MacKillop Saints
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club Inc. |
| Nickname(s) | Saints |
| Colours | Ochre Blue White |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) |
|
MacKillop Saints is a sporting association based in Palmerston, Northern Territory on the grounds of MacKillop Catholic College, with its primary enterprise as of 2018 being the MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club Inc.
MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club[edit]
The MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club Inc. is a College-based Rugby League club in the Palmerston suburb of Johnston, NT, playing out of Saints Field at MacKillop Catholic College. It participates in school Rugby League Competitions in the Northern Territory and runs programmes for player recruitment, development, coaching, and training, as well as facilitating NT and interstate travel events for young Rugby League players. The president of the Club is David Graham.[1]
History[edit]
Beginnings: 2011 - 2013[edit]
The earliest origins of the club were with the foundation of MacKillop Catholic College in 2012, when MacKillop Rugby League was established. It was established by a college staff member, David Graham[1], a Rugby League enthusiast from Far North Queensland where the sport is popular[2]. Its Initial purpose was to promote and grow the game of Rugby League in the Northern Territory, and to provide an extracurricular option for students of the college who did not necessarily excel academically to experience success and build confidence.
In its early years, MacKillop Rugby League was instrumental in the establishment of several school Rugby League Competitions in the Northern Territory, including the Palmerston Cup, the Catholic Cup and The Sacred Heart Cup.
MacKillop Sharks: 2014 - 2016[edit]
In 2014, MacKillop Rugby League put forward a proposal to NRL NT for inclusion of the club in the Darwin A-grade competition. At the time, a number of clubs based around Darwin city were struggling financially and with a decline in membership. An offer was made by NRL NT that MacKillop Rugby League could create an alliance with the University Sharks, who had been in the competition since 1973 with earlier origins in the Army-Navy and Winnellie park clubs and had a successful history, but by 2014 were having serious difficulties and on the verge of disbanding. The proposal was accepted, and the University Sharks relocated from their traditional home in the Northern Suburbs to MacKillop Catholic College, forming the new joint partnership of the MacKillop Sharks.[3] The new entity experienced great success, performing well in both school and open competitions, culminating in winning the 2016 NT NRL premiership[4]. The partnership was, however, challenged by tension between the two organisations over financial mismanagement by Sharks committee members[5], ultimately leading to the cessation of the partnership at the end of 2016 with MacKillop Rugby League continuing at the same home ground under the new banner of The MacKillop Saints[6]. Former Sharks affiliated committee members formed a new club, The Northern Sharks, with no affiliation with the Saints or MacKillop Rugby League.
MacKillop Saints: 2017 - Present[edit]
In January 2017 after the dissolution of the MacKillop Sharks, MacKillop Rugby League formally launched its new identity of the MacKillop Saints, encompassing both the school competitions and the bid for the new identity to continue in its participation in the NRL NT. This bid was rejected at the start of 2018 due to concerns among current clubs of losing players[7]. The Saints turned their focus to developing the school competition and operates independently of the NRL NT.[8]
Future Development[edit]
Future goals of the MacKillop Saints are the construction of a stadium at their home ground, Saints Field, in Palmerston, and expansion into other sports.[9]
Links[edit]
MacKillop Saints Website: https://www.mackillopsaints.com/
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club - Palmerston - NT". MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club - Palmerston - NT. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ↑ "Sport in Queensland", Wikipedia, 2018-05-27, retrieved 2018-06-18
- ↑ Booth, Doug (2014-01-31). "Students, Sharks sign on". The NT News. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ↑ McGowan, Marc (2016-09-12). "MacKillop Sharks A grade premiership win over Palmerston one to remember" (PDF).
- ↑ Hislop, Jack (2018-03-03). "NT News" (PDF). The NT News. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ↑ "MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club - Palmerston - NT". MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club - Palmerston - NT. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ↑ "Subscribe to the NT News". www.ntnews.com.au. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ↑ "MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club - Palmerston - NT". MacKillop Saints Rugby League Football Club - Palmerston - NT. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ↑ "Plan for the Future" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-06-18.
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