NORTH WALES is set to be well represented in a popular league.

The second season of the WRL Wheelchair Invitational League is set to get underway and there will be two teams from North Wales competing in this year’s competition.

Joining the North Wales Crusaders in competitive action will be Crusaders Celts, who are based at Deeside Leisure Centre.

Croesyceiliog School, near Cwmbran, will be the venue of the opening games of the second season of the invitational league on Saturday.

The Argonauts, from Kent, won the inaugural title last year and they’ll feature in the first match of the season as they take on hosts Torfaen Tigers.

It’s part of a triple header at the venue where Argonauts take on new side Crusaders Celts in the second game, with the Tigers and the Celts then facing off in game three.

Such was the success and popularity of the first season, where all games are available to watch on YouTube, this year’s campaign has been extended and all sides will now play 12 games in the regular season, compared to the four that they all played last year.

Round one is completed on April 27, when Hereford Harriers host North Wales Crusaders and Cardiff Blue Dragons at Leominster Leisure Centre.

Stephen Jones, the head of Wheelchair RL in Wales, said: “We’re delighted that the WRL Wheelchair Invitational League is kicking off for a second season. Part of the feedback that we had was that sides wanted to play a longer season and more than one game in a day, so we’re delighted that we’ve been able to accommodate that.

“We now have an even spread of sides, with two in North Wales, two in South Wales and two in the south of England, but that’s just the start. We’ve had interest from other clubs already for 2025, so watch this space for more expansion as we continue to develop players ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which we’ve already qualified for.”

Teams are only allowed to field one “elite” player at one time.

An elite player is someone who has played for a Super League club or been part of an international side this year.

Talking about the new Crusaders Celts side, Harry Jones said: “Coming into this season we at North Wales Crusaders wanted to concentrate on player development and to do that we knew that a consistent level of game time was key.

“Having two teams in the RFL set-up the past few years has worked wonders for development, but with the available game time in that set-up dwindling from season to season, we needed to find a way to get our youngsters and newbies some game time, thus the formation of a second team from North Wales in the Welsh competition.

“Last season, turning up to a gameday with a squad of 15-20 players all needing game time was a hugely positive problem for us to have. We’ve split the teams as evenly as possible, with internationals, fringe players and newbies on each side.

“As my international time is coming to an end, I want to help develop the next generation of Wales international players and by entering a second team into the competition, I believe this is the best opportunity to do so.”