Rochdale Hornets are showing the way in a new-look Betfred League One for 2025 which contains more teams and more storylines than in recent years.
The competition has expanded from nine clubs to 11, and has been freshened up by four newcomers, who will all be involved when the league action kicks off this weekend, after warming up in the early rounds of the Betfred Challenge Cup and the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup.
Swinton and Whitehaven meet at Heywood Road after they came down together from the Betfred Championship last season; Dewsbury Rams host North Wales Crusaders after they were the third club to be relegated from the Championship in 2024; and Goole Vikings launch their first league season in the professional ranks against Midlands Hurricanes at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds.
But arguably the pick of the opening round fixtures, all being played on Sunday afternoon, will see Keighley Cougars make the short trip across the Pennines to face Rochdale at the Crown Oil Arena.
Both the Cougars and the Hornets have strengthened their squads during the close season, and have shown encouraging signs that they will be challenging at the right end of the League One table in reaching the First Round proper of the 1895 Cup.
But they are also go-ahead clubs off the field, with Keighley continuing to innovate under their management team of Ryan O’Neill and Kaue Garcia, and Hornets now launching an ambitious bid to drastically improve their attendances in 2025.
That will involve working more closely with the town’s thriving National Conference League club Rochdale Mayfield – whose recent products include two members of Shaun Wane’s senior England squad in Matty Ashton and Matty Lees.
Hornets will also target thousands of schoolchildren in Rochdale and neighbouring Bury, while Rochdale MBC are backing their initiative of attracting more of the 26% of the town from black and minority ethnic group backgrounds.
This builds on the progress Hornets made in 2024 to broaden and strengthen the appeal of the club with the development of Women’s, Wheelchair and Learning Disability teams, among others.
Their chairman, Andy Mazey, said: “We are delighted to announce ‘Project 1500’, a series of exciting initiatives wrapped around a strategic plan to considerably increase our average home attendances to greater than 1,500 in 2025.
“As a board and management team, we have never been more committed to growing this great club and getting it back to the Championship.
“We understand the impact that the cost-of-living crisis is having on the people in our communities, particularly those with young families. We are therefore prepared to take a loss in terms of admission this year, and have also committed to underwrite the significant costs of delivering such a comprehensive and unique growth project.
“Put simply, we want to get the stands buzzing with greater numbers of people, particularly families and young people engaged with our club and the fantastic sport of Rugby League.
“A ground that is packed obviously creates a better atmosphere, and we are keen to attract a whole new audience to our games and events.
“Through our core values, we are committed to promoting diversity by supporting all communities and this project will not only grow our fanbase, but it will enable us to break down even more barriers to involvement within sport.”
The on-field goal for Rochdale, Keighley and the other nine clubs in Betfred League One is to finish in the top four, which would secure a place alongside the bottom four from the Betfred Championship in the Super Eights in September – with the top two clubs from that eight securing places in the 2026 Championship, while the teams finishing third and fourth will play off to join them.
Sunday’s matches will also feature one of the longest commutes in British sport as Cornwall, who are under new ownership in 2025, make a journey of around 500 miles each way to face Workington Town
Betfred League One Round 1 fixtures:
Goole Vikings v Midlands Hurricanes
Swinton Lions v Whitehaven RLFC
Rochdale Hornets v Keighley Cougars
Dewsbury Rams v North Wales Crusaders
Workington Town v Cornwall RLFC
A full Round 1 preview to follow.
Photo Credit: Rochdale Hornets
