The story so far...
A short history of the successful establishment of Brixton Bulls RLFC
In March 2004, the south London community rugby league coach, Rob Powell, along with development officer Dave Montero, began the long and sometimes difficult road to developing and popularising the sport of rugby league in the Brixton area. With the support of local primary schools—St. Judes, Rosendale, Jubilee and Fenstanton—four six-week coaching clusters were organised during curriculum time, providing children with their first taste of what some call the world's most exciting sport.
Unsure how popular the clusters would be, the south London rugby league staff began the new season in May 2004, catering for children aged 7–11. From this moment, the sport's development in Brixton would never look back; forty-seven children attended the introductory session, enabling Rob and Dave to run regular training sessions and club fixtures throughout that summer and into the autumn. In this first year, Brixton Bulls competed at U9 and U11 age groups and completed more than twelve fixtures. The highlights of the season were the club's appearances in the Half Time Heroes games at top-flight London Broncos RLFC, and in the curtain-raiser for the Australia v New Zealand fixture, played in front of over 17,000 people at Loftus Road. It could be said that rugby league had firmly landed in Brixton.
The 2004 season ended on a social high with a successful Christmas party and the children were ready for a break. In 2005 the club again set along the development pathway, recruiting Rosendale Primary School as a key partner. Two parents were also drafted onto a formal committee, driving the club forward and encouraging new and innovative ideas. The Brixton Bulls volunteer objective allowed for the introduction of an official Brixton Bulls Festival, attracting clubs from across the South of England; and for the second year running, Brixton Bulls played a curtain-raiser at an international match—Great Britain v New Zealand at Loftus Road—as the profile of the sport began to sky-rocket in the southern region. Rugby league was becoming the fastest growing development sport in the capital.
After two successful years it was clear that the club needed to expand to accommodate children who were out-growing the under-elevens team. Coach Rob Powell decided the club could sustain a junior team, and the under-twelves age group was introduced in the 2006 season. This expansion was made possible by essential partnerships with Dunraven, Bishop Thomas Grant and Stockwell Park secondary schools.
The 2006 season was to be the most successful yet. Following the retirement of Dave Montero, Andy Gilvary was established as head coach at the club, with Rob Powell moving to a wider development role. In July, the club hosted what was now recognised as an annual festival at Rosendale playing fields; this time catering for more than 250 children. The event was widely regarded as a great success, particularly within the southern rugby league community.
The 2006 season saw the U9s (minis) finish third in the south of England, but it was the juniors were to emerge as the hidden gems within the club, winning eight out of twelve games in their first competitive season and finishing third in the London Junior League. From a small squad, six Brixton players made the top-40 elite-player list for the south of England and represented the Bulls at the under-twelves regional camp. Among these players, Corbyn Smith caught the eye of the Harlequins selectors and was offered a professional scholarship; and Miquel Wellington named as player of the 2006 Championship Schools Tournament, selected above over 200 others by the Harlequins performance staff.
The success of Brixton Bulls has encouraged the development of the sport of rugby league in the Brixton area, and the 2007 season will hopefully see Brixton Bulls RLFC continue to flourish in the Brixton community. With the help of our key partners, including the continued support of SSCO Barney Day at Dunraven secondary school, we can only expect the future to be bright.
