst and things are going very well.

“But at the end of the day we are a professional sports club and we live or die on results.”

Elsewhere in the Willows and the sponsors were quick to pencil their names into the games they want with Wigan and Saint Helens just two of the big names coming to town.

Commercial Manager Andrew Bentham explained how the release of the fixtures means the Salford can now begin 2009’s sponsorship deals.

(Commercial Manager Andrew Bentham (left) and Bardon Aggregate area Manager Peter McClafferty (right))

He added: “Now that the fixtures have been set all last year’s sponsors and plenty of new ones will be keen to get their name re-associated with the club.

“From nine o’clock this morning the phone has never stopped ringing with some sponsors even coming to see me to get the big ties.”

It makes a massive difference for the Reds who now looking at Super League fixtures for at-least the next three years and they are back where one of rugby league’s arguably biggest clubs belongs.

And what is clear is from looking at the fixtures the Engage 2009 season could be one of the best in the history of rugby league.

So it will certainly be a busy Christmas behind the scenes at the Willows with the big kick-off just 72 days away.

To view Salford's Super League fixtures click here
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Additional Videos: Listen to Danny Huffman (left) head groundsman and Paul McNally (right) Marketing and Media Manager.

Lancashire's Big Switch!

Lancashire's newly made captain Glen Chappel must be delighted about the prospect of leading out his home county for the 2009 season.

Going into his 18th year with Lancs having made his first class appearance in 1992 shows a master class of commitment and loyalty.

I think that the selectors have made a great choice and his team mates will have an enormous amount of respect for him.

Taking over at 34 hopefully Chappie, known as by his team mates, still has half a dozen years left as captain if he leaves the club at 40 like predecessor Stuart Law.

What a great achievement it is for a Skipton born Lancastrian to lead out the Red Rose county at Old Trafford.

I wish him the best of luck!

Perfect setting...

With not much going on in the world of cricket, certainly at a local level, I find myself struggling to talk about a game best suited to the summer.

So, I thought a post about Lancashire's cricket grounds might bring up a talking point.

Everyone who follows cricket will probably have a favourite ground - whether it's a good place to relax or even to neck a couple of beers with a little friendly banter.

My favourite ground if for the former purpose, to relax - but I'm sure people have other reasons.

Found in Southern Lancashire, 'White Coppice' is at the foot of the West Pennine Moors - just a couple of miles drive out of Chorley.

Their Cricket Club who have adopted the same name play in the Palace Shield Division 1.

The BBC found good use of the area in 1994 filming a television series called 'Sloggers' - they probably couldn't find a better place either.

Sitting by the wooden pavillion gives you a great view across the wicket towards the lodge and a small glance to nine o'clock sees a small hamlet of houses.

Sitting behind the Wicket gives you an equally great view onto the foot of the moors.

There's really no noise, just the rush of the stream behind the pavillion and the sheep in the neighbouring field.

The only problem is midges.

Having played on there at a younger age it's not nice to have your helmet filled with midges when a bowler's running down the wicket!

Does anyone else have a favourite ground?...I think so.

For a couple of pictures of White Coppice CC take a look at the following link -
http://flickr.com/photos/timackroyd/tags/whitecoppice/