New Haven Warriors

Last updated

New Haven Warriors
New Haven Warriors logo.jpg
Club information
Full nameNew Haven Warriors
Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)Warriors
Colours  Black
  Grey
Founded2006;17 years ago (2006)
Exited2013;10 years ago (2013)
Former details
Ground(s)
Competition USA Rugby League
Records
Premierships1 (AMNRL) (2008 (AMNRL))
Runners-up2 (1 USARL, 1 AMNRL) (2011 (USARL), 2010 (AMNRL))
Minor premierships 1 (AMNRL) (2010)

The New Haven Warriors were a rugby league football team based in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. They played in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) from 2006 to 2010 and in the USA Rugby League (USARL) from 2011 to 2012 before withdrawing. They played their home games at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven, Connecticut.

Contents

The team was established in 2006 as an AMNRL expansion team. In 2011 they became one of seven clubs that withdrew from the AMNRL to form the new USA Rugby League. The Warriors won the 2008 AMNRL Championship and made playoff appearances every year from 2006 to 2011, advancing to the AMNRL Grand Final in 2010 and the USARL Grand Final in 2011. They were named for the New Zealand professional club the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League. [2]

History

AMNRL

The club was founded for the 2006 AMNRL season by Adam Hamon, Blair Wards, Chris Willey and Tony Feasey. The Warriors management later consisted of Adam Hamon (chairman), Brian Lee (Marketing and Sponsorship), Chris Yergan (Treasurer), Bill West and Ed Reed (IT), and executive committee members Tony Feasey, Siose Muliumu. In their debut AMNRL season the Warriors side had an impressive inaugural year finishing 5th and within the top tier bracket of the competition and qualifying for the playoff series; however, they would eventually be knocked out by the New York Knights in a close encounter that finished 26–22.

In 2007 the club again finished 5th and again faced the New York Knights in the playoffs to the final. This time they won 34–8 but were eliminated by their interstate rivals and eventual champions the Connecticut Wildcats in the semifinals 42–18. The Warriors earned the reputation as the most physical side in the AMNRL, and includes several Maori and Polynesian players from New Zealand. In 2008, the club won the Grand Final, beating the Aston Bulls 50–18 at Fort Dix, New Jersey. They advanced through the semifinal by beating the Connecticut Wildcats 40–34.

USARL

On January 12, 2011, New Haven became one of seven teams to break away from the AMNRL and form the new USA Rugby League. [3] [4] [5] After finishing fourth in the regular season and advancing to the playoffs, the Warriors achieved an upset win over the minor premiers Jacksonville Axemen to secure a championship final berth against the Philadelphia Fight. They were defeated by Philadelphia in the USARL's inaugural Grand Final.

New Haven finished seventh of eight teams in 2012, missing the playoffs. They were initially announced as competing in 2013, but withdrew before the season, along with Oneida FC of Boston. [6]

USARL season summaries

C=Champions, R=Runners-Ups, F=Finished first, P=Playoff Appearance, L=Finished Last
(Brackets Represent Playoff Games)
CompetitionGames
Played
Games
Won
Games
Drawn
Games
Lost
Ladder
Position
CRFPLCoachCaptainNotes
2011 USARL season 8 (1)5 (0)03 (0)4/8RPSiose Muliumu
2012 USARL season 8 (0)1 (0)07 (0)7/8Siose Muliumu

Uniform and colors

Team badge used until 2010 New Haven Warriors.png
Team badge used until 2010

For their inaugural American National Rugby League season the club adopted the colors of navy blue, green and white stripe design characteristic of the old style vintage rugby league jerseys. The warriors later sport the reverse colors of their affiliate club, the New Zealand Warriors, who played in grey and black. [7]

Stadium

The Warriors home ground was Ken Strong Stadium at West Haven High School in West Haven, Connecticut. [1]

Statistics and records

Biggest winning margin

MarginScoreOpponentVenueDate
7676 - 0 Northern Raiders Andrews FieldJune 14, 2008 (Rd 2)

Biggest losing margin

MarginScoreOpponentVenueDate
1640 - 24 Connecticut Wildcats Jonathan Law StadiumJune 30, 2007 (Rd 5)

Most points for the club

PlayerPointsYearsM
Siose Muliumu 28 (6 tries)20065 *

Most points in a match

PointsPlayerOpponentVenueDateScore
36 (3 tries/12 conversions)Luke Carr Northern Raiders Andrews FieldRound 2, 200876 - 0
16 (2 tries/4 goals)Steve Scanlan Boston Braves Saunders StadiumRound 7, 200632 - 18
8 (2 tries) Siose Muliumu Connecticut Wildcats Depew ParkRound 4, 200622 - 42
8 (2 tries) Siose Muliumu Boston Braves Saunders StadiumRound 7, 200632 - 18
8 (2 tries) Siose Muliumu Connecticut Wildcats Dealy FieldRound 9, 200626 - 32
8 (2 tries)Blair Wards Boston Braves Saunders StadiumRound 7, 200632 - 18

Honors

2006 - 1/4 finalists

2007 - semifinalists

2008 - Grand Final Winners

2009 - semifinalists

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Knights (rugby league)</span> US semi-pro rugby league club, based in New York City, NY

The New York Knights are a semi-professional rugby league football team based in New York City. The team currently plays in the USA Rugby League. They play their home games at Pier 40 in Hudson River Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American National Rugby League</span>

The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was a rugby league organization in the United States that operated from 1997 to 2014. The country's first domestic rugby league competition, it hosted an annual league from 1998 through 2013. Throughout its existence, the AMNRL was also recognized by the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) as the governing body for the sport in the United States, and oversaw the United States national rugby league team, the Tomahawks.

