Joran Schoenmaker can today be confirmed as North Wales Crusaders latest signing for 2023. The 23 year old Dutch international will be making the move to North Wales, becoming only the second Dutchman to play in the professional ranks following on from ex St Helens, Salford, Wigan and Leigh forward Tim Jonkers. Schoenmaker has been a standout in the Netherlands for a number of years, winning the 2018 NRLB with Amsterdam Cobras and more recently turning out for hometown club Zwolle Wolves. Schoenmaker has also seen success at international level, winning the 2021 European Championship D with Netherlands and being nominated for the IRL Golden Boot award in 2022.
Upon signing for Cru, Schoenmaker said: “I’m really grateful for this opportunity to be playing for Crusaders. Being the only born and raised Dutch player competing at this level, I’m looking forward to representing the Netherlands and I’m looking forward to the experience and pushing for promotion.”
Head Coach Carl Forster is pleased to be signing Schoenmaker for the upcoming season and commented: “Joran has really impressed us with his athleticism and willingness to succeed. He’s really keen to join up with the squad and he will be a good addition to the team.”
NRLB Operations Manager, Matt Rigby commented, “
Joran has been instrumental to our international success over the past few years and has demonstrated his potential on numerous occasions in Europe, we are all excited to see how Joran fairs in the step up to League 1. It’s a huge opportunity for Joran to compete at a higher level whilst becoming a Dutch pioneer for Professional RL opportunities to more players in the Netherlands and mainland Europe. We wish Joran and Crusaders all the best for the 2023 season.”
The North Wales Crusaders start their Betfred League 1 campaign on 19th February at home to Dewsbury Rams