Rugby League is a sport that is very rarely heard of in the city of Oxford.

A city that is dominated by sports such as football, cricket and rugby union has prevented the rise of the 13 a side game over the years, however, the sport is slowly increasing in popularity thanks to a small group of people who make up the committee of the Oxford Cavaliers Rugby League Football Club.

Oxford are just one of a number of clubs that face a battle to stay in existence amongst the persistent snobbery directed at them by other sports and the difficulty in getting people to take rugby league outside the heartland areas seriously.

The club was the brainchild of Lionel Hurst who set up the Cavaliers to begin life in 1996 and was a founding member of the RFL Summer Conference. Their first game was a 36-16 victory over Bath on July 14, 1996.

Coach Gavin Horne (ex-professional from Australia) said it was great day for the Cavaliers and rugby league, a new team is born. Captain Simon "oz" Hicks said he was very proud to be part of rugby league in Oxford and hoped to take Oxford to the highest position they can get. Since the club began there is one surviving member at the club today, committee member and coach Mark ‘Bulldog’ Shaw who has been through the highs and lows associated with the club.

Since their formation, the Cavaliers have battled on for the past 13 years, but as they say goodbye to the 2009 season, their future both short and long term is unclear. It proves the club's committee with their greatest challenge - how to take the club forward.

Captain John Connaughton is one of those who is up to the challenge.

He said: "The club now has the best set up it has had since the club first began. The club now has a strong committee of people who are pro active and are aiming to get rugby league off the ground in Oxfordshire. What has been holding the club back in the last year is a lack of funding for things such as a physiotherapist to treat players, advertisement to recruit players and promote games, coaches’ fees, travel expenses etc.

"There is definitely the potential for rugby league to take off in Oxford but as with everything that is successful you need time, dedication, funding and a willing team of people to promote the game and that is something the Oxford Cavaliers Committee is hoping to start. There are currently five rugby league clubs in Oxford which shows it has potential."

Connaughton, 26, hails from Oldham and started his love affair with rugby league with amateur side Oldham St Annes.

"I owe a great deal to that club and my then coach Marty Jones who educated me a great deal. I was a part of a family at that club and that is the atmosphere that surrounds the game. I went on to play for my town under coaches Joe Warburton, Steve Kelly and a rugby league legend Brian Gartland who was another major influence on my involvement with the game. I was also coached by ex professional Eddie Barton at my secondary school Saddleworth were I attended school with current Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield.

"I also went on to play for amateur clubs Saddleworth Rangers under coach Mick Slicker who recommended me to Halifax Blue Sox along with current Castleford player Ryan Clayton and also Royton Tigers under coaches Pete Bostock and Pete Beswick who nurtured players such as Tyrone Mears (now playing football in the Premier League for Burnley), Alex Wilkinson and Gavin Dodd. The set up in and around Oldham was excellent and still is today. Ex professionals, coaches and ambassadors for the game were out and about in the community giving youngsters the chance to see what they did and to show them that reaching those heights was a possibility."

It was that rugby league upbringing that inspired him to get involved with the game outside the heartlands, where John currently works as a teacher at Sir William Ramsay School in High Wycombe.

"I attended University in South West London where I met my girlfriend Yolanda Colucci. Her family live in Oxford where we went to live once we had both graduated from University. She realised throughout our time at University how important the game was to me and she found clubs such as South London Storm for me to go and attend training and get back into the game.

"It was difficult getting to and from training whilst in London but now living in Oxford she came across the Oxford Cavaliers. I attended a few training sessions in 2007 and played a number of games. Due to me being settled in Oxford my involvement has increased a great deal over the course of the last two seasons."

Oxford competed in the London and South Region of the Rugby League Conference in 2009 and currently boast 38 players on their books. They've enjoyed an excellent working relationship with local rugby union clubs Alchester and Oxford RUFC, and they are now based at Stratfield Brake, Kidlington, the home of Gosford All Blacks RUFC.

The club are going to arrange fixtures against the University rugby league sides in Oxford and promote them as major sporting events, with the hope of increasing the sports popularity in Oxford.

Connaughton continued: "I believe rugby league is the greatest family game in the world and it is such a shame that enough is not being done to spread the game in this country. It is obviously easy for me to sit here and say that more needs to be done but I along with many others I am sure, are willing to get the game up and running in areas that don’t have much support. With many things now in the right place there is a good feeling surrounding Oxford Cavaliers and rugby league in the city of Oxford.

"Once help has been received in the form of funding, the ball can continue to role and develop the game in an area that can bridge the gap between the north and south divide. Not only that but more opportunities will become available for young people in Oxford to become part of a team and gain valuable experience of being part of a team. The Cavaliers are a friendly and down-to-earth club who welcome any players or anyone interested in getting involved in rugby league as the clubs main aim is to spread the greatest game in this part of the country and make it even bigger than it already is."

Despite their struggles to attract sponsors and other sources of finance, the Cavaliers continue to look for the future development of the club and the younger generation of players.

"The club are hoping to set up a junior side but are aware that a lot of funding will be needed. We have the people in place to make this work at present and the aim is to contact all Secondary Schools in Oxford for Heads of Physical Education departments to pass on invitations for up to 10 pupils to attend a series of trials to be held by the club. The club are currently in the process of applying for funding.

"It has been extremely difficult to maintain a club in Oxfordshire due to the number of union sides in the area and also due to a lack of support in terms of funding. I believe that the interest is there in the city and the numbers we have on our books at our club and the interest at the universities is clear evidence of this. If we were to increase promotion of the game then maintaining a club here could become very easy."

They are clearly a club who embracce the idea of rugby league as a sport and within community. There are clubs in the semi-professional game who may well be envious of the passion and commitment shown by a small group of people. And captain John believes one day, the Cavaliers could follow in the footsteps of London Skolars in spreading the greatest game beyond the heartlands.

"There would definitely be the possibility of making Oxford Cavaliers RLFC a semi professional club like the London Skolars. In my opinion there would need to be a good junior set up in Oxford and maybe rugby league being introduced into secondary schools would help this. It would encourage pupils to stay in the Oxford area after leaving school, college, and university. As a PE teacher myself I will be looking at joining a school in Oxfordshire in the near future and it would be an aim of mine to get rugby league off the ground in the county."

Oxford could potentially become the go between from the heartlands to the desire to expand the game in London, France and Wales, and John believes that perhaps the expansionist agenda of the RFL has overlooked the middle England as a potential growth area.

"The game is clearly branching out to areas outside of England but in my opinion more should be being done in this country before we can spread out further. The gap must be bridged between the North and South of England. What about cities like Birmingham, Newcastle, and Oxford to name a few? Let’s build the game in this country before we start to branch out. Clubs in these areas would make the game more accessible around the country and would surely increase in popularity if this was done."

You can find out more about the Cavaliers on their official website, www.pitchero.com/clubs/oxfordcavaliersrlfc