The current partnership between York City Knights and York St. John University continues to blossom as the Knights’ 1st team-Team Manager and coaching staff member Will Leatt has recently become Head Coach of the University’s Men’s Rugby League team.
The beginning of the season started with a huge recruitment drive that saw 18 new players sign up to the team, taking the total number of players to 28. Success on the field followed with 5 wins out of 5 and a place at the top of the table; a remarkable effort for a team that has entered the BUCS Play league structure for the first time.
The St. Johns team can be seen as another step on the York City Knights pathway along with York College Knights and the Excel and Excel+ programmes. With Leatt coaching the side and guest appearances from Knights’ Head Coach James Ford, the players have plenty of opportunity to impress.
Captain Stephen Gibbs, on trial through pre-season training with the Knights’ 1st team, helped create the team in 2018 and says “I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and effort we’ve put into the team so far, we’re hungry for more success, starting with the Northern Conference Cup Semi Final on Wednesday 19th February and our Student Rugby League 9s Festival on Sunday 23rd February. The games will be played at York St. John University Sports Field, Haxby Road, York, YO31 8FY; we’d love your support”.
We’re very keen to build on the early success this partnership has seen and continue to build a stronger presence in student rugby league; any students considering joining York St. John University with an interest in being part of the rugby league team should make their interest known to us at York City Knights by calling or emailing our office - 01904 876527 - info@yorkcityknights.com
