It’s official, Christmas is here! The two week countdown has been broken, Christmas decorations are everywhere, and the music filling the stores have been heard so much that we can all recall every single lyric as if we wrote it ourselves. It’s a wonderful, festive time, and more importantly, taking us ever closer to the start of the 2012 season.

The last few days have been frantic for one Mr Malc Powell, his poor legs taking him up and down the stairs continuously. We got a new stock from Xblades on Saturday and we are already back down to the bare bones. The new 2012 Shirts are quite frankly flying off the shelves! So if you are wanting to wear your brand new shirt on Boxing Day and yet to buy it, then I suggest you Click HERE and do just that. Because chances are we will be totally sold out in the coming days.

We’re already very low on certain sizes, so make sure you get yours now!

Overall this is great, if not a little hectic for Malc, as it shows we’ve produced a real winner with the 2012 Shirt. January will see the release of the Away Shirt, and one I think will be just as popular. I won’t say anything more because we need to save some surprises for the New Year, don’t we?

So show your support and true colours at the same time and get yourself a lovely Home Shirt, joining Rhino’s Blue and White Army at the same time. Click HERE

In other new, we’re well under way with plans for Boxing Day, excited to showcase the new team and prepare for another new season. The first game back is always a tough one, the hangover of Christmas making it all that more daunting. But it’s great to get back into it and we’re all excited to start some of our new ideas for 2012. There’s a few thing sup out sleeves, so it should overall make for a rather good season.

Well that’s all for now FAX Fans, the news side of things fairly light at present. We seem to be in purgatory at present, new signings in the past and the season still tentatively held in front of us like a dangling carrot. It will all change soon though, and in the meantime keep checking the site for new sponsors and other Club going ons. All this waiting makes for a sweeter return, trust me!

Mr FAX

Another weekend is nearly upon us and with it brings Christmas that little bit closer. Christmas is always a special time of year but this year is even more so with the return of a Boxing Day friendly at the Shay. It’s been several years since the last one at the Shay and we’re delighted to welcome Keighley to the shay as they prepare for their return to the Championship.

Kick off is at 12,00pm so you have plenty of time to have a nice sleep in after all that food, walk some of it off, and then return home to watch some Boxing Day TV.  It’s the perfect way to spend a family day out so make sure you come on down and have a look at the brand new FAX team!

Some of you may even have some family from down south coming up, or relatives from Scotland or Ireland. Don’t let them go away from God’s country without taking in the spectacular specimen that is Rugby League. We can’t promise you good weather, in fact we can probably guarantee it will be cold and a little wet, but we can guarantee a good game of rugby with two local rivals!

You can save some brass and get a card from Rhino himself by taking up the Family Ticket. It costs just £20 and gives access to 2 adults and 2 juniors. Click Here to by yours!

I personally love the festive time of year, everything from the adverts on TV, the lights around town, and the spring in peoples step despite the weather nearly killing them. To have a game of rugby to look forward to, well, it doesn’t get much better, does it? So who’s with me? Are you a scrooge or Xmas lover?

Speaking of Christmas, it usually means lots of parties and the Blue Belles had theirs last night. Over 50 dancers turned up to enjoy games, food, and of course, dancing. You can see some of the pictures HERE, and as you can see, our very own Halicat joined in on the fun. The Blue Belle parents also got involved last night, raising over £250 for the Blue Belle fund, taking part in a Xmas raffle that included match tickets and signed shirts. It was a really great night and we also sold some more calendars, the profits of which going toward the Blue Belle fund.

Buy your Calendar HERE, and if you’ve yet to see the videos then Click HERE

That’s all for now FAX Fans but get in the Christmas spirit and spread some Blue and White love. Join us on Facebook and Twitter and shout from the rooftops that you love FAX!

Mr FAX

Another few days have passed us by and therefore the season is ever closer. For those of you that missed the announcement, the 2012 fixtures are now out so you can all book your holidays away and make sure no FAX games are missed. If you have yet to see the fixture list then Click HERE now!

