New Canadian club unveiled

The RFL has confirmed that a Canadian club called the Toronto Wolfpack will enter League 1 and the Challenge Cup next year.

The new club will play home and away fixtures in four or five match blocks, and will play their home games at Lamport Stadium in Toronto. When in the UK for away matches they will be based in Bradford.

Brian Noble has been appointed director of rugby and Paul Rowley as head coach. Former Saints and Halifax player Adam Fogerty has joined the club as a director.

The Wolfpack claim they will commence an ambitious player recuritment campaign over the summer months, with their search for talent in North America being the subject of a reality TV series called Last Tackle.

The new team is the brainchild of Wolfpack CEO Eric Perez and will be full-time.

Ex-Leigh coach Rowley said he was excited by the project.

“I believe in Eric’s dream and the enthusiasm for the sport,” he said.

“I just sense an opportunity. I think it’s exciting. It was a no-brainer for me really.”

Rowley said the club wants to push for promotion in its first season.

“We’re not in it to just come over there and not prove any points,” he said.

“We enjoy winning. We want to progress at a fast rate. We’ve got the backing, we’ve got the support and a sports-mad city and nation to embrace.

“We want to fight for promotion in year one. We want to kick forward. We’ll get the players with the winning mentality.”

RFL boss Nigel Wood said this project has been two years in the making.

Wood also said the RFL will talk about with the other League 1 clubs about the competition’s salary cap and regulatory framework, hinting there could be changes in the future.