SHOCK WIN IS JUST THE START
York City Knights signal their intent to progress after defeating Wolfpack
AS much as York City Knights’ shock win over Toronto Wolfpack clearly caught the eye on the field, owner Jon Flatman believes that is just a snapshot of what the aspiring League 1 club could achieve off it, too.
He was yesterday slowly beginning to take in the enormity of Sunday’s stunning 26-16 victory against star-studded opponents that included the likes of Kiwi international Fuifui Moimoi, Craig Hall and Ryan Brierley.
The high-profile Canadian newcomers had won all 15 League 1 games this season but saw that 100 per cent record ruined by the heroic part-timers in their opening Super 8s game.
Furthermore, a crowd of 2,602 attended at Bootham Crescent to witness one of the club’s most famous victories.
It obliterated recent records and came mainly on the back of a super social media marketing campaign spearheaded by the club but supported fully by the council, the city’s community clubs and a plethora of Super League stars, too.
Just to put that attendance into context, York had been averaging around 850 ahead of this transAtlantic contest.
However, the story is all the more remarkable considering last autumn the club almost ceased to exist.
Indeed, its previous owners had called off the opening Super 8s fixture back then due to ongoing ground issues which they said could bring an end to professional rugby league in the city.
It teetered on the edge, consumed by weeks of uncertainty, before Flatman led a consortium to complete a takeover on December 1 and, thankfully, steer the club in a completely new direction.
It has produced a breath of fresh air and instilled new belief in what rugby league in York could yet achieve.
Under head coach James Ford’s leadership, they won 10 of their League 1 games this term and are certainly in the frame to push on for a top-five finish and play-off semi-final spot.
Watching events unfold on Sunday was further justification of his decision to invest for Flatman although he conceded it remains slightly blurry and not because of excessive celebrations either.
“I was on a 4am flight back from Majorca on Sunday morning with a nine-month old baby so you can imagine how much sleep I got beforehand,” he told The Yorkshire Post.
“I scraped through the day, got back home, had two glasses of wine and was in bed for 10.30.
“It was a great day, though. Having not been to bed for 35 hours, it was all genuinely surreal in a lot of ways and just great to see: hard work, grit, effort and a considerable amount of skill going in to produce such a result.
“But everyone felt like they had played their part, not just the players but the coaches, backroom staff, medical staff and those in the office.
“This is just a step on the journey for York; this is not the culmination of 10 years work to put 2,600 people in the ground.
“There is so much more potential; this is merely a start.”
It is one of the sport’s many mysteries how a city the size of York has never established a rugby league club of genuine force but a puzzle which Flatman hopes to eventually solve.
In an age where League 1 has a Canadian team and outposts at Oxford, Coventry and Gloucester, the Championship has French club Toulouse while Wigan and Hull are taking a Super League game to Wollongong in New South Wales to promote the sport, surely there has to be a market in York?
“It’s the second most visited city in the country outside of London,” Flatman continued.
“You can get a train from York to London inside two hours and get anywhere from here while the current position of the stadium being right in the city centre makes a trip to see us as a real day out.
“York is a place people want to visit and why shouldn’t rugby league be a part of that?
“The lack of professional sport in the region – we’re not going up against established Premier League football sides – helps as well while plans for a new stadium in 2019 are now more positive than ever before.
“There’s five excellent community clubs here – who all produced a video to promote Sunday’s game – and a proud heritage for participation and talent production.
“As a region, York should be a key strategic target for the RFL.”
On the field, Ford crucially stayed loyal during all those troubled times, as did the majority of his players, while they have since utilised a partnership with Championship Hull KR to strengthen their hand further.
Indeed, Robins duo Liam Harris and Jake Butler-Fleming both played key roles on Sunday along with Ash Robson, the York-born full-back, signed from Castleford Tigers.
Confidence-boosted Knights head to Keighley Cougars in their next League 1 Super 8s fixture on Sunday, looking to continue their push for a promotion bid.
Flatman, who has held administrative roles with Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity previously, was as proud as anyone to see what occurred at the weekend.
“It was everything you want rugby league to be,” said the 38-year-old.
“Welcoming, loud, engaging and passionate – all the brand values rugby league strives for.
“From minute one, there was a real buzz and, of course, we want now to see those fans back down here. As for the future, there’s a structure in place for promotion and that’s what we’re aiming for.
“We believe we’re well placed to become a Championship club. We will be doing everything possible to see that happen.”
They have undoubtedly commanded attention. Now York will seek to capitalise on this success to help build sustained progress for rugby league in the city.
As a region, York should be a key strategic target for the RFL. Delighted York City Knights owner Jon Flatman.