A few key things that stand out is the fact we have Featherstone in the NRC, along with Rochdale, Dewsbury, and a long trip to London to face the Skolars. Everyone’s tipping FAX and Fev to be there or there about’s come September, so this will be an early test for both teams to see how things are shaping up.

For FAX it’s a case of starting a new era and seeing what kind of magic Rhino can muster up. Whereas it will be business as usual for Featherstone, the stand out performers, at least in terms of consistency, over the last couple of years. I can’t tell you what 2012 will hold, but I’m pretty confident it’s going to be an exciting year in the Championship.

So if you haven’t already started to get excited now is the time to do so. There are still quite a few season ticket holders yet to renew so what are you waiting for? WE NEED every fan we can get in 2012, a season that will bring excitement, challenges and hopefully another year of finals. We believe in Rhino and his 2012 squad! Do you?

Another thing we urge you to get now before it’s too late is the 2012 Home Shirt. Sales so far have been fantastic and stock levels are already falling. With Xmas jus t a few weeks away it’s better to buy now and not miss out. Be one of the fans at the Shay on Boxing Day sporting the Brand New1987 inspired shirt. We’re proud of our past and excited for the future. Get your Blue & White’s now and help support the FAX!

You can buy your shirt HERE in just a few easy clicks. Simples!

Well FAX fans, that’s about all for now, but just a reminder to say that the Reactiv Group Recruitment Drive is taking place this afternoon at the Shay. There are many roles available so if you are in need of work, looking for a new challenge, or know somebody that does, get yourself down to the East Stand between 1pm-7pm.

Reactiv Group are the Club’s proud new Principal Partners and it would be great to see some fans gain new opportunities at the Elland based organisation. They have huge plans over the next few years so go on down and check it out. What have you got to lose?

Speak to you soon FAX Fans

Mr FAX

So first things first everyone, who came to the Supporters Night on Wednesday? If you came then please leave us a comment below and let us know what you thought of the evening. So far it’s all been very good with fans of all ages telling us we did a good job. As a result we’re all getting a big head so overall it’s happy days!

On a serious note though it really was a top night with Mr Pete Emmett in fine form, Rhino showing everyone why he’s a legend, some of the new players showing us just how quality they are, and the new shirt getting released in all it’s glory. Speaking of which, we still have shirts available so how about you CLICK HERE and buy one, because they’re looking great and selling out fast. We’ve been told to expect another delivery before xmas, but it’s better to be safe than sorry FAX Fans!

Adult Shirts are £45

Junior Shirts are £35

We took everyone’s feedback from last year and this year’s edition features an embroidered crest, super awesome and luxurious material, and a message from the legend himself. Perfect Christmas present? The answer… YES!!!

Get one today and be part of something special in 2012. You know you want to!

It was also a chance for the Club to release the 2012 Calendar and Boxing Day Friendly with Keighley. This time of year is all about spending money (unfortunately for my wallet) and the Club is trying hard to provide as many cost effective stocking fillers as possible. For the family we have the £20 pass for boxing day which gives entry for 2 adults and 2 juniors, all bundled in a nice xmas card from Karl Harrison.

For everyone else we have the Calendar, which features the players on one side and the cheerleaders on the other. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Darron Shepherd who provided the photos (I’m sure you all agree that the pics are top notch), Sarah Ambler, Jayne Maiden, Neil Pidgeon, and Rob Pidgeon (the contest winners who were all great to work with), and all of the players and cheerleaders that allowed us to take photos of them all.

The Calendar is just £9.99 (free postage) and all the profits go toward the Blue Belle Community Programme and 2012 FAX Schools campaign, two very important things in 2012.  We’re trying really hard to move forward as a Club so little purchases like this can go a really long way

Keighley Tickets

2012 Calendar

So there you go FAX fans. We’re edging ever closer to the new season and times are getting interesting. Keep the faith, buy some Christmas Pressies, and generally keep spreading the word of FAX. 2012 will be great, but WE NEED YOU to make it all happen

Mr FAX

Tomorrow is our FREE Supporters Night, the perfect chance for you to come along and meet the new players that Rhino has spent the last 2 months assembling. The guys are already back training and looking in great shape, so the season should provide some rather excellent games. But with so many new guys coming into the squad we need them to get to know our amazing supporters (pssshhhh, that’s you by the way), so make sure you get down and show the new lads what FAX are all about!

