Hemel Stags
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| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Hemel Stags Rugby League Club |
| Nickname(s) | Stags |
| Website | hemelstags.com |
| Colours |  |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) | |
| Coach(s) | Troy Perkins |
| Manager(s) | Bob Brown |
| Captain(s) | Barry John Swindells (club captain), |
| Competition | Kingstone Press League 1 |
| 2014 Championship 1 | 5th |
| Records | |
| National Conference League Division 3 | 1 (2012) |
| London League | 3 (1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91) |
| Southern Cup | 1 (1995) |
| Rugby League Alliance First Division | 1 (1998) |
| RLC Eastern Division | 1 (2000) |
Hemel Stags R.L.C. is a professional rugby league club based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. The club has played in Kingstone Press League 1 since the 2013 season.
"Hemel Hempstead Amateur Rugby League Football Club" played its first match on 5 April 1981 against the Walthamstow-based McEntee, losing 38–0. It began as a pub team wearing borrowed jerseys. After a series of friendly fixtures during summer 1981, the club was formally constituted and joined the Second Division of the South Amateur Rugby League. The club's original logo featured Henry VIII as the local association football team Hemel F.C. is nicknamed "The Tudors".
During the club's early seasons, success on the field was hard to come by. Nevertheless, the club was determined to prosper and in its fourth season it opened its first social club at Pennine Way in February 1985 – a modest self-build affair. Commercial pressures led to the club leaving the London League division two and joining the Midlands and South West Amateur Rugby League Association (MASWARLA) for the 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons. This brought playing success and on the club's return to the London Amateur Rugby League it became the dominant force in amateur rugby league in the South of England.
Hemel were London League champions in 1989–90 and 1990–91 and from there joined the Rugby League Alliance in 1991; the club played the reserve teams of professional clubs. At the same time, the club appointed Chris Tate as its first full-time development officer with the task of developing junior and youth players in Hemel. The first Stag logo appeared at this time.
The club spent three seasons in the National Conference League Premier Division between 1993 and 1996. David Ellis coached at the club during the 1993–94 and the 1994–95 seasons. A move to the National Conference League saw the club narrowly miss promotion to the professional ranks in 1993. In 1994, Hemel played London Broncos in the Regal Trophy, leading 18–6 at half-time only to succumb in the final 10 minutes. The club's playing depth that day was emphasised when, in the curtain-raiser, its reserves won the Southern Counties Cup against the all-Kiwi South London Warriors.
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