History
The club was founded in 1986 and Leicester lifted their first silverware in the form of the Nottingham and Mansfield Amateur Rugby League Association (NAMARLA) Division Championship in the 1987/88 season
During 1993/94, Leicester competed in the East Midlands Amateur League finishing a creditable 3rd. During the season Leicester played at their current home location of Aylestonians. Other successes during this season saw Leicester make it through to the second round of the National Cup only to lose away to Carlisle 20-10 away. Leicester also made it through to the second round of the East Midlands Cup (Stephenson Cup) losing to Doncaster 30-18.
The 1994/95 saw talks of a National Development League which Leicester and particular, Chairman Julian Harrision, were at the forefront of discussions alongside the then London Broncos Development Bev Risman.
During the season, Super League (Europe) would become Europe’s top level competition and to play during the summer of 1996. With club mergers being planned throughout the country, Leicester saw this as an opportunity to bring top level rugby league to the East Midlands so the plan was drawn up to merge Leicester Rugby League with Northampton Knights and Peterborough Rugby League. The strategy was for the new merged team, East Midlands Knights, to enter the National Conference League Division 2 and then progress up to Super League. A friendly fixture against Hull was also penned in for the team to get some top level experience. However, due to administrative and travel issues amongst players and staff the plans for the East Midlands Knights were shelved and local level development was seen as the best way for the development of rugby league in Leicester. During the season, Leicester saw two of their star players, Curtis Thomas and Laurence Taylor being signed by Super League club Sheffield Eagles.
The 1995-96 season would be the last that Leicester would play during the winter and the first season that Leicester would put together a junior team and make strides with junior development within the city. Still playing at Aylestionians, through club coach Paul Walmsley and chairman Julian Harrison, junior development climaxed with a junior camp held in Sheffield, which was run in partnership with Sheffield Eagles and Leicester City Council. This offered Leicester youngsters an opportunity to receive professional coaching and tuition.
Read more about this topic: Leicester Storm
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