The night kicks off at 7.30pm with the players coming straight from training. We will have a night of Q&As, interviews and a general intro for everyone to get involved in. I can also happily announce that the first batch of shirts came in this morning, and will be delivered to the Club tomorrow afternoon. This means all you pre orderers can come to the big night, collect your shirt, and wear the new uniform with pride. As someone who’s held the new shirt in his hands I can tell you that it looks even better in person (just ask the Pidgeon Twins who got to wear the sample shirts at the Calendar Shoot).

We’ve ordered enough shirts to last us the night, so if you’ve yet to pre order don’t worry, there SHOULD be some available on the night. However you might want to get in line early because from what we’ve heard there’s a lot of people planning to do this. Take that as a little warning if you’ve promised the new shirt as a Christmas present. Probably better to buy now rather than wait a week or so.

We’ll also have some other leisurewear to sell, season tickets, the new 2012 Calendar, and of course, some sponsorship for anyone who wants to get a little bit more involved.

Overall we’re really excited for the night and think it’s a great way to end 2011, begin the 25^th anniversary of the 87 Challenge Cup, and the start of a new era under our mighty Hall of Famer coach. Do you really want to look back and say you missed the beginning of one of the most exciting times in Halifax History? No, I thought not!

So tomorrow at 7.30pm, the East Stand Banqueting Suite, be there or be square.

That’s about all to note at the moment as we are currently planning on the Boxing Day clash with Keighley, trying to get organised so we can put on a real festive display. We will be placing our Family ticket (£20 for 2 adults and 2 juniors) on sale soon, maybe even launching it tomorrow night. It will create the perfect stocking filler and is a great way to spend some family time on Boxing Day. It’s and early kick off so plenty of time to get home and watch the Only Fools and Horses Xmas special from 1998. You know it makes sense!

Ok that’s all for now FAX fans. I will be in touch again soon though.

Mr FAX

It’s been a busy few days here at the Shay as we prepare for next Wednesday’s Supporters Night that features a Q&A session with Karl and the players, a chance to pick up your pre ordered shirts, and opportunities to buy other merchandise and hopefully the 2012 FAX Calendar.

The latter has been taking up much of my life with an all day shoot on Sunday with the girls (see the video HERE) and the first half of the players shoot on Monday night (we are doing more tonight so there should be a video in the next few days for this too).

Overall it’s been an amazing experience and a big thank you needs to go to Darron Shepherd, the photographer extraordinaire who has certainly brought a bit of class to the occasion. Anybody who is in need of a photo man then get in touch with the Club, because we can recommend this guy.

A big thanks to Sarah, Jayne, and the Pidgeon Twins too, the competition winners who showed a great deal of patience and stamina in the smiling department. Although Rob and Neil seemed to enjoy it, getting a picture with all the cheerleaders. Yeah, you might want to nominate yourselves next year lads, it was a pretty good way to spend a Sunday.

We are finishing off the photos in the next few days and we hope to have some copies for next Wednesday. We really hope they sell well because a great deal of effort has been put in, and all profits will go to two great funds. The Blue Belle fund and the 2012 School fund, two areas we are looking to expand, and two areas the RFL bosses pointed to recently as areas that could help carry FAX.

More details will be released in the coming days with regards to price, but there will be something for everyone so please get your orders in!

As I say the launch will hopefully be next Wednesday, a night for all of you! And a FREEBIE at that!

We are looking to engage more with fans in 2012 and events like this is where we start things off. Yes it’s a chance to sell things and for you to collect pre orders, but it’s much more than that. When Karl came back he said how he wanted the players and fans to feel as one, so come along, listen to some stories and get some pictures. I think it’s fair to say we all miss our rugby, and although this won’t quite fill that void, it certainly is a start!

