The Rugby league conference started in 1997 with a handful of teams playing throughout the summer, based in non-traditional Rugby League areas. The RL conference grew over the decade next to encompass the whole of the UK. 2012 saw massive changes in amateur Rugby League in the country. It was the dawn of a new and exciting era for the game a new four-tier pyramid structure was introduced for a March to November season instead of the traditional winter one. It was the first time the structure of Rugby League was fully joined up from Super League down to regional leagues.

York Lokomotive were founded in 2008 because for whatever reason the City of York had been slow in recognising there was a place for a conference side to operate here, but it dawned on a few enthusiasts that this city is ideal for summer Rugby, so they brought together a committee. The committee and coaching staff were assembled from such great clubs as the Punch Bowl, INL, Acorn and Crigglestone. The next most important duties to perform before a single player could be signed, was to establish a base, raise funds and give the club a name.
The name of the club had to have a connection with the City of York, not necessarily of its rich medieval, Viking or Roman history but from its Industrial heritage. The railways sprung to mind, everybody knows York is probably the biggest railway city in the country, and some may say the old carriage works produced more players than rolling stock. What is true is that one of the biggest steam depots in the UK was based here and was called ‘York Locomotive’, there was also the Railway Institute a club created for the Railway workers. The name had been found. York Locomotive, changing the ‘C’ to a ‘K’ similar to that of Lokomotive Moscow, the Russian RL team and because it looked funkier.
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With the RFL aligning the game in 2012 the Lokos faced new challenges on and off the field. We had a core of ‘Lokos only’ players but in the past sometimes relied on players doubling up from surrounding winter clubs, but this was not possible anymore. In the long run was only going to be a positive for the club, we could now recruit players who will only play for York Lokomotive and have no allegiances to any other Rugby League club.

York Lokomotive is in some what a period of transition in 2013, with the majority of the old committee stepping down after five brilliant years at the helm, nurturing the club from its birth and through the difficult early years to flourish into the outstanding club it is now. They are now to be replaced by a young, vibrant and exciting new breed hoping to continue the ‘Old Boys’ great work and put their stamp on the Loko’s. As always exciting times lay head for Rugby League and in turn for its clubs. York Lokomotive cannot wait to get back into the grind with hopefully a massive 2013 to come.