Doncaster Knights aiming to accentuate positives at Castle Park

Having long been one of the most pro-active clubs in the Championship, the South Yorkshire outfit is now seeking to significantly increase its crowds and further strengthen links in its surrounding communities.

Indeed, executive chairman Tony De Mulder has set a bold target of increasing home crowds by more than 100 per cent as part of a bid to make the organization completely self-sufficient in the long-term.

For decades, he and good friend Steve Lloyd have pumped their own money into their beloved club, helping to not only finance squad-building but improve facilities at Castle Park.

A new Artificial Grass Pitch (AGP), for instance, has recently been installed at a cost of £750,000 which also includes provision for nine-a-side football – not just rugby operations – creating one new source of income.

They also funded the main stand at Castle Park which has grown into a such an impressive venue that it recently attracted the RFU to host two England Ladies Test matches there.

Of course, it begs the question what will happen when the benefactors are no longer around, part of the reason they are making this push now.

Rivals Yorkshire Carnegie, for instance, are in financial meltdown after seeing one of their shareholders pull out, leaving them desperately trying to simply raise a part-time operation for the new season in September.

De Mulder, 75, said: “It is a great shame.

“We’re not happy because it does drag the Championship into the mire again.

“It’s like London Welsh again; it’s not been good management.

“Those who are supposed to be sponsoring it (Carnegie) and given them all the kudos to spend all the money that they have done have suddenly backed out.

“That’s the danger with having sponsors who are, in my opinion, probably not too interested in rugby.

“I started here (Doncaster) when I was 17, over on that pitch over there, while Steve started a bit later on in his 30s. It’s part of our life.

“But if we get knocked over by a bus tomorrow we have things in place that would last after our deaths. We’ve given the club time, a period of three years, to get themselves sorted out.

“But it’s also why we want to try and make it self-sustainable now.”

De Mulder addresses the misconception that the duo own the club – “We don’t. Although we’re putting a lot of money, it is actually a co-operative and community benefit society” – and explains how he sees it developing.

He said: “We’re trying to grow the club into an even bigger community club.

“Sport England are now putting millions of pounds into Doncaster.

“They have £100m to spend across 12 boroughs who they consider are not getting enough exercise.

“It’s called Get Doncaster Moving and, as one of the major clubs in the town, we’re playing a big part in it.

“We’re just embarking on a campaign to engage all the communities. In the past we haven’t had much connection with the council as most of our things have been self-funded.

“Now, of course, with this new Sport England initiative, we’ve been asked to be leaders in the Get Doncaster Moving bid.

“It’s not just sport; anything that will get people moving. We’re embarking on that and we’re aiming at getting more involved in rugby. That will get us out there.

“In doing that, you’re engaging with a lot of people, especially in the local communities.

“The aim is to grow the crowds. We’re only averaging about 1,500 at the moment.

“When we’ve had big occasions, like the Women’s England Test matches or derby games against Carnegie or Rotherham, we used to get about 3,500.

“We need that sort of figure – 3,500 to 4,000 – every week to make this place self-sustainable or nearly, at least.

“You always need sponsorship but to make it that you can keep a Championship side we need about double the crowd we have today.

“It’s a goal we’re working at. Hopefully, we can get up there.”

De Mulder realises there must be improvements on the pitch to do that; they have been regular top-four challengers in recent years under long-serving director of rugby Clive Griffiths but finished 10th last term.

There has, then, been a coaching shake-up with Tom Smith, the former Scotland and British Lions prop, coming in as a new head coach. Griffiths remains at the helm mentoring the incoming Smith – “like a Sir Alex Ferguson role” – while there has been eight “exciting” new signings in readiness for the new campaign.

Doncaster’s Academy, in partnership with Doncaster College, continues to go from strength to strength, and will double in size to approximately 70 students next season.

In its three years of existence, Knights have already seen four first-team players come through.

If these latest plans come to fruition, that will just be tip of the iceberg.