No place like home for Crusaders

Authorities now ready to step up investigation into visa issue

Last updated: 30th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

No place like home for Crusaders

Racecourse Ground: Crusaders' home for season-opener

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The Rugby Football League want "certainty as soon as possible" over where the Crusaders will play their home games in 2010.

The Super League club, who finished with the wooden spoon in their inaugural year in the top flight, have left Bridgend to make a new base in Newport.

However they are not yet sure if they will be able to ground share with rugby union side Dragons at Rodney Parade.

So far Crusaders have only confirmed that they will play their first home match next year at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, as part of their plan to take three games 'on the road'.

Full statement

The RFL are unwilling to comment on the matter at this current time but will release a full statement in due course.

Chief executive Nigel Wood said: "I think we are all aware time is pressing and we need certainty as soon as possible."

While Crusaders are not in breach of their licence, which was awarded for three years, by moving location, the decision to award them a three-year stay in Super League was partly down to their isolated location in south Wales.

The process for awarding licences for 2012-15 will begin next year, with the plan to promote at least one club from the Championship.

"It will be broadly similar, based on similar criteria, but with a few tweaks to strengthen and expand certain areas," Wood said on the licence process.

"We will get the clubs to sign off the process in March. Those clubs that want to can undertake a dummy run in 2010

Visa issue

Meanwhile, the RFL now say they are ready to step up their investigation into the visa controversy that blighted the Crusaders in 2009.

Leading players Jace van Dijk, Tony Duggan, Damien Quinn, Josh Hannay, Darren Mapp and Mark Dalle Cort were all found to have breached the conditions for their UK entry in a previous year.

"The position was that we needed confirmation from the UK Borders Agency they had concluded their inquiries," Wood added.

"That has only just been received so we are at liberty now to commence any rugby league specific inquiry, which we will be doing.

"We couldn't act beforehand because it might have been prejudicial to inquiries that were going on externally."