Toowoomba reignites nostalgia in bid for Intrust Super Cup
RUGBY LEAGUE: Toowoomba has revitalised one of the city’s most famous sporting names in a bid to return to the Intrust Super Cup.
On the back of the Garden City successfully hosting an NRL fixture between the Roosters and Dragons, the Western Mustangs have undergone a dramatic change.
Now known as the Western Clydesdales, the new name honours the links with the southwest region, while bringing back the nostalgia of the success associated with the Clydesdales name.
“The Clydesdales are an icon of rugby league in Queensland,” chairman Michael Burns said.
“It’s a name that sparks memories of passion and success, and a name that proudly represents rugby league in our region.
“It’s important all of our region feels represented by the club and that’s why we’ve retained Western in our name.
“The board also feels our club needs to play under the name of the Clydesdales given its significance to the game in our region.
“We think the Western Clydesdales is the perfect mix of honouring history while building for a strong future.”
With the facilities and structures in place, the only thing stopping the Clydesdales from joining the competition is meeting the QRL’s financial criteria.
They’ve started up the Clydesdales Club, where people can pledge $500 to funding a commercial manager to build the sponsorship base and secure enough funds.
The club has also added Southern Queensland Country Tourism CEO Peter Homan, former Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Johnson and TRL acting chairman Joe Hannant to their board.
The remainder of the current Hastings Deering Colts season will be played out as the Mustangs before switching to the new name next season.