Ealing Rugby
Encyclopedia
Ealing Football Club played its first match in 1869 on Ealing Common
, prior to the founding of the Rugby Football Union
in 1871. The early years saw regular fixtures against the likes of Wasps
, London Irish
, Harlequins, Richmond and Blackheath with 75% win rate for a long period. The Clubs registered playing name with the RFU is Ealing Trailfinders and is a Mutual Society Registered with the FSA run on behalf of its members and the game. Ealing Trailfinders currently play in National League 1
, the third tier of the English rugby union league system.
Between 1894 and 1958 the club moved location numerous times – Hanger Lane
– West Middlesex Polo Club – Gunnersbury Park
– Drayton Green – Syon Lane, Horsenden Hill
. Now the club is located at Trailfinders Sports Ground, just south of the A40
at the upper end of West Ealing
, which is also home to the GWR Cricket and Rugby Clubs.
Ealing Rugby Club’s centenary match was played against Harlequins in 1970. The 1970s and ’80s saw Ealing playing a superior standard of rugby union with the club supplying many county level players for Middlesex
. In 1987 the club finished top of London Division 1 and during the next 6 years was never lower than 2nd in London 1 or higher than 10th in National 5. Ealing won the Middlesex cup 3 times in this period.
Unfortunately the early 1990s saw great reductions in the number of home grown colts and new mature talent joining the club and in 1996 Ealing were relegated from London 1 with further challenging times since. Corrective action was taken, youth and minis sections were formed and the Club moved to a new ground at Trailfinders Sports Club in 1999.
The Club is now thriving at all levels. The minis and youth sections have teams in all age groups and on Sundays the club is a sea of green and white clad junior players with over 750 registered players making it the biggest club in Middlesex and one of the largest in the country. The Clubs Junior teams are regular winners of County Festivals and champions of the Herts and Middlesex Leagues for Youth Rugby.
The Club has been awarded two RFU Presidents Awards, the first in 2007 for its work on Referee Development that has extended into a national programme and the second in 2008 for Coaching Excellence. The Club is also notable for having developed a unique pathway for female players starting at 10 and running through to U18. Known as the Emeralds, this section has already started to provide players to the England Elite Programme. The focus on management and coaching is helping young players develop and the Club has seen players develop through the new structures to play for England and US and in 2009 fielded two first team players who just a few years ago where playing in the Juniors and who have gone on to representative Honours.
In the 2009/10, season the Club was the only team in the National Leagues to score more than 1000 points, averaging more than 36 in each game. The Club very narrowly missed out on promotion to National One
by losing to Barking RFC
by 2 points and Rosslyn Park
by 1.
The Senior Club fields six regular sides with the Exiles, Cougars, Buffaloes, Evergreens and the Women's team the Jades each growing stronger each season. In 2010/11 the Club started its Community Rugby programme providing Coaching Support and Access to the game to Schools and other groups throughout Ealing and West London.
Ealing Common
Ealing Common is a large open space in Ealing, west London, bounded by Gunnersbury Ave to the east and the Uxbridge Road to the north. A smaller area of the common extends to the east of Gunnersbury Ave, including Leopold Road...
, prior to the founding of the Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
in 1871. The early years saw regular fixtures against the likes of Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
, London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
, Harlequins, Richmond and Blackheath with 75% win rate for a long period. The Clubs registered playing name with the RFU is Ealing Trailfinders and is a Mutual Society Registered with the FSA run on behalf of its members and the game. Ealing Trailfinders currently play in National League 1
National League 1
National League 1, , is the third level of domestic rugby union competition in England.This is the lowest level of the English rugby union league system which is nationwide...
, the third tier of the English rugby union league system.
Between 1894 and 1958 the club moved location numerous times – Hanger Lane
Hanger Lane
Hanger Lane is a major road in the Ealing and Park Royal areas of London. It forms the westernmost part of the A406 North Circular as it runs north from Gunnersbury Avenue as it crosses the A4020 Uxbridge Road at Ealing Common to meet the A40 Western Avenue at the Hanger Lane Gyratory System...
