Coventry RLFC
Encyclopedia
Coventry RLFC was a semi-professional Rugby league
team based in Coventry
, West Midlands
, England
that played in the Northern Rugby Football Union
League in the 1910–11, 1911–12, and 1912–13 seasons.
, which included members of Stoke Cricket Club, took part in what could be described as the first organised game of Rugby football in Coventry. It was played against Allesley Park College at Allesley. With the game in its infancy, one half was played to Rugby rules, the other to Association.
The first headquarters were set up at the Old Bull Fields and for the first two seasons the club were unbeaten. The ground became known as "The Butts"
when part of the Old Bull Fields was enclosed, the first match being against Stourbridge in October 1880. The club won the Midland Counties Cup five times in the first seven years.
On the collapse of Coventry RLFC in 1913, a new club was re-constituted to play the Rugby Union code and until the outbreak of the first world war in 1914, played on a new ground at London Road made available by Col Sir William Wyley, a ground on which the government purchased and built on during the First World War.
RL = Single Division; Pl = Games Played: W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose; PF = Points For; PA = Points Against; Diff = Points Difference (+ or -); Pts = League Points
% Pts = A percentage system was used to determine league positions due to clubs playing varying number of fixtures and against different opponents
League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team based in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
that played in the Northern Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
League in the 1910–11, 1911–12, and 1912–13 seasons.
The beginning
In 1874, a Coventry XVRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, which included members of Stoke Cricket Club, took part in what could be described as the first organised game of Rugby football in Coventry. It was played against Allesley Park College at Allesley. With the game in its infancy, one half was played to Rugby rules, the other to Association.
The first headquarters were set up at the Old Bull Fields and for the first two seasons the club were unbeaten. The ground became known as "The Butts"
Butts Park Arena
Butts Park Arena is a multi-use sports stadium in Spon End, Coventry, England. It is the home ground of Coventry R.F.C., Coventry Jets, and Coventry Bears....
when part of the Old Bull Fields was enclosed, the first match being against Stourbridge in October 1880. The club won the Midland Counties Cup five times in the first seven years.
Northern Union
The club converted to Northern Union in time for the start of the 1910-11 season. The new League club continued to play at the Butts. Results on the field were poor and as a consequence, so were attendances. Receipts were not sufficient to sustain the club and Coventry RLFC folded after completion of the 1912-13 season.On the collapse of Coventry RLFC in 1913, a new club was re-constituted to play the Rugby Union code and until the outbreak of the first world war in 1914, played on a new ground at London Road made available by Col Sir William Wyley, a ground on which the government purchased and built on during the First World War.
Club League Record
For the 1910–11 to 1912–13 seasons, Coventry RLFC achieved the following record:| Season | Competition | Pos | Team Name | Pl | W | D | L | PW | PA | Diff | Pts | % Pts | No of teams in league | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910-11 | RL | 27 | Coventry | 32 | 6 | 1 | 25 | 288 | 524 | ||||||
| 13 | 20.31 | 28 | | | ||||||||||||
| 1911-12 | RL | 23 | Coventry | 34 | 6 | 2 | 26 | 208 | 646 | ||||||
| 14 | 20.58 | 27 | | | ||||||||||||
| 1912-13 | RL | 26 | Coventry | 27 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 157 | 896 | ||||||
| 1 | 1.85 | 26 | | |
RL = Single Division; Pl = Games Played: W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose; PF = Points For; PA = Points Against; Diff = Points Difference (+ or -); Pts = League Points
% Pts = A percentage system was used to determine league positions due to clubs playing varying number of fixtures and against different opponents
League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.
Notable players
J. Tomes won a cap for England while at Coventry in 1910 against Wales.See also
1911–12 Northern Rugby Football Union season1912–13 Northern Rugby Football Union season
List of defunct rugby league clubs