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The London Skolars are a rugby league club based at the New River Stadium in Wood Green, Haringey, North London. Founded in 1995, the club operated as a semi-professional team for 2003 and competed in the League 1 until it withdrew from the professional leagues at the end of 2023.[1][2] The London Skolars were accepted into the Southern Conference League (SCL) for the 2024 season.[3]
 | ||
| Club information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | London Skolars Rugby League Football Club | |
| Nickname(s) | Skolars | |
| Colours |  | |
| Founded | 1995 (as Student Rugby League Old Boys) | |
| Website | skolarsrl.com | |
| Current details | ||
| Ground(s) |
| |
| CEO | Colin Browne | |
| Chairman | Adrian Fraine | |
| Coach | Trevor McLachlan | |
| Manager | Charlie DeHaan | |
| Captain | Louis Robinson | |
| Competition | Southern Conference League | |
| 2023 season | 10th (League 1) | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
| Records | ||
| London League | 3 (2000, 2001, 2004) | |
| RLC Challenge Cup | 1 (2004) | |
| RLC Southern Division | 1 (2000) | |
| RLC London & South Division | 1 (2002) | |
| Middlesex 9s | 1 (2003) | |
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The London Skolars were founded in 1995 by Ian "Hector" MCNeil as the Student Rugby League Old Boys. The club was established for post-university graduates in London who wished to continue playing competitive rugby league, with several former international student players among its members. Initially, the team played at Hackney RFC and quickly expanded its player base to include London-based antipodeans and local rugby enthusiasts.
In 1997, the club changed its name to London Skolars, partly to humorously reference its academic origins but primarily due to a potential sponsorship from Skol Lager. The Skolars became a founding member of the Southern Conference League (SCL), the precursor to the Rugby League Conference, and won the inaugural competition[1] (under the name North London Skolars). They also relocated to New River Stadium. Later that year, the Skolars joined the National Conference League, becoming the only club south of Sheffield in the competition for four consecutive seasons.
In 1998, the Skolars hosted Strella XIII, marking the first time a team from Tatarstan had toured Great Britain. During the 1999 season, the Skolars toured Russia, becoming the first amateur club to tour the former Soviet Union.[1]
In 2000, the Skolars' first team won the Southern Division of the Rugby League Conference, while the second team secured the London League title. The second team repeated this achievement in 2001.
The club applied to join the National Leagues in 2002 and was accepted, becoming the first club in eighty years to transition from amateur to professional leagues.[1] The A team also joined the Conference and won the London & South Division in its first year.
In 2003, during their inaugural season in National League Two, the Skolars finished at the bottom of the league[4] but made significant progress in 2004, winning the Middlesex 9s and the London League. They dropped "North" from their name to become London Skolars. The appointment of Latham Tawhai as a full-time coach at the end of the 2005 season marked another step forward for the club.
Tawhai left the Skolars at the end of 2007 to become assistant coach at Harlequins RL, and was succeeded by Tony Benson.[5] Benson left at the end of the 2008 season due to the logistical challenges of traveling from his home in Leigh, Greater Manchester. Callum Irving, Benson's assistant, took over as head coach but resigned in July 2009 for personal reasons. Injured player Jermaine Coleman then served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. In 2009, the club appointed its first full-time CEO, Philip Browne, who was later replaced by Howard Kramer in 2010. The Skolars finished the 2009 season in 10th place in the Championship One table, taking the wooden spoon with just one win and five points. James Massara, a Hammersmith-born 32-year-old, was named head coach in 2010, followed by the appointment of former Harlequins RL layer Joe Mbu in October 2010.
Under Mbu, the Skolars finished 4th in the Championship 1 in 2013, reaching the play-offs but failing to achieve promotion after being knocked out in the semi-finals. In 2014, the Skolars finished 7th out of 9 teams. Following a heavy defeat by Swinton Lions in the Challenge Cup early in the 2015 season, Mbu was released from his contract on 9 March.[6]
On 18 March 2015, the Skolars appointed ex-player and then Hemel Stags assistant coach Jermaine Coleman as head coach.[7] In his first season, Coleman led the Skolars to 11th place out of 14 teams. He strengthened the squad and guided the Skolars to a top-8 playoff position, securing a dramatic 23-22 win over the Gloucestershire All Golds.[8]
In 2021, Mbu returned as coach. However, the team struggled in the league, finishing 9th out of 11 in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The 2023 season was particularly challenging, the club announced it would withdraw from the professional structure and continue as a community club in the Southern Conference League.[2] On 29 July, they withdrew from the Southern Conference League, being unable to field for a number of matches.[9]
On 12 September 2024, it was reported that Australian Trevor McLachlan had been appointed as head coach.[10]
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- Latham Tawhai (2005–2007)
- Tony Benson (2007–2008)
- Jermaine Coleman (2009)
- James Massara (2010)
- Joe Mbu (2010–2015)
- Jermaine Coleman (2015–2021)
- Joe Mbu (2021–2023)
- Trevor McLachlan (2024–present)
| Season | League | Challenge Cup | Other competitions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Play-offs | ||||
