Rotterdam International RL Festival
2004 boosted by 1895 International

The NNRLB are proud to announce that the international development group "1895 International" are confirmed as "Official Tournament Ball Sponsors" for the 1st Rotterdam International RL Festival to be held in Rotterdam during the first week of August.

During Saturday's historic visit of Saint Helens Clock Face ARLFC to Rotterdam, Dave Mcbride from the Clock Face club presented the NNRLB with a significant number of "Steeden" match balls (amongst other training and coaching equiopment) which will be used during all the games at the festival.

The NNRLB are now starting to make big inroads in Holland and assistance from the likes of 1895 International and Clock Face Miners gives the game a massive boost in the virgin League nation.

Spokesman for the 1895 International,Rob Potts states "We are delighted to be associated with the GENUINE DEVELOPMENT that is going on inside the Netherlands."

Ian Thompson General manager of the NNRLBcomments. "It shows the community spirit that makes RL such a great game. Assistance like this, in material terms rather than money terms, and the experiance the Rotterdam club learned from the match against Clock Face can only help strengthen the game here in Holland and also gives us the equipment to go out expand our player base. People forget that to play a 20 team 9's tournament a lot of balls are needed and thanks to the 1895 International this is one problem that is now solved. A massive thanks to everyone involved ".

More development news keeps coming out of the Netherlands. On Saturday 22nd May Rugby Rotterdam took to the field for their first game of League and put up an impressive performance against English amatuers Saint Helens Clock Face Miners. After a tremendous first half performance when the score was 12-6 to the visitors the Dutch club fell away in the second half to end up on the wrong end of 32-10 scoreline.

The first half showed that with more games and more League knowledge the Rotterdam club have the ability to cut it playing League.

Yet another Dutch Union club have made approaches to the NNRLB about playing League and its hoped to arrange what will be the first ever domestic club game in Holland in the near future between the Rotterdam club and either one of the two Nijmegen teams in training or the Hookers, who take their name from the port town of "Hoek van Holland" where they are based.

NNRLB development officer Ricky Oakes is planning to arrange a meeting with the club to disscuss their involvement and test the water about their inclusion in a Netherlands competition in 2005.

With four teams now at least in training League is slowly but steadily begingin to make its mark on the Netherlands sporting callander.