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Figure caption,'A huge, dark cloud has been lifted from this place'
ByAled WilliamsBBC Sport Wales- Published1 hour ago
They may have an unwanted place in rugby league history but the recent tale of North Wales Crusaders is one of survival.
Their 134-0 defeat by London Broncos was the biggest loss of any side in the top two divisions in the 131-year history of rugby league.
It was the third time the team had conceded 100 points in the Championship this season - also an unwanted record.
But heavy defeats have been the least of the problems faced by the crisis-hit club who were "hours from extinction" a few weeks ago, when fielding a team at all was a remarkable feat.
Sean Long was enjoying a family break during the spring when he received a call to arms to help a club that was on the brink of folding.
"So I'm in Center Parcs and my phone starts going," said Long as he recalled his sudden elevation to lead the troubled side.
"We need a squad in three days. Where can we find them?"
With nine games played, Championship club Crusaders were in deep trouble.
The previous owners had announced they would no longer fund the Colwyn Bay-based club, who only a few months earlier had won the League One title.
Players had not been paid for weeks and with their contracts null and void, they left the club - resulting in two games being cancelled.
A group of supporters and volunteers rallied and a new company, NW Rugby League 26 Ltd, was formed and granted an interim licence by the Rugby Football League (RFL).
Long, head coach of the club's women's and development teams, had only a few days to put a team together to fulfill their fixture at Goole Vikings on 9 May.
Image caption, A previous incarnation of Crusaders played in Super League between 2009 and 2011
"We spoke to a lot of good people, player representatives, and I've pulled some players from the amateur game," said Long.
"We got beat comfortably, but it really wasn't about that."
Crusaders had lost the game 80-0, conceding 15 tries in the process.
"I've never come away from a game having lost by so many points [but] actually feeling like I'd won," he added.
"One day I'll sit down and I'll probably write a little bit of a book about this craziness."
It is a sentiment shared by the club's former owner Jamie Elkaleh, who has returned as chairman.
"The fans have had a crazy time in the last few months," he said.
"There's horror stories when you talk about kit going missing, paying for things and not getting it.
"But frankly, not knowing whether they're going to have a rugby team to support."
Elkaleh admitted the club were hours away from folding and becoming extinct.
"That was the bottom line. We had hours to make a decision," he added.
"Are we going to try and set this up as a new company? Are we going to put a new team together? Are we going to be able to put days on like today?
"We took the chance. We said yes, and thankfully, so far, it's paid off.
"It's been hard work to this point, but the challenge ahead of us is tremendous."
Hours from extinction
Deducted 12 points as punishment for the club's financial failings, and with a hastily reassembled squad, the 2026 season was no longer about being a contender in the Championship. It was about survival.
"The RFL has told us we need to basically show that we're financially viable, sustainable, to get a licence for 2027," explained Elkaleh.
"That gives us the right to actually compete in the future. Without that, there'll be no North Wales [Crusaders].
"We wouldn't be here unless we thought and felt in our hearts that we believe there's a place for rugby league in north Wales.
"The professional game needs it. They don't just want it, they need it.
"Welsh rugby is strong and we need to show the rest of the competition that it's here to stay."
Image source, Dewi OwenImage caption, North Wales Crusaders won the League One title in 2025
Crusaders' first home game under the new regime saw them host Salford, a club themselves all too familiar with financial issues.
More than 900 fans were present at Colwyn Bay's Eirias Stadium with Crusaders making it a family occasion, something the club are looking to embrace more.
On the pitch Salford were convincing 86-0 winners, and that game was followed by the record loss to Broncos a week later.
But for all connected with Crusaders - officials and supporters - they are simply grateful the club have a future ahead.
"When you just look at the scores you're not seeing what I'm seeing," said Long, who is now head of rugby after Mike Grady returned as head coach.
"There's stuff that goes on when cameras aren't there, when eyes aren't there, and we're moving in the right direction.
"I've got a good group of people in that changing room at the minute that are really passionate to get better."
Image caption, Jamie Elkaleh has returned to North Wales Crusaders as chairman
Dubai-based Elkaleh had originally become the club's majority shareholder in June 2024 before handing over control to The EggChaser Group later that year.
Now back involved with the club, Elkaleh is confident - despite the setbacks on and an off the pitch - of a brighter future.
However, he acknowledges that there are bridges to be built.
"The stage that we're at now is only possible because of volunteers and a group of people coming together, recognising the issue, grouping together and then putting a plan forward for the new company to really form and continue north Wales rugby," he said.
"We're trying to hopefully build a solid base, built on trust and actually try and rebuild the name of rugby league in Wales. It's a mess right now.
"We've got a lot of hard work to do."
A trip to Whitehaven next Saturday will be followed by a home game on 21 June against Halifax Panthers - a club who like Crusaders have teetered on the edge of survival after going into liquidation last February over an unpaid tax bill.
More heavy defeats may follow, but every weekend that Crusaders compete in a fixture is a little victory for rugby league in north Wales.
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