Case Study Doncaster Knights

Doncaster’s rugby story starts in 1875, when the club was founded as Doncaster RFC, making it one of the older clubs in English rugby and a fixture of the town for over 150 years. For most of that time it was a solidly amateur Yorkshire club, but what happened from the early 1990s onwards is what earned it the tag it still wears proudly on its website: “the most promoted side in English history”. Starting in the eighth tier (North East 2) in 1992/93, the club won league after league, including a perfect 22-0 season in North Division 2 in 1996/97 and a 25-1 season to win National League 3 North in 2001/02, before taking the National League 1 title in 2004/05. Along the way it collected Yorkshire Cups in 1999, 2000, 2007 and 2008.

The rebrand to Doncaster Knights came in 2006/07 under Clive Griffiths, and the club’s modern era was shaped by two local businessmen, Steve Lloyd and Tony De Mulder, whose backing turned Castle Park on Armthorpe Road into a proper professional venue. The £3m, 1,650-seat De Mulder-Lloyd Stand opened in January 2009, and the ground now holds around 5,200 with a multimillion-pound conference and function centre alongside it. Castle Park is very much a community hub as well as a stadium: the Knights’ “rugby for all” motto covers the amateur Doncaster Phoenix side, the Doncaster Demons women’s team, an academy, mini-juniors from under-7s up, touch, walking rugby and a veterans squad.

Intro to Partnership

Connectus have been a long term supporter and sponsor of Doncaster Knights and I the 2025/26 season become the office front of shirt club sponsor for an initial period of 3 seasons.

The Issue

As an ambitious club, Doncaster Knights have a growing fan based and internal team who need to communicate in a fast, efficient and modern manner.

The club required a technology partner capable of delivering a more secure, scalable and efficient telephony solution while providing clear guidance on future technology investments inc the upgraded car park Wi-Fi.

The Solution

Connectus conducted a comprehensive audit of Doncaster Knights existing telephony systems and architected a solution which would improve workflow, customer and fan interactions and reduce costs for the club

Services delivered included:

• Full VoiP telephony solution to all internal users which includes;
• New handsets
• End User Training
• Bundles of minutes to ensure costs are minimised
• Ongoing monitoring, support and maintenance
• Strategic technology roadmap planning
• An external Wi-Fi which allows smart barriers to handle the increased match attendance.

By taking a consultative approach, Connectus ensured that every element of the solution aligned with the club’s operational needs, long-term growth objectives and user friendly

The Results

The transformation has provided Doncaster Knights with a solution which is fit for purpose and future proved for further growth in supporting the clubs on and off field aspirations.