The night kicks off at 7.30pm so come down to the Shay and bring a pen, some paper, and a camera to take some shots of the newbie’s of 2012! They’re a great set of lads and have already jumped legs first into the Club mentality. For a greater insight join our Twitter and follow some of our lads. Ste Tyrer and Mick Nanyn in particular are rather active with it.

We look forward to seeing you next Wednesday lads and lasses, so please share the love and spread the word of FAX.

Mr FAX

The other day we were finally able to confirm to you all the deal with Premier Sports, the TV Channel that will be screening Championship Rugby in 2012. We’re all quite excited about the deal actually as it should provide a much better programme than SKY, giving each game more time to have previews, post match comments and interviews. In terms of content, this is a real winner for all Rugby Fans.

The main issue however is that most people don’t have Premier Sports, with an extra £7.99 per month needed to sign up. But wait, because all is not lost!

The kind folks at Premier have come up with a package that gets you a one-year subscription, or season ticket as you may, for just £79.99, a saving of £21. But it doesn’t end there, because for every person to quote Halifax RLFC in the redemption code section will bag FAX a lovely £10 note. Not too much for a Club, until you start thinking about the numbers.

At any one time we have around 1,000 season ticket holders, so if everyone who had a season pass were to sign up then we’d get £10,000. Which is a very nice bit of extra income. So Click HERE to sign up (or call 0871 663 9000) and support not only your Club, but Championship Rugby as a whole. If you do have any questions, please leave a comment below and I’ll try and answer them as best as I can.

With the hard sell over, let’s move onto some rugby because we have some more games lined up. We might be around a month from the fixtures yet, but we now have three friendlies. These are:

Boxing Day – Keighley Cougars  (the Shay) (Lunch Time kick off)

Sunday 22^nd  – Leigh  (LSV Stadium) (3pm)

Sunday 29^th – Huddersfield (The Shay) (3pm)

We’re all excited about some rugby and getting a chance to see the new players, and the old players for that matter. With Karl getting his hands on them we could see some new-old faces (if you know what I mean).

The road to the season is well under way now too with the lads having their 3^rd training session tonight. I’ll be going along to the brand new Calderdale College facilities and gathering some pictures and video. So to see some exclusive footage make sure you follow our Twitter Page, because this is the only place it will be shown!

So there you go; pre season training, friendlies, main sponsor, and new players all sorted. What’s happening in the next few weeks? Loads!!!!

Tis the season to announce sponsors and we’ll be starting with several next week. So look out for releases and please support the companies that support FAX. Sponsorship is vital for a rugby Club and we’re no different. You can help by making each sponsors feel like GODS, because then they’ll come back again and again.

So to finish off I will just say that this Sunday we’ll be taking lots of pictures, why? Because we have a calendar to shoot. A big well done to all the winners once again, and watch out for some sneak peek pictures on our various social medias. It’s going to be like a treasure hunt.

Mr FAX

Been a busy few days at the Shay, launching the new 2012 Home Shirt and prepping to meet all the new players. Last night the office staff met the new squad with all players, except for Ross Divorty (at the Wales Camp. Good look against Oz Ross) and James Haley (off sunning himself. Good luck with the sunscreen Jimmy) making the evening.
Karl introduced himself and the coaches, they all told some stories (we once again have some interesting guys on board), and we took their pictures (Click Here for lots of Twitter Pics), some video and had them fill in a mountain of forms! Overall it was a very good night and everyone seemed in good spirits. That may change pretty quickly though as pre season training starts next week and Karl, Lee (Greenwood), and Nigel (the new conditioner) have some hard work planned.

 
You will have your chance to meet the new guys on Wednesday 30th November at our supporters Q&A night. This FREE event is not to be missed so make sure you come down for that and have the lads tell some stories, sign some autographs and get some pictures taken.

