Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club

Huddersfield Rugby Union Club are an English rugby union team situated in the Yorkshire town of Huddersfield. The club plays in the domestic National Division Three North. They also compete in the EDF Energy Trophy and the Yorkshire Cup competitions.

The team plays out of its home ground at Lockwood Park.

Rugby team
teamname = Huddersfield RUFC


founded = 1909
location = Huddersfield, England
country

ground = Lockwood Park
coach = Mark Sowerby
league = National Division Three North
url= www.huddersfieldrugby.com

History

Rugby football was first played in Huddersfield in 1869. Matches were initially played at the Rifle Field in Trinity Street and then, with the amalgamation of the St John's Cricket Club, at Fartown from 1879.

Huddersfield were in the top ranks of English clubs when, in August 1895, the town hosted the historic meeting at the George Hotel at which 20 clubs resigned from the Rugby Union to create professional rugby league.

Rugby union as a sport virtually vanished (rugby in the area being played exclusively under the auspices of the Northern Rugby Football Union - the precursor to rugby league) until a new club was re-formed and named Huddersfield Old Boys.

Their first ground was at the United Cricket Club in Luck Lane with changing facilities at the Croppers Arms public house.

World War 1 blew the whistle on the sport and games were not restarted until 1919 on a ground at Salendine Nook initially before the club took a lease on land at Waterloo. It was here that the club established their current colours of white, claret and gold.

A stand was built and changing rooms completed for exclusive rugby use -- a luxury in those days. But the ground was plagues with drainage problems and another move was contemplated. In the event it was decided to buy the ground outright -- for £700 -- and invest in drainage.

In 1935 £370 was invested in a new pavilion and bar -- and ladies were welcomed to a hitherto male bastion and they themselves began the tradition of after-match tea making.

In 1946 there was a significant name change. It was thought by a number of members that the title 'Old Boys' had become an anachronism because it inferred that the club was limited to old boys of some particular schools and thus deterred newcomers to the town.

So the club became Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club.

By 1964 the original pavilion was falling to bits and a new one, costing £11,000, was officially opened by Huddersfield's then MP J P W Mallalieu, himself a former Oxford Blue.

Meanwhile, over the years, the club acquired more land -- including a former sewage works -- to cater for junior teams. These purchases placed HRUFC in the enviable position of being a significant freehold landowner, indeed one of the few major sports organisations in Huddersfield to own, rather than lease, its own property.

Indeed the club sold part of its Waterloo property for £1.4 million to help fund the purchase of the 26-acre Lockwood Park from Bass in 1996 and create a £4 million major sports complex backed by a £1.84 Sports Council lottery grant.

ince Then

Huddersfield RUFC (as the club is also known), is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world, and has pioneered change in the game since the early 19th century.The new ground for the club contains some lottery funding which recognised the changes with which Huddersfield has given to sport.

Lockwood Park

HRUFC bought Lockwood Park in 1997 where they have four rugby pitches plus an all-weather Astroturf all-weather pitch with parking for 300 cars. The main floodlit pitch has a capacity of 1500 with seating for 500 and adjoins the clubhouse which is open every evening and all day on Saturdays and Sundays with full catering available.

Altogether the club fields four senior teams plus Academy, Junior and Mini sections and they work closely with Huddersfield University RUFC and Leeds Carnegie [formerly Tykes] .

Additionally HRUFC has subsidiary clubs catering for mens and ladies hockey, road running, squash and a bowling club which has now become a major venue for Yorkshire county matches. Tucked away too within the huge clubhouse is the Borough Club for the town's serious snooker players and the club also rents out property to Fitness First plus our local radio station Home FM.

Recently

Recently HRUFC came second in Division North 1, and secured a place in National Division Three North, a league which is only 3 division below the Guinness Premiership. The 2007-08 season saw Huddersfield win every game but 3, and the the end of the season marked an end to 2 well-loved playing careers of Hamish Pratt and Mark Sowerby. Pratt has now gone on to coach at Ilkley Rugby Club, whilst Sowerby still coaches the Lockwood Park side!

External Links

* [http://www.huddersfieldrugby.com Official website]
* [http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/localorgs/orgdetails.asp?OrgID=1275 Kirklees website]
* [http://wikimapia.org/2310977/THE_HUDDERSFIELD_RUGBY_UNION_FOOTBALL_CLUB Wikmapia]