Bassetlaw Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club

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Bassetlaw Bulldogs Rugby League Football ClubNickname(s)| The Bulldogs

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Founded| 2018
Ground| Queen Elizabeth II Playing Field, East Markham, Nottinghamshire
Capacity| 500
League| Midlands Junior League and National Girls League (East Division)
Website| Club website

Bassetlaw Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club is a rugby league team based in Nottinghamshire, England. It is one of only three rugby league teams in the county.

The club operates outside the traditional heartland areas of rugby league (namely the North of England) and is a member of the Midlands Rugby League.

As the club was initially established as a junior club, and continues to run a range of teams across all junior age groups alongside its newer open-age team, Bassetlaw Bulldogs RLFC engages in a long-term sponsorship deal with Focus on Young People in Bassetlaw, a charity championing the development of young people across the district.[1][2] The club's Youth and Masters teams are sponsored by Ballards Removals.[3]

## Contents

* 1 Facilities
* 2 History and notable firsts
* 3 Club Development
* 4 Results and tables
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## Facilities[edit]

Games are played at the home ground, Queen Elizabeth II Playing Field, East Markham. The club have been pivotal in improving the facilities at the ground and in June 2022, a new Sports Pavilion was opened following a fundraising effort which saw £200,000 invested in the project. The facility includes changing rooms for players and match officials, a communal area and toilets.

The record, capacity crowd of 500 was achieved in May 2023 when the club hosted the Midlands Rugby League Junior Festival.

## History and notable firsts[edit]

The club was founded in 2018 by Phil Abbott, a long-time servant of the community game, having previously co-founded Brentwood RLFC in Essex in 2004.[4]

Bassetlaw Bulldogs RLFC is unique in that, despite its relatively young age, it has provided a number of firsts in the game of rugby league.[5] In June 2018, alongside fellow Midlands Rugby League members, Immingham Wasps, the club played the first ever Player Development League fixture in England as part of the Rugby Football League's sport expansion plan.[6]

Furthermore, the Bulldogs club is the only Nottinghamshire-based team who are affiliated with Super League team Wakefield Trinity, with whom they hold Ambassador Club status.

In 2023, a further notable first came in the shape of the inception of an U13s girls team, who became the only Nottinghamshire-based girls team to play in a formal national league, administrated by the Rugby Football League. On 1st July 2023, the team became the first from outside the traditional rugby league heartlands to win a game in the National League (East Division B) when they beat Batley Girls by 32-30.[7]

## Club Development[edit]

Since its establishment in 2018, the club has grown at a strong rate. This growth was stunted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought disruption to all sport through lockdowns and restrictions, however this did not stop the club pushing forward with its activity when allowed.[8][9]

In August 2023, the club introduced its 8th different team, with the inception of an over-35s Masters Rugby League team.[10]

Team development over time  - | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

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U7 | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes
U9 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes
U11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes
U13 | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes
U13 Girls | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes
U14/15 | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes
X-League | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes
Masters | - | - | - | - | - | Yes

## Results and tables[edit]

Girls U13s East Division B 2023 Season[11] Date | Result | Opposition

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18th March | L 66-18 | West Leeds Eagles (A)
25th March | L 36-16 | Bentley (H)
15th April | L 42-10 | Farnley Falcons (H)
21st April | L 26-10 | East Leeds (A)
13th May | L 54-4 | Heworth (H)
3rd June | L 44-18 | Stanningley (A)
21st June | L 20-24 | Wetherby Bulldogs (H)
24th June | L 32-18 | Bentley (A)
1st July | W 32-30 | Batley (H)
8th July | L 70-26 | Farnley Falcons (A)
15th July | L 24-0 | Batley (A)
19th August | W 44-20 | West Leeds Eagles (H)
East Division B Table - 2023  Position | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | Diff | Pts

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1 | Heworth | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 386 | 88 | +298 | 22
2 | Stanningley | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 362 | 166 | +196 | 20
3 | Farnley Falcons | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 378 | 182 | +196 | 18
4 | Batley | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 298 | 192 | +106 | 14
5 | Bentley | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 256 | 172 | +84 | 14
6 | Wetherby Bulldogs | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 220 | 278 | -58 | 10
7 | East Leeds | 12 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 126 | 352 | -226 | 4
8 | Bassetlaw Bulldogs | 12 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 216 | 468 | -252 | 4
9 | West Leeds Eagles | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 160 | 504 | -344 | 2

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Barron, Noelle (October 3, 2023). "Bassetlaw Bulldogs Update".
2. ↑ "Bassetlaw Bulldogs Refocus".
3. ↑ https://www.ballards-move.co.uk/blog/ballards-backs-the-bulldogs/
4. ↑ "History". www.brentwoodrlfc.co.uk.
5. ↑ "Bassetlaw Bulldogs Update". 3 October 2023.
6. ↑ Hodgson, Phil (June 6, 2018). "Player Development League gets off the ground".
7. ↑ RLFC, Bassetlaw Bulldogs. "BULLDOGS GIRLS SECURE HISTORIC WIN!". Bassetlaw Bulldogs RLFC.
8. ↑ Flintham, Jack (April 3, 2021). "Rugby league club raring to go as covid lockdown rules ease". Lincolnshire Live.
9. ↑ "Bulldogs Return Part 2" - via www.youtube.com.
10. ↑ RLFC, Bassetlaw Bulldogs. "Bulldogs calling all Masters of Rugby League". Bassetlaw Bulldogs RLFC.
11. ↑ "Match Centre". www.rugby-league.com.

## External links[edit]

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