BY JOHN DAVIDSON
A group of statisticians and historians have compiled a complete record of the summer era of British rugby league, which will serve as an invaluable resource for the sport for years to come.
The resurrected Rugby League Record Keepers’ Club (RKC) has worked for two years to put together a list of line-ups and scorers of 15,000 matches as well as full career records for over 8,000 players.
Their work also covers all internationals played by Great Britain, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and France, and is the first part of what will become a comprehensive record of the sport’s history since its birth in 1895.
“There’s a few sources of RL stats available online, but none are complete or reliable for the British game,” Neil Ormston, organiser of the RKC, told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“We wanted to put this right, and share the great work many individuals had already undertaken, and fill in the blanks. This is the first data release: we’re already working on completing the digital records back to 1895.”
The RKC was originally founded in the 1970s, but then wound up in 1994.
“The RKC was relaunched on 1 April 2020, so it’s been exactly two years of hard work to get to this point,” Ormston explained.
“But prior to that many people had been working hard behind the scenes for years, and in some cases decades, compiling the information we’re sharing; the original RKC ran from 1972-1994 compiling information on the winter era, which will be the backbone of future releases.
“We want the website to be the go-to-source of RL stats, that people can rely on for its accuracy and comprehensive coverage of the British game.”
A large group of people have been involved in compiling the data.
“We’ve had over 50 volunteers sharing information, inputting data and verifying the records, including the club experts from nearly all the pro clubs,” Ormston said.
“We’ve now got a team of over 30 giving their time and effort for free to maintain the stats week-to-week. Â
“Special mention must go to Chris Heinitz who shared his records from the summer era, Martin McDonough for building the database that holds the information, and Chris Lines for constructing the website that showcases it all.”
Ormston has been working on the stats of his own club Warrington Wolves for years, and five years ago create their heritage site www.warringtonrugbyheritage.com.
“When there was talk of reforming the RKC I was keen to help support, and was happy to take the lead coordinating the work as I’m a huge believer in freely sharing such information for the benefit of others.”
Ormston says the RKC has “very big ambitions”.
“We want to share a comprehensive record of the British and international game on a high-quality website that’s free for everyone to access,” he said.
“Many clubs are now doing a much better job celebrating their heritage and we hope our information helps them with that, and ensures greater accuracy in the records and stats that are quoted.
“Lots of individuals have also done great work on the history of the game, and the RKC provides a virtual community that brings such people together. Â
“Membership is £5 for 12 months, and anyone can join; members also get access to our vast archive of records going back to 1895, which they can use immediately, ahead of future public data releases.”
The RKC website can be found here https://www.rugbyleaguerecords.com
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