Super League trophy makes the journey to Blackpool Scorpions

Wigan Warriors brought the Super League trophy to the Scorpions’ training base at Common Edge Community Sports Village.

The visit was to celebrate the opening of a floodlit rugby pitch and training area, completing a £6m investment in the facility under phase one of the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone.

As well as being available to hire by the community, the pitch also provides a new match and training base for the Scorpions’ various teams.

One of those is the U12s, coached by Craig Campbell and Tom Evans, whose players’ progress has caught the eye of Super League clubs.

“We’ve started from nothing and we’ve got Warrington Wolves, Salford Red Devils and Wigan Warriors involved,” Campbell said.

“They are going to send coaches to coach us because they have heard we’re a good team and a few of our team have been training with Warrington and Salford – and some are going to Wigan.

“Our first season was last season, though we’d been training for 12 months before that, and though some of them are still a bit raw, the rest have come on in leaps and bounds.”

As well as the rugby pitch and training area, the facility boasts 14 new grass football pitches, a full-size 3G football pitch and sports pavilion.

That pavilion includes six changing rooms, two officials’ rooms, two kitchens and a large community room, while a 194-space car park with sustainable drainage and new access road have also been completed as part of the works.

Scorpions chairman Dave Ratcliffe added: “These facilities are fantastic and it’s every community club’s dream to be able to use a new pitch and training area, as well as new changing rooms.

“There are Super League clubs that would envy a training facility like this. Hopefully it will inspire more men, women and girls to play rugby and get involved with our training sessions.”

The club is looking to recruit new players at U10, U12 and U14 levels with details available through its Facebook page.