– West Middlesex Polo Club – Gunnersbury Park
Gunnersbury Park
Gunnersbury Park is a park in the Brentford ward of the London Borough of Hounslow, in west London, England. Purchased for the nation from the Rothschild family, it was opened to the public by Neville Chamberlain, then Minister of Health, on 21 May 1926...
– Drayton Green – Syon Lane, Horsenden Hill
Horsenden Hill
Horsenden Hill is a hill and open space, located in the Perivale, Sudbury, and Greenford areas of London, UK. It is in the London Borough of Ealing, close to the boundary with the London Borough of Brent. It is one of the higher eminences in the local area, rising to 85m / 276 ft above sea level,...
. Now the club is located at Trailfinders Sports Ground, just south of the A40
A40
- Roads :* A40 motorway , a road in Québec* A40 motorway * A40 motorway * A40 road , a road connecting London and Fishguard, Wales* A40 road , a primary road which connects the A3 with the A1- Other :...
at the upper end of West Ealing
West Ealing
West Ealing is a place in the London Borough of Ealing in west London.-History:West Ealing in its present form is less than 100 years old....
, which is also home to the GWR Cricket and Rugby Clubs.
Ealing Rugby Club’s centenary match was played against Harlequins in 1970. The 1970s and ’80s saw Ealing playing a superior standard of rugby union with the club supplying many county level players for Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
. In 1987 the club finished top of London Division 1 and during the next 6 years was never lower than 2nd in London 1 or higher than 10th in National 5. Ealing won the Middlesex cup 3 times in this period.
Unfortunately the early 1990s saw great reductions in the number of home grown colts and new mature talent joining the club and in 1996 Ealing were relegated from London 1 with further challenging times since. Corrective action was taken, youth and minis sections were formed and the Club moved to a new ground at Trailfinders Sports Club in 1999.
The Club is now thriving at all levels. The minis and youth sections have teams in all age groups and on Sundays the club is a sea of green and white clad junior players with over 750 registered players making it the biggest club in Middlesex and one of the largest in the country. The Clubs Junior teams are regular winners of County Festivals and champions of the Herts and Middlesex Leagues for Youth Rugby.
The Club has been awarded two RFU Presidents Awards, the first in 2007 for its work on Referee Development that has extended into a national programme and the second in 2008 for Coaching Excellence. The Club is also notable for having developed a unique pathway for female players starting at 10 and running through to U18. Known as the Emeralds, this section has already started to provide players to the England Elite Programme. The focus on management and coaching is helping young players develop and the Club has seen players develop through the new structures to play for England and US and in 2009 fielded two first team players who just a few years ago where playing in the Juniors and who have gone on to representative Honours.
In the 2009/10, season the Club was the only team in the National Leagues to score more than 1000 points, averaging more than 36 in each game. The Club very narrowly missed out on promotion to National One
National League 1
National League 1, , is the third level of domestic rugby union competition in England.This is the lowest level of the English rugby union league system which is nationwide...
by losing to Barking RFC
Barking RFC
Barking RFC is an English rugby union team currently playing in National League 1.- Park Modern Old Boys:The club was founded in 1930, under the name of Park Modern Old Boys. In 1926 the Park Modern School in Barking was founded and the headmaster decided that the school would play rugby, despite...
by 2 points and Rosslyn Park
Rosslyn Park F.C.
Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union team. Founded in 1879, the club became the first club based in England to play rugby internationally when it faced Stade Francais in Paris on 18 April 1892. In 1912, the club played in Prague, Budapest and Vienna in the first rugby matches ever played in...
by 1.
The Senior Club fields six regular sides with the Exiles, Cougars, Buffaloes, Evergreens and the Women's team the Jades each growing stronger each season. In 2010/11 the Club started its Community Rugby programme providing Coaching Support and Access to the game to Schools and other groups throughout Ealing and West London.