While rugby league has been played in the United States since 1954, with Australia and New Zealand playing games there on their return from the Rugby League World Cup in France, serious attempts to start the sport in the United States began only in the late 1970s. The establishment of a national team and a domestic competition in the late 20th century has seen more recent progress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucks County Sharks</span> US semi-professional rugby league club, based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

The Bucks County Sharks were a rugby league football team based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The team currently plays in the USA Rugby League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington D.C. Slayers</span> US defunct rugby league club, based in Washington DC

The Washington D.C. Slayers were a rugby league football team based in Washington, D.C. who last played in the USA Rugby League. They played their home games at Duke Ellington Field near Georgetown Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Fight</span> US semi-professional rugby league club, based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Fight are a semi professional rugby league team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. They currently compete in the USA Rugby League, having formerly competed in the now defunct AMNRL. They play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksonville Axemen</span> Semi-professional US rugby league club

The Jacksonville Axemen are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They currently play in the USA Rugby League (USARL). They play their home games at the North Practice Soccer Fields at the University of North Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Thirteens</span> US semi-professional rugby league club, based in Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston Thirteens are a professional rugby league football team based in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. The team previously played in the USA Rugby League, before turning fully professional in 2021 and becoming a founding member of the North American Rugby League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Virginia Eagles</span> US semi-professional rugby league club, based in Manassas, Virginia

The Northern Virginia Eagles were a rugby league team based in Manassas, Virginia, U.S. The club currently plays in the USA Rugby League (USARL). From 2007 to 2011 they were known as the Fairfax Eagles and were based in nearby Fairfax, Virginia.

The 2006 American National Rugby League season was the ninth annual American National Rugby League (AMNRL) season, and the 26th since the first season of semi-professional rugby league began in North America. The season began on May 17, 2006 with a match between defending premiers Glen Mills Bulls and the Philadelphia Fight, played at Jack Pearson Stadium. The same venue hosted the Grand Final between the Connecticut Wildcats and Glen Mills Bulls on August 19, 2006 in front of a crowd of 2,500.

The 2010 American National Rugby League season was the 13th season of the AMNRL. The Pittsburgh Vipers are the newest team to enter the competition and the Bucks County Sharks have withdrawn from the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Rugby League</span> Official governing body for rugby league in the United States

The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the official governing body for rugby league, a code of rugby football, in the United States.

The 2011 USARL season was the inaugural season of the USA Rugby League (USARL). The league was formed in January 2011 as a breakaway competition from the American National Rugby League (AMNRL). The regular season kicked off on June 4 and ended on July 30; the Jacksonville Axemen won the minor premiership with the best regular season record. The first round of playoffs were played on August 13, 2011, with the New Haven Warriors and Philadelphia Fight winning the round. The league's Grand Final took place on August 27 between the Philadelphia Fight and the New Haven Warriors. Philadelphia won 28–26, receiving their first national championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oneida FC</span> Football club

Oneida FC is a soccer club based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organisation was established in 2011 and plays its home games at East Boston Memorial Stadium, owned by the city of Boston. The field also hosts American football and baseball games.

The 2014 USARL season was the fourth season of the USA Rugby League competition in the United States. It began on Saturday, May 31, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 23. The Philadelphia Fight capped their first perfect season by defeating the Jacksonville Axemen 30-18 in Championship Final, claiming their third USARL Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Florida Warriors</span> US semi-professional rugby league club, based in DeLand, Florida

The Central Florida Warriors were a semi-professional rugby league team based in DeLand, Florida United States. They competed in the USA Rugby League (USARL) in the Southeast Rugby League Conference. They play their home games at Spec Martin Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New England Immortals RLFC</span>

The New England Immortals was the first All-Star representative Rugby League Football team made up of the top American players from all Rugby League teams in the six New England states, and those US athletes who come from the region.

The 2015 USA Rugby League season was the fifth season of the USA Rugby League National Premiership competition, and its first as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Fourteen teams competed for the USARL Championship. The season began on Saturday, May 30, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 29, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Boston Thirteens won their first USARL Championship, defeating the Atlanta Rhinos 44-12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Rugby League</span> Professional rugby league in North America

The North American Rugby League (NARL) is an unsanctioned rugby league club competition in North America. At launch, the league announced fourteen teams; twelve from United States and two from Canada. An inaugural season was planned for 2021 but was deferred until 2022 due to increased health and safety needs regarding COVID-19 and insurance and travel costs. The league will now launch with six foundation teams, five from the United States and former professional Super League member club Toronto Wolfpack from Canada. The first season was supposed to kick off on May 21, 2022, but failed to do so.

References

  1. 1 2 http://newhavenwarriors.net/news/2010/5/68/ [ dead link ]
  2. AMNRL – American National Rugby League
  3. Mascord, Steve (12 January 2011). "Discord 2011: Edition 2". rleague.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  4. "New Rugby League Competition Announced". rugbymag.com. Rugby Magazine. 12 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  5. "Breakaway league launched in the US". code13rugbyleague.com. 12 January 2011. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  6. "2013 seasons predictions – Who will win?". usarl.com. USA Rugby League. 29 May 2013. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  7. New Haven Warriors Rugby League – New Haven CT Rugby