RYLANDS ARLFC have been elected into the Kingstone Press National Conference League for the first time in the club's history.

The announcement comes after months of hard work by the club's management group to allow the club to be in a position to submit an application for the 2016 season.

They will join the country's elite amateur competition for the first time and will enter NCL Division Three, alongside Woolston Rovers and Crosfields ARLFC as well as teams from Gateshead, Bradford, Wakefield, Castleford and Oldham.

Head of coaching Matt Wilson, who along with members of the junior committee has been the driving force behind the application was delighted with the news, said: “This club has been a sleeping giant in the amateur game for too long, with the facilities we have in place and the number of children we have playing at the club the natural progression was to go and make that step.

"We had become tired of players leaving the junior set up at Rylands to go and play in the professional and semi-professional game, but then when they didn’t make the grade they went back and played at another club due to us not offering that level of competition at Rylands.

"That hopefully ends with this announcement. We want Rylands players to stay Rylands players and the NCL will certainly help that."

Wilson thanked the hard work of the junior committee, Liam and Kate Kirkham and Alan Delooze, as well as Vinny Yearsley and commercial partner Paul Ireland.

With regards to matters on the field, Wilson is under no illusions as to task ahead of Rylands in 2016 and understands there will be a few eyebrows raised at their decision – given the club finished eighth in the NWML Premier Division in 2015.

But he does believe the different competition and the professional nature of the National Conference League will suit his players.

“We know with the things we are doing and how quickly we have done it that there will be doubters and there are people that will want us to fail," he said.

"But I have a young, hungry group of players.

"Last year was a huge learning curve for them in the NWML Premier Division and they had some tough days but they will be better for it.

"We have just got to create an internal arrogance within and believe in what we are trying to do as a group and I am sure we will go well, this isn’t going to be a short term fix, the average age of my side is around 23 years of age so there is a huge chance here for us to develop."

Neil Smith will assist Wilson and Eddie Harris with the NCL team and Carl Lloyd, the club's player of the year in 2015, will step up to assist Liam Lawton in the NWML.

Wilson added: "We want to be a strong club with two strong sides in both competitions. It's important the whole club develops with this news, not just the NCL team, and we are working hard with our partners to make sure this is the case.

"I do think the speed and professional element of the NCL will suit our style of rugby and we will shock a few people, the lads are hard at work already and have been since mid-November to make sure we give this the best possible shot – it’s a big opportunity and a shop window for some of these young lads to still play at the highest level.

"If we continue working hard then we can achieve things."

Club captain and England Lionhearts international Matt Taylor was also delighted with the announcement: “As club captain I would firstly like to thank the National Conference committee and the clubs for giving us this chance to play at a good competitive level of competition.

"We have a great set of young lads at this club that I think can push us on and off the pitch we have got some good backing from new sponsors.

"We have hit pre-season early and are all taking on board the extra work we need to put in for what will be a testing but hopefully successful year for us.

"Personally, I am really looking forward to it and we are really looking forward to a couple of local derbies."

Wilson has added to last year’s squad with the signings of England Lionhearts international scrum half Tony Doyle and former Shark Sam Hughes, as well keeping all of last year's squad including Man of Steel Luke Gillooley and former Coventry Bears duo Troy Brophy and Billy Sheen.