The Midlands Hurricanes (Thursday 26th May 2022)

 Hello and welcome back to my blog. Today's blog is all about the Midlands Hurricanes. Who are they? How is their season going? Where are they based? What are their goals? All that will be discussed today. I have also interviewed the founder and owner of the Hurricanes, Alan Robinson. He is also the owner of the Coventry Bears and played rugby semi professionally in both France and England in the past so he has a lot of knowledge about the 13-man code. Things we discussed will be mentioned throughout the blog. Without further ado, let's get into it.

Firstly, who are they? Well, the Hurricanes are an elite level rugby league club who currently play in League One. They are one of two new expansionist League 1 sides this season, joined by Cornwall. Essentially the Hurricanes are a rebranded Coventry Bears, who they directly replaced in League One. The Coventry Bears name continues to be used in amateur, academy and junior levels of rugby league, highlighting the close link between the two clubs, as you would expect from two sides who are owned by the same people. The Hurricanes are based in Birmingham, and play at the Portway Stadium. They share this stadium with Birmingham and Solihull RFC. This brand is intended to be more ambitious and right the wrongs that meant Coventry Bears didn't reach the success they had intended too, mainly due to them "being a tenant in a rugby union club with no secondary income streams". Robinson told me that "The Hurricanes brand allows us to develop our brand in a much bigger way. The Hurricanes will have the opportunity to develop our business to a larger market in Birmingham and also develop our business with other commercial offers such as food, drink and more opportunities to effectively market the sport and venue."

How is their season going? After 8 games, the Hurricanes sit in 8th position. This comes after 2 wins and 6 losses. However, for a new side this isn't bad. It is even better when you look at the fact that they do not play in rugby league heartlands, and therefore the local players and talent pool they had to pick from is limited. Fellow expansionist side Cornwall sit last in the league so this makes the Hurricanes season far more impressive. The Hurricanes completed multiple signings, including a few big name players like Liam Welham and Dave Scott. Robinson believes this has helped with their early success. "It is very important to have a winning team especially in our situation as we are showcasing the sport. Those guys have bought into what we are building and want to make a difference to not just the team but the club also. They are humble men and great to have around the club and help us develop in many ways." Robinson does not owe their fairly decent start just to this however. He believes "hard work, forward planning and good characters in the group that all want to play for the club" has helped. "No egos and building a long term plan is key also." The Hurricanes results from this season are below in full:

R1: Doncaster 48-20 Midlands Hurricanes

R2: Midlands Hurricanes 16-54 Swinton

R3: Cornwall 14-60 Midlands Hurricanes

R4: Midlands Hurricanes 50-28 London Skolars

R5:North Wales Crusaders 22-18 Midlands Hurricanes

R6: Midlands Hurricanes 16-22 Hunslet

R7: Rochdale  44-24 Midlands Hurricanes

R8: Keighley 29-18 Midlands Hurricanes

So, what are their goals? What is notable is that they are very ambitious and considerably more so than Coventry were. This is reflected by their short term goal. Robinson says in the short term they "want to make the play offs and challenge the top 4 clubs in the league." Ambition and belief is key to success, and with League 1 getting more competitive at the top, it is certainly reflected here. In the long term, they want to "develop our business off the field." As alluded too earlier, this should become easier under the new name and them not being a tenant of a rugby union club. Robinson went on to say they want "to build their squad on the field with a view to challenge for promotion in the coming years." Again, this shows ambition but also how they understand that it won't be a short process. This shows how well built and structured the club is and that they have a good plan, Robinson has a main target however. He wants to build "a sustainable business while growing our fanbase and developing the game in the region." Clearly, this buys into the idea that they are expansionist and doing it for the good of the game. These targets and goals show a good cross between realism and ambition, both of which are necessary for a club to succeed.

I went on to ask Robinson two more questions, including one about his playing career.

You played semi professionally both in France (at Limoux) and England (Coventry). What were the main differences?

"France was an experience. The game is fast and very tough there but probably sits between the top half of League 1 and the bottom half of the Championship in standards. It is fast and tough and has a lot of talented players from a young age. Clubs are quite rural and mainly based in small towns and villages compared to big cities. It is well supported in these towns and villages and many places revolve around the sport. I was lucky to have the opportunity to play there and I enjoyed my time there. Development of the game in France can be difficult as it is a relatively small sport there unless in major cities such as Catalans and Toulouse."

Anything you'd like to add?

"We want to be seen as the club that is striving to develop the game outside the traditional areas of the game in a sustainable way. We would welcome any support the rugby league community can give us online and in person and our door is always open to people who wish to join us on that journey as a volunteer, player or business partner."

So there we have it. It is clear to see that the Hurricanes are an incredibly positive and ambitious club on the rise. They bring so much to the game, particularly in developing the local area. Also, a massive thankyou to Alan Robinson, founder and owner of the Midlands Hurricanes, for doing the interview. If you can or you live close, make sure to head down to Portway to watch the Hurricanes and get involved! Would you like to see me do the same sort of thing for Cornwall RLFC? Thankyou for reading, I hope you have enjoyed but until next time, bye!