Rugby League
The 2022-2023 Champions Schools campaign is back underway – a special season that marks twenty years since the competition was brought under RFL reform. The competition’s heritage actually runs deeper as the competition began with a one-off Challenge Match between the Lancashire and Yorkshire Under 16’s champions in 1974. St John Fisher of Wigan clashed with Cross Green of Leeds, as the Lancashire outfit triumphed and were crowned the first official winners of the competition.
The Champion Schools competition first changed to the knockout tournament format we know it as today for the 1980-81 season, which Wigan’s St John Fisher won once again. In 1983-84 more age categories were introduced and from then on the competition included separate tournaments from Under 11’s to Under 16’s.
In 2002, the RFL formed a partnership with the ESRL and the competition was relaunched. This coincided with the first time the Y7 Boys Champion Schools final was played as the curtain raiser for the prestigious Challenge Cup final at Wembley. This returns this year after a 3 year break caused by the Covid restrictions.
An historic change to the Champion Schools calendar came a year later, as the Under 12’s Girls’ competition was introduced. This preceded an annual roll-out of older age categories for the Girls’, and by the 2007-08 season it mirrored the Boys’ competition with tournaments from Under 11’s to Under 16’s, which is as it stands today.
Our 2022 finals day headed to Newcastle for the first time, taking place at Kingston Park on the Friday of Magic Weekend. It was a welcome return after both the 2020 and 2021 finals were lost to the pandemic, and the day culminated in a thrilling final between Great Sankey and Spen valley which had the whole crowd on the edge of their seat until the final whistle. The Y7 boys final took place at St James Park on the Saturday morning to kick off the Saturday fixtures of the Super League Magic round and all finalists participated in a pitch parade on the coveted turf at half time of game 1.
Teams across the country are currently competing in regional qualifiers to earn their place in the National rounds and the chance to be a part of the 20th Anniversary Finals in July 2023. Good luck to all those taking part!
The Rugby League World Cup is currently taking place across the U.K for men’s, women’s and wheelchair matches. Tickets are still available so visit www.rlwc2021.com for more information.
