The 2015 CZRLA Annual General Meeting has established their season programme, placing emphasis on consolidating the First Division Championship, playing an inaugural 13-a-side junior season and ensuring both the senior and U18 national teams play challenging fixtures.
The decision was made to maintain a seven team Championship competition in 2015, played on a home and away basis, beginning in April and climaxing in a Grand Final in November, with a July-August summer break.
It is expected that the underpinning Second Division will be a four team league and that an inaugural U18 competition will be played between four clubs which will be linked to their senior team’s fixtures.
Junior development has continued in several Czech clubs with training sessions being held for boys and girls of a variety of ages over the last year, led by Pardubice Jets.
On the international front, the AGM agreed a 2015 home and away series between the Czech and Belgium, as well as planning a game against Sweden, to be hosted by the Havlickuv Brod club in July.
The decision was also made for the CZRLA to host a two-game series between the Czech U18 team and a visiting England Colleges side, while they also hope to tour Latvia with a junior and possibly senior team during the summer break, as repayment for the Latvians bringing their youth team to the Czech Republic in 2014.
The CZRLA also has ambitions of fielding a ‘President’s team’ to play against Serbian, Bosnian and Hungarian opposition in Budapest in a summer tournament although the decision was made to discontinue Pardubice hosting an annual CZRLA International 9s tournament.
Jaroslav Bzoch, an RLEF qualified coach tutor, referee and club leader at the Teplice Dragons was elected to the CZRLA Board at the AGM, replacing Matt Smith, the Czech Republic’s leading referee and match official tutor.
He is looking forward to playing a key role in the Czech Republic’s continued rugby league development. “I am honoured to be elected to the Board,” he said.
“I will be doing all I can to ensure we continue to grow rugby league in the Czech Republic.”