Doncaster R.L.C.
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| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Doncaster Rugby League Club |
| Nickname(s) | The Dons |
| Short name | Doncaster |
| Website | doncasterrugbyleague.co.uk |
| Colours |  |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Departed | 1995 |
| Readmitted | 1995 (as Doncaster Dragons) |
| details | |
| Ground(s) |
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| Coach(s) | Gary Thornton |
| Competition | Kingstone Press Championship |
| 2014 RFL Championship | 4th |
Doncaster Rugby League Club is a professional rugby league football club, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. They play in the third tier League 1.
They have previously been known as Doncaster Dragons (1995–2005) and Doncaster Lakers (2006–2007). They were also previously informally known as The Dons but it is now their official nickname.
Professional rugby league first began in Doncaster during the buildup to the 1951–52 season. Doncaster played their first game on Saturday 18 August 1951 and began on a winning note, defeating Wakefield Trinity 10–3 at York Road Greyhound Stadium in front of a crowd of 7,600. Doncaster finished their inaugural season in eleventh position, they won 21, drew one and lost 14 league matches.
The club originally nicknamed 'The Dons' played at the Doncaster Greyhound Stadium, York Road before moving to the new Bentley Road Stadium in August 1953. This ground became the spiritual home of Doncaster Rugby League Club and was later renamed Tatters Field or Tattersfield as a mark of respect for the former chairman Len Tattersfield.
From 1956–1961, Doncaster finished every season as the bottom side in the Northern Rugby Football Union, and remained consistently in the bottom three between 1963 and 1968. The 1970s and early 1980s proved to be no easier, with Doncaster only avoiding a bottom three finish on two occasions between 1970 and 1985.
Bill Kenny was coach of the Dons between June 1980 – May 1981.
In 1980, Yorkshire Television made a one-off documentary Another Bloody Sunday, the TV crew followed the Dons as they tried to avoid finishing the season without winning a single game.
John Sheridan became head coach of the Dons in 1984. The club had no money but Sheridan still managed to put together one of the Dons' best squads and went on to win 30 of the 44 games they played under him. He was replaced by his number-two Graham Hepptinstall after a few years but a players' revolt saw him come back for a second spell. He was voted the most influential person in the club's history by the Dons fans.
On Sunday 1 September 1991, Third Division rugby was introduced into British rugby league. Doncaster entertained Nottingham City that day with the home side winning by a club record 88–6.
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