Chester Gladiators Rugby League Football Club was formed in April 2008 by a group of Rugby League enthusiasts who shared a belief that the sport could prosper in the area.

Chester is less than 45 minutes drive from Warrington, Widnes, Wigan and St Helens but Rugby League has traditionally failed to capture the imagination of locals and the sport struggled to maintain a place in the city’s sporting calendar.

The most notable attempt at developing the game in the area coincided with the advent of summer rugby when Chester Wolves entered the Rugby League Conference. They first competed in 1998 and were crowned champions the following season, after a thrilling Grand Final victory over Crawley Jets. Unfortunately, the club were unable to build on this early success as

In 2005 Chester Wolves returned to competitive action after Widnes based club West Bank Bears expressed an interest in bringing Rugby League back to the city. However, this venture failed to capture local interest and the club left the Rugby League Conference for a second time at the end of the 2006 season.

An interesting side note on the history of Rugby League within Chester is that, for many years the city of Chester played host to a hugely popular Rugby League sevens festival, an event first staged in 1979. The inaugural competition saw former Warrington Wolves favourites Mike Nicholas & Frank Reynolds representing Aberavon who defeated Cheltenham in the final.

The Chester Sevens, as the tournament became known, was organised by the Chester and North Wales Rugby League Supporters Association who were committed to the development of the sport outside of the traditional heartlands.

The event, which ran successfully for ten years, became a highlight of the amateur Rugby League calendar and the final Chester Sevens competition was staged in 1989.

The initial success of Chester Wolves and the huge interest generated via the Chester Sevens advocates the belief that there is huge potential for the game within the city of Chester.

Chester Gladiators are wholly committed to developing long-term strategies that will ensure Rugby League flourishes in the city for many years to come.

The club operated an open age side in the 2008 Impact Sports RL Merit League and received significant praise for their efforts both on and off the field. At the end of our debut season we were named as the RL Merit League Club of the Year and our Chairman Jim Green received the RL Merit League Pioneer of the Year award whilst two of our players were named in the RL Merit League Dream Team.

We hope to continue our progress in 2009 and will be launching a junior section to cater for local youngsters who wish to experience the thrill of Rugby League.