ST HELENS, Warrington Wolves, Newcastle Knights... and the North Wales Crusaders!

It's a return to action for the Crusaders this weekend - and it's already been an exciting week for the League One outfit.

There's a trip to Cumbria on Sunday as the Crusaders begin their pre-season programme of friendlies.

Anthony Murray's side will head to Craven Park to tackle the Barrow Raiders (3pm).

Meanwhile, in a major development for the club earlier this week, the Crusaders signed a deal with global sports kit manufacturer O’Neills Irish International Sportswear ahead of the 2022 campaign.

O’Neills Sportswear, who employ more than 900 people globally, have been manufacturing sports kit for over a century and they currently work with a number of rugby league clubs across the world, including Super League sides St Helens and Warrington Wolves, in addition to NRL outfits Penrith Panthers and Newcastle Knights.

As Crusaders continue to develop on and off the field, they’ll be hoping for another successful season in O’Neills gear, with home and away kits for the 2022 campaign set to be revealed in the near future.

Crusaders chief executive Andy Moulsdale said: “We’re delighted to partner with an established and trusted brand like O’Neills.

“Their kit is first class and that’s highlighted by the number of clubs in Super League and the NRL using them.

“I’d like to thank Paul and all the team at O’Neills for their support as we’ve worked on our replica kits and merchandise ready to go on sale soon.

“We’ve always put a lot of effort into our merchandise and I’m sure our fans will love the designs we’ve come up with for 2022.

“There’ll be a wide range of merchandise for people to choose from, whether you’re looking for replica shirts, training gear or other accessories.”

O’Neills UK sales manager Paul Berry added: “After following the progress and success of Crusaders closely last year, it’s really exciting to be able to partner and support the club going into 2022.

“We’ve been working closely with the club to put together their kit designs over the past few weeks and hopefully have come up with something that the loyal fan base will like.”

Crusaders, who finished in third spot in League One last time out, will head to Rochdale Hornets on March 27 to begin their new league season.

The first home league game of the season will take place on April 2, with Cornwall the visitors to Colwyn Bay.

However, Sunday's friendly at Barrow will be used as a warm-up ahead of a vital knockout encounter.

The Crusaders will travel to Leigh Miners Rangers in the second round of the Challenge Cup on the weekend of January 29-30.

Full details of the tie will be released once they are agreed.

Season tickets for the forthcoming Crusaders campaign are now on sale and further information is available from https://shop.northwalescrusaders.com/