Eagles plotting return to Super League with Steel City backing

Not since the halcyon days of their Challenge Cup final triumph, before their ill-fated merger with Huddersfield, have the Eagles been surrounded by such optimism.

Over the last decade, Eagles legend Mark Aston has reformed, revived and done all he can to keep the club afloat.

His efforts culminated in last season’s Grand Final appearance after the Eagles had finished fourth in the Co-operative Championship, above Super League-bound Widnes Vikings and the previous year’s Grand Final winners Halifax.

With a target of joining Super League in 2015, when the new round of licences are awarded, the Sheffield club are on a massive publicity drive to get the South Yorkshire public onside.

Already, they have handed out 1,000 junior season tickets, seen adult season ticket sales rise by 15 per cent and enjoyed a 1,850 attendance for their recent home match against Swinton. Another 1,412 turned out for Thursday evening’s game versus Halifax at Bramall Lane.

With crowds at Championship level usually measured in their hundreds, such turn-outs are impressive and clearly payback for the Eagles’ promotional work.

Players Tim Bergin and Misi Taulapapa have also visited the region’s schools, offering free season tickets to Under-16s.

Winger Bergin, employed full-time by Sheffield as their business and marketing manager, says the Eagles are working hard towards gaining a Super League licence and believes rugby league in Sheffield has huge potential.

“It was a fantastic turnout (against Swinton) and there was a lot of hard work which went into it so it was great to get that kind of pay-off,” said Irishman Bergin. “One of the big reasons behind that turnout was the work we have been doing in schools.

“What we have been doing this season is offer Under-16s free season tickets to try and get them down and watch professional sport. It’s getting more and more expensive these days to watch any kind of sport.

“The more people we can get down to watch us the better. Last season we had a great performance on the field, reaching the Grand Final, and that satisfies our criteria to apply for the next Super League licence. That’s a huge thing, and one of the things that contributes to your application is crowds – you have to have an average attendance of 2,500 to apply for a Super League franchise.

“It’s something that we are building towards, but it has been something of an Achilles heel for Sheffield Eagles in the past.

“I don’t think there has really been a huge amount of effort or attention put in. I think if we can engage with the Sheffield public then we could be looking at really big crowds in the future.

“It’s such a shame. When there was Super League in the city in the past, when Mark (Aston) and Daryl (Powell) were playing, I don’t think there was enough done then either.

“I think Sheffield is such a big city, 600,000 people living here, and one of the biggest cities in England. We should definitely be striving to, in the not-too-distant future, having full stadiums watching Super League rugby.

“It’s something that is attainable, and one of the big things is getting into schools and letting kids know about the sport.”

The Eagles had their greatest day back on May 2, 1998 when John Kear’s side beat massive pre-match favourites Wigan in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley.

Aston won the Lance Todd Trophy as man of the match, but what the player did next was much more crucial in the club’s history.

The decision to merge Huddersfield and Sheffield was never going to work, and many people in Sheffield became disillusioned with the sport.

But Aston refused to let the Eagles die as he reformed the club and, just like in 1984 when Gary Hetherington first launched the team at Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield had their own team back – albeit having to start from scratch in the lower leagues.

“The whole merger was a bit of a fiasco and did knock things back a little bit,” said 26-year-old Bergin. “Building from the very start again to get the club back to the level it’s at now, which is on the verge of Super League again.

“All the effort which has gone into getting the club where it needs to be was essential, but now we need to bring the club to the attention of the people in Sheffield.

“It’s amazing how many people you talk to in Sheffield who don’t know what’s going on at Sheffield Eagles. That’s one of the first things we need to fix.”

They enjoyed the last remaining unbeaten record of 2012 before Halifax stunned them 50-18 during the week.

The Eagles have already flown through the Northern Rail group stages to set up a June quarter-final against Hunslet Hawks, who they have already beaten in the league this season.

“We have been playing really well, strengthened our squad from last year – we have only lost one player from the side that reached the Grand Final – so it bodes well for the season to come,” added Bergin. “We should be looking to win a trophy this year and a winning team engages the public more than anything else.

“The first league game we had at home, against Swinton, a lot of new fans came along and we had a 1,850 crowd which was great. The game finished up 56-22 to us, so that was good to get that kind of score and show the new fans what sort of quality their team has.”

Bergin now hopes the RFL will be impressed with the Eagles’ progress and award them a Super League licence in two years.

“The next batch of Super League applications is 2015, so our bid will go in and we’ll find out in 2014. That’s the aim for Sheffield, to be one of the teams to get those licences. If the RFL are looking at it logically, Sheffield is the next best place to put a franchise.

“There’s the best possibility of growth, the history is already there, and the size of the city means there is huge commercial interest for a Super League side.

“I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility to be looking at a full stadium of Super League rugby in the next 10 years. It has been done at other clubs, codes and sports.”

On a personal level, Bergin also has one eye on next year’s World Cup. Named Ireland’s player of the year in 2011, the former University graduate is hoping to be selected for a tournament which sees the Irish grouped with formidable opponents in hosts England, Australia and Fiji.

“We are in a group with England, Australia and Fiji so it should be interesting,” said Bergin. “It will be fantastic to play in a World Cup, subject to selection.

“Not many people can claim to have played in a World Cup, a global competition, and it will be a really massive achievement for me.”

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