All members of the Rockets Family, both new and old can be proud and it is a big endorsement of the hard work we have all put in over the last 16 years.

- Jeff Ball, Chairman

Northumberland-based rugby league club Cramlington Rockets have emerged as runners up in the National Club of the Year category at this year’s RFL Community Awards at Old Trafford.

Just missing out on top spot to well-established Siddal ARLFC, it is an amazing achievement for England’s most northerly club.

Making up a shortlist of only two clubs, such was the quality of the work of both clubs this year, the Rockets are the first ‘non-heartlands’ club to be up for the award.

Rugby league is considered to be mainly played across Yorkshire and Lancashire but has been increasingly spreading its reach across the UK, with the North East emerging as an important growth area for the sport.

The rise of the Rockets has been one that has caught the eye of many of the rugby league community. Formed in Killingworth only sixteen years ago, a move to expand the club’s reach saw it relocate to Cramlington in 2009 and they have not looked back since.

The first year in Northumberland saw 40 junior players play that season. Fast forward to 2016 and the club now has 230 players from Rocket Tots to open age. This year, its teams featured in no less than seven Grand Finals and Rockets side topped every North East junior league.

Success on the field however is only part of the story. Two years ago the club took the brave step to launch Rockets Community, the only amateur rugby league club in the UK to do so at the time.

Completely self-funded, Rockets Community has proven an unmitigated success and now reaches over 25,000 people a year and growing. With several awards to their name including the North Easts Rugby League Spirit of the Community award to its name, it is now being held up as an example of community engagement to the rest of the UK’s club by the RFL, the sport’s governing body.

Other highlights have been a number of players making their debut for professional side, Newcastle Thunder, record sales of Magic Weekend and the charity-backing RFL Community Raffle tickets, sponsorship deals with notable companies like Audi and regular contributions to the national rugby league media amongst many successes.

“We are thrilled to have been recognised on the national stage” said Rockets Chairman, Jeff Ball, himself the RFL’s 2015 Volunteer of the Year.

“All members of the Rockets Family, both new and old can be proud and it is a big endorsement of the hard work we have all put in over the last 16 years.”

“The last few years in particular have seen us grow rapidly and the spotlight is firmly on the North East now. Naturally we are disappointed not to win but Siddal are at a different point in their journey and after they were runners up last year, you can tell they’ve worked hard to go one better.

“That is very much how we see the next year panning out. We will use that disappointment, keep to our family values, keep our high standards and keep pushing the boundaries with innovations to continue to improve what we offer. If we do that, hopefully come this time next year we will have also gone one better.”

Photo: (L-R) Steve Beaty Jnr., Jordan Robinson, Steve Beaty Snr. & Danny Gilroy of Cramlington Rockets.