 
Last night we also took head shots of the guys in the new 2012 Home Shirt, the profiles will be added in the coming weeks. The new shirt looked great on the guys and Ian Croad, the man behind the shirt this year was delighted to see all the hard work come out in a superb display of blue and white hoops.

Above is the picture of the new kit in all its glory and as you can see, it will be a great edition to our Club’s very proud history. As you can see we will e having red numbers on the back of the shirt, another feature from the 87 era. A nice touch we feel and something that will help us stand out this season. Overall the feedback we’ve had has been great and everyone seems happy to see a retro style come back. There’s been some comments about the Club living in the past however, so let me describe the decision for our 87’ influenced shirt.

 
May 2012 will mark the anniversary of one of the biggest achievements this Club has ever seen. We won the Challenge Cup and marked the end of a very competitive time, Wigan winning the next season (against us might I add) and beginning a domination that lasted the best part of a decade. We’ve some other highs since then (a 3rd place finish in 1998, a Grand Final win in 2010, and a few other finals along the way), but nothing quite holds dear as much as a Challenge Cup victory.

 
One player involved that day is still here now, Mick Scott still part of the Club as Lottery Manager. I had a quick interview with Mick the other day (watch out for the video) and he was delighted to see the Club pay homage to the 87’ squad. Is this living in the past? Well some might say yes, but this is how we see it.

 
We’re paying homage to one of the best squads this Cub has ever seen and marking in a line in the sand. This year begins a new era, Karl Harrison and his new squad of Blue & White soldiers taking on a competition that will spring up many surprises. This year also marks our next bid for Super League and the aim to join the big time again. Overall a pretty fitting time to start anew and pay homage to the past.

 
So there you go FAX Fans, that’s the reason behind it and I’m pretty sure everyone will get on board and join the NEW Blue & White revolution!

 
What’s everyone’s thoughts on the new shirt? Leave your comments below…

 
So there you have it FAX Fans, you can get your new Shirt now, pre ordering HERE and collecting on the 30th for our Q&A session.

 
Spread the Blue & White word FAX Fans!

I know it’s been a while since the last Blog, but there’s been a quiet lull at the shay in regards to news. The player signings were done in extraordinary quick fashion, so it’s left us with a couple of weeks to kick the tyres. You’ll be happy to know that we haven’t been sat around twiddling our thumbs though. Oh no, we’ve been hard at work preparing for 2012 and getting the next few ‘Big Launches’ set up.

There are still a few big ones to come, mainly the new 2012 shirt and principal partner. I’m delighted to say you can expect an announcement for both of these very shortly. So make sure you keep a close eye on the website, because there are some big things to come in the next couple of weeks, as well as all the other sponsor deals that’ll be released in the next month or so.

We’re also trying to come up with some new ways to interact with you, the fans, with some of this already announced. Earlier this week we started the search for some new match day volunteers and people to join the brand new FAX Team. We want to really step thing sup in 2012 but WE NEED, and want, YOU to come on board.

You may have noticed WE NEED YOU put in just about everything recently. Well that’s because we do, so join the WE NEED YOU campaign trail. WE NEED your support, help and passion to help take us to the next level.

Could we go outside and hire people, people who don’t care about FAX? Sure, of course we could. But we don’t want to, we’ve had some amazing fans get involved in the past, and we want to carry this on in the future. So If you’d like to volunteer CLICK HERE, and if you’d like to earn some extra pocket money CLICK HERE!.

Get involved FAX Fans, you know you want to!

We’re also happy to announce a supporter’s night, taking place here at the Shay on Wednesday 30^th November. It’s a Q&A session with Karl and all the 2012 players so a night not to be missed. It’s a freebie, so make sure you come down and meet the new squad.

The night is on Wednesday 3oth November, starting at 7.30pm, and more details will be put on the website in the coming weeks. We really want to interact with our supporters in 2012, so get involved, come on down, and support the Club you love!

You can start right now by voting for who you want to appear in the 2012 FAX Calendar. The nominations came in, we chose our finalists, and now their ready for your vote. CLICK HERE to choose your member and email us at marketing@halifaxrlfc.co.uk.

