The Halifax Panthers Wheelchair Rugby League Football Club are an English wheelchair rugby league club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire. The club competes in the RFL Wheelchair Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. The club was formed in 2005.
| Club information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Halifax Panthers Wheelchair Rugby League Football Club | ||
| Nickname(s) | The Panthers Fax | ||
| Colours | Blue and White | ||
| Founded | 2005 | ||
| Website | halifaxpanthers.co.uk | ||
| Current details | |||
| Competition | Super League | ||
| 2023 | 4th (Semi-finalists) | ||
 Current season | |||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| Records | |||
| Championships | 5 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022) | ||
| Challenge Cups | 4 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) | ||
| European Club Challenges | 1 (2023) | ||
History edit
In July 2005, wheelchair rugby league was introduced to England by a French team who played against a team from Halifax.[1][2][3] The team was known as Calderdale in 2008 when several players were selected for the England world cup squad,[4] but became Halifax RLFC Wheelchair Tag Rugby League in 2009.[5][6]
Halifax Panthers wheelchair team was one of the three founding members of the wheelchair rugby league competition in the United Kingdom along with Bury Jigsaw and Mersey Storm, with the former beating the panthers in the inaugural competition grand final.[7][8] Bury would be the dominant force in the early days of the competition, winning the round robin format national championship in 2012 and 2013.[9][10] 2015 saw Halifax's first silverware winning the league and cup double,[11][12] which they would retain twice over winning the double again in 2016 and 2017.[13] Halifax missed out of the league in 2018 but retained the cup for a fourth year running.[14] Halifax won the first official Super League in 2019.[15] Halifax's next league title came in 2022,[16][17][18] qualifying them for the newly formed European Club Challenge in which they shared the inaugural title with French champions Catalans Dragons after a 32–32 draw.[19]
Seaons edit
| Season | League | Challenge Cup |
European Club Challenge | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Play-offs | |||
| 2011 | Super League | Unknown | 2nd/3rd | No Competition | No Competition | |||||||
| 2012 | National Championship | Unknown | 2nd/3rd | |||||||||
| 2013 | National Championship | Unknown | 2nd/3rd | |||||||||
| 2014 | National Championship | Unknown | 2nd/3rd/4th | |||||||||
| 2015 | Premier League | Unknown | Champions | Champions | ||||||||
| 2016 | Premier League | Unknown | Champions | Champions | ||||||||
| 2017 | Premier League | Unknown | Champions | Champions | ||||||||
| 2018 | Premier League | Unknown | Runners-up | Champions | ||||||||
| 2019 | Super League | Unknown | Champions | Semi-finals | ||||||||
| 2020 | Super League | Season due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||
| 2021 | Super League | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 312 | 316 | 8 | 3rd | Lost in Semi-final | Third-place | |
| 2022 | Super League | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 675 | 487 | 16 | 2nd | Champions | Fourth-place | |
| 2023 | Super League | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 519 | 351 | 10 | 4th | Lost in Semi-final | Fourth-place | Champions |
Honours edit
Leagues edit
Cups edit
- Winners (4): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
International edit
- Winners (1): 2023
References edit
- ^ "Major stages and big events". Rugby XIII Fauteuil. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008.
- ^ "Rugby League pioneers recognised in New Year's Honours". Rugby Football League. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014.
- ^ "Challenge GB". Rugby XIII Fauteuil. Archived from the original on 15 November 2008.
- ^ "England Wheelchair team reach World Cup Final". RLEF. 12 November 2008. Archived from the original on 28 December 2009.
- ^ "England Wheelchair Tag RL squad named". Rugby Football League. 3 August 2009. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012.
- ^ "Halifax RLFC Wheelchair Tag Rugby League". Calderdale Community Coaching Trust. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009.
- ^ "SLTV: England Wheelchair prepare for French test". therfl.co.uk. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011.
- ^ "England and France clash in Wheelchair International". RFL. 3 October 2011. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011.
- ^ "Wheelchair rugby league season reaches thrilling climax". Activity Alliance. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ "News". Wheelchair Rugby League. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
- ^ "Halifax claim Wheelchair RL double". Rugby-League.com. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Challenge Cup round up". www.rugby-league.com. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Brown scores 15 tries as Halifax win Wheelchair Challenge Cup". www.rugby-league.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Halifax retain Wheelchair Challenge Cup title". www.rugby-league.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Wheelchair finals are just grand for Halifax and Hull". Rugby-League.com. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Wheelchair Super League Grand Final: Halifax Panthers win thriller final 52–48 vs Leeds Rhinos". Sky Sports. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Wheelchair Super League Grand Final: Halifax Panthers beat Leeds Rhinos to win title". BBC Sport. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Leeds Rhinos come up short in thrilling Wheelchair Grand Final against Halifax despite sensational comeback". Serious About Rugby League. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ https://www.rugby-league.com/article/62078/wheelchair-rugby-league-european-club-challenge