Red Star Rugby League Club

Red Star Rugby League Club
Founded2006; 18 years ago (2006)
LeagueSerbian Rugby League
Team historyOriginally founded as a rugby league club in 1956
Based inBelgrade, Serbia
Colors   
PresidentSerbia Dragan Živković
Head coachSerbia Vojislav Dedić
BroadcastersCKM Red 288
Local mediaCKM Red 288
Websiterlkcrvenazvezda.com

Red Star Rugby League Club or origin Ragbi Liga Klub Crvena Zvezda (Serbian: Ragbi 13 Klub Crvena Zvezda/Рагби 13 Клуб Црвена Звезда) is a Serbian rugby league club based in Belgrade and competing in the Serbian Rugby League Championship.[1]

Red Star Rugby League Club is member of the Red Star Sports Society.

In December 2018 it was announced that the club will play in the British based knockout competition, the 2019 Challenge Cup, on the condition that matches in the first two rounds will be played away from home.[2]

Red Star Belgrade Rugby League Club has developed one of the strongest domestic rugby league clubs outside of the traditional rugby league heartlands of the game in the northern hemisphere through a combination of youth and local player development, with importing coaches and a small number of players with experience. This worked particularly well between 2018 and 2019 when Australians Jack O'Brien and Darcy Etrich and Scotland's Sam Herron had stints with the club. The perspective of the club's management was that overseas players would assist the development of the local players and expand their rugby league knowledge.

Due to Red Star Rugby League being unbeaten through 2018 and 2019, the club management allowed the imported players to leave the club and focused on the development of the local playing group and juniors in 2020. This was also exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the club being forced to send Phil Economidis home, and then allowing Vladica Nikolic to return to France in late August 2020.

Red Star's future goals are to support the development of European Rugby League club competitions that are aligned with the goals of the RLEF and the Serbian Rugby League Federation.

  1. ^ "Црвена Звезда Београд". ragbiligesrbije.rs. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Challenge Cup: Red Star Belgrade make first appearance in 2019 competition". BBC Sport. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.