Doncaster Lakers
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| Doncaster Lakers | |
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| Full name | Doncaster Lakers Rugby League Football Club |
| Emblem | "Lakers" writing |
| Colours | White, red and black |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Sport | Rugby league |
| League | National League One |
| Ground | Belle Vue |
| Official website | www.doncasterlakers.com |
Doncaster Lakers are a British rugby league club, from Doncaster. They currently play in League One of the Rugby League National Leagues.
They have previously been known as Doncaster Dragons. They are nicknamed the Dons.
[edit] History
Doncaster RLFC were founded in 1951 and joined the Rugby League in the same year. The club originally played at the York Road Greyhound Stadium in Doncaster, before moving to a ground of their own in 1953. Tattersfield in Bentley Road, was named after former Chairman Len Tattersfield.
At the end of the 1994-95 season the club went into liquidation and Tattersfield was sold for housing developments after the end of their one and only season in the game's top division.
When a Rupert Murdoch funded Super League competition was proposed, part of the deal was that some traditional clubs would merge. Doncaster were to merge with Sheffield to form a South Yorkshire club that would compete in Super League. This was, however, resisted.
The following a year, a new club called Doncaster Dragons raised from the ashes of the previous club, but it was forced to restart life in the bottom division of the Rugby Football League. They temporarily moved in and the club moved in to share with soccer club Doncaster Rovers at their Belle Vue ground while Meadowcourt Stadium (another greyhound stadium in Stainforth, Doncaster) was being prepared for rugby league. The Dragons played at Meadowcourt Stadium for a few years before returning to Belle Vue for the beginning of the 1998 season.
They adopted the name Lakers at the end of 2005 to reflect the new Lakeside Community Stadium, a purpose built facility for both soccer and rugby league clubs [1].
This change in name was not greeted by many loyal Doncaster RLFC fans, who felt the club had gone too far with the Americanised 'Laker' tag. The change in colours from the clubs trademark blue and gold to red and white for home games and green and gold for away games.
The new name and new team colours comes with the brand new training facilities and stadium based at the Lakeside complex. The stadium is set to seat 16,000 supporters with room for expansion in the future.
The Lakers are set to play in the local derby against Sheffield Eagles on December 27th 2006 which will be the opening game in the stadium.
| Rugby League National Leagues - National League One |
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Batley Bulldogs | Castleford Tigers | Dewsbury Rams | Doncaster Lakers | Halifax RLFC | Leigh Centurions | Rochdale Hornets | Sheffield Eagles | Whitehaven RLFC | Widnes Vikings | |
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