Sheffield Eagles Club History

For many years the only place to watch rugby league in Sheffield was either on the television or in a local park. In 1984 the team put together by Gary Hetherington took their place in the league beating Rochdale 29:10 in their first match at Owlerton Stadium.  Hetherington was both the manager and a player making 24 appearances that season. The team was a mixture of young talent from the amateur game and seasoned professionals.

The following season saw the debut of Mark Aston without whom today’s Eagles may not be here. He has been a tremendous servant of the club and deserves the utmost respect for his time in the game. The Eagles improved their league placing and the seeds were beginning to grow. The following season they succeeded in making the play-offs but were beaten 29:24  away at Whitehaven in the first round.

The good times arrived in 1988/89 when the Eagles finished third in the table and made it through to the Premiership Final at Old Trafford . They were simply outstanding as they overran Swinton 43:18 after being held 13:8 at the break. Mark Aston was named man of the match for his part in the victory as he landed seven goals and a drop goal to add to his try.

The main objective now was to survive in top flight rugby league. They did it in nail biting fashion finishing third from bottom on points difference. That doesn’t tell the whole story thought. The Eagles managed to escape relegation in spite of being without a home ground after the Owlerton Stadium was declared unsafe. Sheffield played their games at seven different venues : Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Chesterfield FC, Halifax, Wakefield trinity, Doncaster and Barnsley FC. Daryl Powell emerged as a player of great potential alongside Mark Aston. Unfortunately the fairytale rise to fame and fortune did not have a happy ending as the Eagles were relegated at the end of the 1990/91 season, their first season at the Don Valley Stadium.

Sheffield joined the new eight team second division but fears for the club were unfounded. They lifted both the league title and Divisional Premiership when they beat Oldham 34:20. This time the Eagles were up there to stay and they reached the Yorkshire Cup Final in October 1992 only to lose 29:16 to Wakefield Trinity in front of an Elland Road crowd of only 7,918. The club was rewarded with a tour game against Australia that season and in spite of losing 52:22 it showed what progress had been made since those early days in the 80’s.

The Eagles went on to consolidate their position although in spite of this period of stability, it proved difficult to increase the team’s spectator base. They took part in the World Club Championships in 1997 when they beat the Perth Reds 26:22 in their opening game becoming the first British team to win on English soil.

1998 needs no introduction – it was Wembley year. The Eagles beat Wigan 17:8 to the delight of the rugby league world and especially Mark Aston who received the Lance Todd Trophy. That moment should have meant the resurgence of the Eagles but instead sever financial pressures had begun to grow resulting in the merger with Huddersfield on 1^st October 1999 and the newly formed club finished bottom of Super League.

The current Sheffield Eagles team was conceived following the ill-fated merger of the two Super League clubs Huddersfield Giants and the original Eagles in late 1999.  This new Eagles were formed only weeks before the start of the NFP season but still managed to win their first game away at Lancashire Lynx 33:20 wearing borrowed kit. Despite zero funding the team finished a creditable 14^th place with nine wins and a draw from their 28 league matches.

The following season saw the club expand it’s off the field activities with the establishment of a team of development officers who began working in the local schools and community and an Eagles Academy team was launched as the club continued to promote it’s policy of developing young, local talent. On the field, the club made progress finishing in an improved 11^th place.  In only their second season, the Eagles efforts were rewarded when they received the coveted “Northern Ford Premiership Club of the Year” award in 2001.

An emphasis on youth is a priority for the new Eagles. The 2002 season was the last for the 19-team Northern Ford Premiership with the league splitting into two divisions - National league One and Two - at the end of the season. Sheffield’s Board of Directors were unwilling to risk the future of the club by spending “big” money on ex-Super League players as many clubs were tempted to do in order to avoid the drop to National League 2. Instead Mark Aston attempted to secure one of the vital top nine positions by developing the talents of his young squad.  Unfortunately with youth comes inexperience and inconsistency and though the fledgling Eagles gave their all, the team narrowly missed out losing in the qualifying semi-final to an experienced Dewsbury team.

