We are Yorkshire, claim Leeds RU

The new Yorkshire team will replace the current Leeds operation and will be run by a new board, but they will use the existing Carnegie players, staff and facilities and remain at Headingley stadium.

The idea is the brainchild of Sir Ian McGeechan, who sees the move as the only sustainable way to create a side to represent the county at the highest level and create an integrated Yorkshire-wide system.

Leeds, who will make the announcement this morning, say they have the backing of Yorkshire RFU and England head coach Stuart Lancaster, who spent more than a decade as a player and a coach at the club.

McGeechan is appealing for 
financial support from across Yorkshire to help ensure the venture succeeds in delivering a sustainable Premiership club to represent the county.

Since his return to the club he played for when they were Headingley in the 1970s, the British and Irish Lions legend has made it his modus operandi to grow the Carnegie brand throughout the White Rose.

Last year, the club took a number of games on the road to places like Hull Ionians, Otley and Wharfedale, a tour of the county that was extended when Leeds Rugby relaid the turf at Headingley.

McGeechan has also developed the Carnegie academy, already one of the best in the north of England, into one that harnesses the best talent throughout the county.

Carnegie’s youth system has long been a consistent provider of talent for the international stage, the latest example being Luther Burrell, who with two tries in his opening two Test matches this month has demonstrated he is more than equipped for the highest level.

The big sticking point will be how this is received in the wider union community.

The news will not affect the community game too greatly, and will give local players a leading club to aspire to.

But it may smack as arrogance to those at Rotherham Titans and Doncaster Knights, Leeds’s main rivals over the last decade.

Rotherham, in particular, are likely to be unhappy that their 
rivals from up the M1 are marketing themselves as Yorkshire’s leading club when, as it currently stands, the two are level on points in the Greene King IPA Championship table.

Doncaster may have dropped out of the second tier last year, but they are on course to book an instant return as they lead National One.

Explaining the reasons behind the move, McGeechan said: “Since the game went professional in 1995, benevolent individuals at clubs like Leeds, Rotherham and Doncaster have pumped millions of pounds of their own money into trying to make professional rugby union a success in Yorkshire.

“Undoubtedly, the player pool within the county is as strong as ever with the fantastic work being done at junior and school levels.

“We have successfully created an Academy structure that benefits all clubs across the county and the time is right now to spread that philosophy to the senior structure.

“We now face a crossroads if we are able to create a sustainable future for the professional side of the game.

“The only way we can fulfil this vision is to bring together all interested parties and create a new board to enable Yorkshire Carnegie to have the resources to compete with the very best.

“I would ask anyone who would consider investment and sponsorship to contact me personally at the club so I can discuss the level of commitment required to take the project forward.”

Gary Hetherington, Carnegie’s chief executive, said: “Leeds Carnegie, Rotherham and Doncaster have all tried to create a winning team on the field to gain and retain a place in the Premiership.

“Clearly, by leveraging talent and support across Yorkshire that gives us the best chance possible of succeeding.

“The Leeds Academy has long been recognised as the best in the county and that is clearly demonstrated by the success of players such as Danny Care, Calum Clark, Rob Webber and most recently Luther Burrell.

“These players are the latest in a long history of world-class players from Yorkshire that includes the likes of Sir Ian McGeechan, John Spencer, Mike Tindall and Rob Andrew.

“This year marks the 150th 
anniversary of rugby being played in Leeds for the first time which presents a timely opportunity for us to examine a way forward for the game.

“The business model for professional rugby union has changed dramatically over the last decade and now we must forge a new way to give Yorkshire the chance to succeed.

“Rather than relying on the generosity of a handful of benefactors, we now want to create a group to control the Yorkshire franchise and allow the club to challenge the best in England and Europe.”

Property businessman Paul Caddick, who has been a long-term supporter of the team, says he will continue to support the club if he is invited to by the new board. Yorkshire Carnegie will also continue to benefit from the club’s existing sponsors and income streams as well as their partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University.

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