MARK Applegarth used to visit York trying to poach young talent. Now he is the gamekeeper attempting to keep those players from the clutches of other Super League clubs as the Minster City returns to the rugby league big-time.
It is over four decades since York was last represented in the men’s top-flight, although former Wakefield Trinity head of youth Applegarth was always alert to the juniors coming through the ranks of the area’s community clubs, as were several Super League rivals.
Now head coach at the Knights though, the 41-year-old knows the newly-promoted club have little chance of surviving and thriving in Super League long-term is ensuring a steady flow of talent from the juniors through to senior level.
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“I used to come fishing in York, as we used to call it, for that reason,” Applegarth told Rugbyleaguehub.com.
“There was no Super League club in the area and there was no one around for a 20-mile radius.
“Wakefield when I was there, Castleford, Hull – we saw it as free game.
“Now we’ve got a [Super League] club in York, we want to protect our boundaries and get as much talent as we can under the York Knights banner and get some success in Super League.”
York were one of three teams awarded promotion to an expanded 14-team Super League in October last year by an independent panel along with Bradford Bulls and Toulouse Olympique.
The swift transition to full-time status in preparation for Super League – something which would have happened for 2026 regardless of whether the Knights had stayed in the Championship – has meant rapid change behind the scenes at the club.
However, Applegarth’s experience of being in that environment at Wakefield has helped smooth the process with things like making sure the training facility at York St John University is fully booked and player nutrition is taken care of.
“If anything, it was harder coaching part-time because you only get limited time and you had to strip back what you wanted to get into players,” Applegarth said.
“Whereas when you’re full-time, you’ve got the luxury of you can train for as long as you want.
“That part is relatively easy, it’s just all of the other things.
“It’s been a very busy period, but everyone around the club has worked around the clock, and it’s time to start dancing now and get on with the rugby.”
York’s promotion not only means top-flight men’s rugby league returning to the city for the first time since the 1985-86 season, but also another crack at being a Super League head coach for Applegarth.
An ill-fated spell in charge of Wakefield in 2023 saw him depart after just one season, but he has overseen a Wembley triumph in the 1895 Cup final and a Championship grand final appearance since taking over at York 18 months ago.
While the former Wakefield, Batley and York forward is pleased to have this opportunity, he insists it is all about matching the ambitions owner Clint Goodchild has for York rather than himself.
Applegarth knows they still have a long way to go before matching the success the women’s team, York Valkyrie, have enjoyed in the Women’s Super League since their elevation, yet is confident the Knights are on the right track.
“We know it’s not going to be a straightforward line to the top,” Applegarth, whose side kick off the season at home to defending champions Hull KR on Thursday (8pm), said.
“But why coach, why play, why want to compete as a club in this league if you haven’t got a burning ambition to win it long-term?
“That’s firmly where we see ourselves long-term and why not York in 2029 or 2030, as Clint said before in an interview.
“You’ve got to have that long-term aim in life to succeed in anything.”