We’re really excited for the calendar, with all proceeds going to the Blue Belle Community Group and 2012 FAX Schools Programme. These are both excellent community programmes and we plan to take them to the next step in 2012. So when the calendar comes on sale please get one and for everyone else you know. The perfect stocking filler for any FAX Fan

That’s all for now FAX Fans, but we have lots of news coming up, so get on board with the FAX!!

Mr FAX

The manic weeks of Player news seems to be coming to an end, with Karl Harrison up to 22 squad members. He said in the beginning he was hoping to get up to the 20 mark, with the remaining 5 or so going to youngsters. If you count Antony Bowman, Ben Heaton, and Josh Barlow as youngsters, then he got up to 19 players in no time whatsoever. I think one thing is certain though, even if you are counted on that ‘youngster’ list, it will have no bearing on how much, or how little football you will see in 2012.

One particular quote I liked from Karl recently was how he said ‘the players pick the team, by how they perform in training and in games’. I like this, and it certainly tells us that every player in the squad is going to be given a good shot at claiming a first team shirt.

The first test for these players will come in about a month’s time, when the squad returns for pre season training. We have a new conditioner on board (Nigel Halmshaw) and he is very involved already. If his enthusiasm rubs off on the players then expect to see some bigger, stronger and fitter players next season. Rhino wanted a larger pack, and Nigel could play a huge part in making that happen.

So does that mean it’s over for signings? The easy answer is no, because it never really ends. If someone becomes available who has the talent, fills a need, and comes at the right price then this Club will always be interested. But we don’t have much space left, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some Dual Reg guys come in later in the year.

Either way the squad is looking very sharp and I for one cant wait for pre season to get under way. The big question is who are you looking forward to seeing in the coming months?

Is it a new signing?

Maybe a player who’s been here a while but you think could prosper under Rhino?

Or maybe, like me, you are keen to see how some of the younger guys such as Bowman and Fieldhouse can go forward.

The off season is tough, as it is always so far until the next game. But I like to look at the excitement, so let’s build it all up over the coming months.

One way we are trying to keep things interesting is with the start of a new campaign, the search for FAX BABES & HUNKS. We’ve been thinking about doing a calendar for some time now, and we feel with so many new players coming on board then now is the perfect time.

Yet a Calendar’s been done a million times so we wanted to engage you, the fans, as much as possible. Several things were considered including voting for the final pictures. Yet we felt getting you involved on a deeper level would make for a far more interesting few weeks.

So WE WANT YOU to come on board and nominate yourself or another to join the team in their photo shoot. The Calendar will be a two in one special, with the players on one side, and the Faxettes on the other. But, and here’s the big but, we’re giving you the chance to join them and appear alongside them for the 2012 Calendar.

So we’re asking you to nominate yourself, your boyfriends or girlfriends, maybe just a friend or family member. Whoever it may be we want their details. If you think they deserve to be in a Calendar, and lets face it how many of us get the chance to appear in one, then get nominating NOW!

It’s all going to be done in a very classy manner, so don’t worry, we aren’t going to get you stripped down to the ankles or anything like that. We really want to involve the fans in our new era and this is the first of many new initiatives that will be launched in the not too distant future.

As many of you know one of the big things to tick in our quest for Super League is community based, so all profits for the Calendar (and I mean every single penny) will go towards the Blue Belle Community Group and 2012 Schools Programme.

The Blue Belle group has over 70 young girls attending at it’s peak and we really want to bring them back to the Shay for training. To do this however we need to raise some funds, so we hope you will all buy the calendars in mass and help us achieve our target.

Likewise we have some great ideas of interacting with schools this year, and we believe we can help bring a whole set of new supporters in doing so. But once again we need funding, so this is a great chance to help get this program running.

If we sell just 500 calendars then each group will get over £1,000 each. That goes along way I can tell you!

So there you go FAX Fans, please get involved and send in your nominations today to marketing@halifaxrlfc.co.uk. WE NEED YOU FAX FANS

Mr FAX