| 2003 | National League Two | 18 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 222 | 876 | 3 | 10th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2004 | National League Two | 18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 361 | 583 | 12 | 8th | Did not qualify | R4 | Middlesex 9s | W |
| 2005 | National League Two | 18 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 258 | 620 | 4 | 10th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2006 | National League Two | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 406 | 776 | 11 | 9th | Did not qualify | R4 | ||
| 2007 | National League Two | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 448 | 610 | 30 | 9th | Did not qualify | R4 | ||
| 2008 | National League Two | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 449 | 823 | 20 | 11th | Did not qualify | R4 | ||
| 2009 | Championship 1 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 210 | 927 | 5 | 10th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2010 | Championship 1 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 444 | 900 | 10 | 10th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2011 | Championship 1 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 433 | 678 | 21 | 9th | Did not qualify | R4 | ||
| 2012 | Championship 1 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 558 | 560 | 26 | 7th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2013 | Championship 1 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 489 | 468 | 32 | 4th | Lost in preliminary final | R3 | ||
| 2014 | Championship 1 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 443 | 609 | 23 | 7th | Did not qualify | R4 | ||
| 2015 | Championship 1 | 22 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 388 | 671 | 10 | 11th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2016 | League 1 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 470 | 650 | 16 | 8th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2017 | League 1 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 367 | 453 | 13 | 11th | Lost in Shield Final | R4 | ||
| 2018 | League 1 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 626 | 887 | 13 | 12th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2019 | League 1 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 440 | 542 | 15 | 8th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2020 | League 1 | League abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom | R3 | ||||||||||
| 2021 | League 1 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 372 | 605 | 7 | 9th | Did not qualify | Did not participate | ||
| 2022 | League 1 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 440 | 827 | 12 | 9th | Did not qualify | R3 | ||
| 2023 | League 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 254 | 897 | 0 | 10th | Did not qualify | R2 | ||
| 2024 | Southern Conference League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 74 | 476 | 0 | 9th | Did not qualify | Did not participate | ||
League
- RFL London League:
- Winners (3): 2000, 2001, 2004
- Conference South Division:
- Winners (2): 2000, 2002
- Conference Eastern Division:
- Winners (1): 1997
Cups
- Conference Challenge Cup:
- Winners (1): 2004
- Harry Jepson Trophy:
- Winners (2): 1997, 2012
Nines
- Middlesex 9s:
- Winners (1): 2003
Semi-professional era from 2003 to 2023
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Apps. | Points | Skolars Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gareth Honor |
198 | 133 | 2003–2011 |
| 2 | Austen Aggrey |
178 | 216 | 2004–2012 |
| 3 |  Jermaine Coleman |
164 | 116 | 2004–2011; 2015–2019; 2021 |
| 4 | Lamont Bryan |
145 | 192 | 2010–2012; 2014–2015; 2017–2023 |
| 5= | Dave Williams |
144 | 104 | 2010–2017 |
| Michael Sykes |
32 | 2010–2019; 2021 | ||
| 7 | John Paxton |
128 | 124 | 2009–2017 |
| 8 | Neil Thorman |
119 | 518 | 2010–2012; 2018–2022 |
| 9 | Corey Simms |
112 | 108 | 2005–2009 |
| 10 | Aaron Small |
109 | 128 | 2010–2012; 2015–2017; 2021–2023 |
Most tries
| Rank | Player | Tries | Apps. | Skolars Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austen Aggrey |
54 | 178 | 2004–2012 |
| 2 | Ade Adebisi |
52 | 68 | 2006; 2010–2013 |
| 3 | Lamont Bryan |
48 | 145 | 2010–2012; 2014–2015; 2017–2023 |
| 4 | James Anthony |
47 | 85 | 2011–2013; 2015 |
| 5 | Lameck Juma |
42 | 97 | 2012; 2016–2023 |
| 6 | Gareth Honor |
33 | 198 | 2003–2011 |
| 7= |  Matt Thomas |
32 | 83 | 2008–2012 |
| Aaron Small |
109 | 2010–2012; 2015–2017; 2021–2023 | ||
| 9 | John Paxton |
31 | 128 | 2009–2017 |
| 10 |  Dylan Skee |
30 | 72 | 2011–2013 |
Most goals
| Rank | Player | Goals | D-Gls. | Apps. | Skolars Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Skee |
229 | 1 | 72 | 2011–2013 |
| 2 | Neil Thorman |
226 | 2 | 119 | 2010–2012; 2018–2022 |
| 3 | Paul Thorman |
221 | 2 | 106 | 2007–2010 |
| 4 | Jy-mel Coleman |
97 | 3 | 88 | 2009–2011; 2016–2019; 2021 |
| 5 | Mike Bishay |
70 | 1 | 105 | 2013–2021 |
| 6 | Phil Lyon |
67 | 0 | 47 | 2017–2018; 2022–2023 |
| 7 | Tim Gee |
50 | 0 | 24 | 2005–2006 |
| 8 | Charlie Lawrence |
46 | 2 | 50 | 2016–2018 |
| 9 | Jake Johnstone |
45 | 0 | 24 | 2003 |
| 10 | Ben Joyce |
36 | 2 | 69 | 2004–2006; 2009 |
Most points
| Rank | Player | Points | Apps. | Skolars Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Skee |
579 | 72 | 2011–2013 |
| 2 | Neil Thorman |
518 | 119 | 2010–2012; 2018–2022 |
| 3 | Paul Thorman |
488 | 106 | 2007–2010 |
| 4 | Jy-mel Coleman |
285 | 88 | 2009–2011; 2016–2019; 2021 |
| 5 | Mike Bishay |
253 | 105 | 2013–2021 |
| 6 | Austen Aggrey |
216 | 178 | 2004–2012 |
| 7 | Ade Adebisi |
208 | 68 | 2006; 2010–2013 |
| 8 | Lamont Bryan |
192 | 145 | 2010–2012; 2014–2015; 2017–2023 |
| 9 | James Anthony |
188 | 85 | 2011–2013; 2015 |
| 10 | Lameck Juma |
168 | 97 | 2012; 2016–2023 |
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