Crusaders RL have been sold to Wrexham Village Ltd, the owners of Wrexham FC, a move which should secure the club’s future in Wales.
Crusaders RL also announced that they will play the majority of their home games at the Racecourse Ground after Wrexham Village Ltd purchased the club from former owner Leighton Samuel.
Crusaders RL will also retain strong links with their roots by forging a close relationship with South Wales RLFC, the newly-formed Neath-based club which will play in The Co-operative Championship One in 2010.
Nigel Wood, the RFL Chief Executive, said: (quote) It is great news that not only has the future of Crusaders RL been saved but that Rugby League has been able to reinforce its presence in Wales. It became increasingly clear for a number of reasons that the club was not capable of flourishing in the situation it was in, but it is testimony to the attractiveness of the competition that new owners were found. For the first time Rugby League has a whole of Wales presence. This is a very exciting opportunity and I am sure that Geoff Moss, Paul Retout and his fellow directors at Wrexham will provide the vision, the leadership and the resources required to make Crusaders RL succeed in Wales. The RFL Clubs’ Support Unit has been working closely with the Crusaders RL in recent months and will continue to make its skills and expertise available over what is a very important period in the club’s evolution. The transfer of ownership to Wrexham Village Ltd will bring much-needed stability to Crusaders RL and the RFL is looking forward to establishing a healthy relationship with the club’s new owners. (end quote)