The 2003 season saw a major reorganisation of the semi-professional game with the Eagles starting as one of ten teams in the new National League Two - with London Skolars joining the professional game as the 'new boys' in the division. But it was the Challenge Cup that provided the early season excitement for the Eagles' fans. The side showed its cup pedigree with a last-gasp drop goal win over Keighley Cougars in the fourth round and were rewarded with a tie against Super League Hull FC. The trip to Hull's new KC stadium ended in defeat but the Eagles had the consolation of a big pay cheque for their share of the gate.

Back in the League the side's blend of experience and young developing players produced results and the Eagles were always in the top five. A strong and consistent set of results in the final games of the season saw the side take the league leaders' trophy - confirmation of the progress that had been made. But heartbreak was to follow in the promotion play-offs when the Eagles - with skipper and player of the season Jon Bruce injured – lost out to Keighley and Batley.  The season also saw Mark Aston play his last competitive game for the Eagles after 384 appearances and scoring 2,140 points - a club record.

Aston was able to retain most of his squad for the 2004 campaign. The signing of young Barnsley-born prop Mitchell Stringer by Super League side London Broncos showed testimony to the way the club is developing talent. The coaching team and the players were determined to go one better this year and achieve promotion and thanks to a change in the rules the injustice of the league leaders having to go into the play-offs has ended and top place - the club's target - meant automatic promotion. Sadly it was not to be, and due to a mid-season injury crisis The Eagles lost valuable points in the table, eventually finishing the season in third place and dropping out of the play-offs in the first round to a rampant Hunslet Hawks.

During the short off-season, Aston lost five of his top players - Andy Raleigh to Hull KR, Jordan James to Castleford Tigers, Andy Poynter to Ipswich Jets (Australia) and Richard Goddard and Jon Bruce to retirement from the professional game. Despite these setbacks, The Eagles recruited a new breed of talented players, including former Eagles Academy duo Chris Molyneux and Andy Rice. Blending youth with experience in the shape of Gavin Brown and Lynton Stott. However 2005 will be considered as a poor year, with The Eagles slumping to 7th in the league.

2006 promised to be a year of achievement. Mark Aston made a sideways step to make way for Gary Wilkinson as Head Coach. Wilkinson brought with him a wealth of National League 1 talent, including Paul Fletcher, Martin Ostler, Johnny Woodcock, Paul Pickering and Craig Poucher. Coupled with the full time signing of 2005 loanees, James Ford and Jon Presley and the addition of Australian stand-off Brendon Lindsay, Eagles fans had plenty to cheer about as after a shakey start, The Eagles put together an unbeaten run of 13 games which saw them finish second in the league and win the National League 2 play off final at a sold out Haliwell Jones Stadium and clinch promotion to National League 1.

With Aston back at the helm in 2007, the Eagles main aim was to remain in National League 1, which they achieved comfortably, finishing in sixth place - the first team to remain the NL1 AND reach the play-offs. A clash with Super League side Hull FC in the Challenge Cup and two home games broadcast live on Sky Sports were highlights for The Eagles who soared beyond all expectations. Mark Aston's service to the club as coach was rewarded with the prestigious National League 1 Coach Of The Year award. 2008 was another year of consolidation in National League One, with the bulk of the 2007 squad retained the Eagles narrowly missed out on the play-offs, but cemented themselves as a first division club.

Following the new licensing structure in Super League, the National Leagues were rebranded to The Championships and as part of the structure, increased central funding from the Rugby Football League allowed clubs to invest in their infrastructure to build and strengthen for the future. A raft of exciting signings, including internationals from Papua New Guinea (Trevor Exton, Menzie Yere), Samoa (Tangi Ropati) and the Eagles biggest signing in ten years, Fiji and NRL star Aaron Groom will ensure that Eagles fans continue to have something to cheer about in 2009.

The 2009 season, with Aston still in charge, started unevenly with the incoming Internationals delayed by visa problems. However, the Eagles rallied to progress to the 5^th round of the Challenge Cup and produced consistent performances, gaining at least a losing bonus point from all their League games. Despite a number of long-term injuries, the team achieved their best position, 3^rd, since the re-launch, and again qualified for the play-offs.