Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club
Encyclopedia
Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union
team situated in Huddersfield
, West Yorkshire
, England. The club plays in the domestic National Division 2 North. It also competes in the EDF Energy Trophy and the Yorkshire Cup
competitions.
The team plays out of its home ground at Lockwood Park, which has a capacity of 1,500 with seating for 500.
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 was playing in the top ranks of English clubs when, in August 1895, the town hosted the a meeting at the George Hotel
and was one of the 20 clubs that resigned from the Rugby Union to create a professional rugby league. A new club was re-formed and named Huddersfield Old Boys in 1909.
The club's first ground was at the United Cricket Club in Luck Lane with changing facilities at the Croppers Arms.
World War I
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 plagued 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 aftermatch tea making. 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.
In 1946 the club changed their name to Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club.
The club sold part of its Waterloo property for £1.4 million to W Morrison's
to help fund the purchase of the 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) former brewery estate at Lockwood Park from Bass in 1996 to create a major sports complex backed by a £1.84 million Sport Council lottery grant.
The club won the Yorkshire Cup in 2011 for the second time in it's history, beating Hull RUFC 25-18 at York RUFC. The previous cup win was in 1890.
, the Huddersfield Rams.
Rugby 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...
team situated in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England. The club plays in the domestic National Division 2 North. It also competes in the EDF Energy Trophy and the Yorkshire Cup
Yorkshire Cup (rugby union)
The Yorkshire Cup is an English Rugby Football Union competition founded in 1878. It is open to all eligible clubs in the Yorkshire area. It was initially known as the Yorkshire Challenge Cup.-History:...
competitions.
The team plays out of its home ground at Lockwood Park, which has a capacity of 1,500 with seating for 500.
History
Rugby football was first played in Huddersfield in 1869 and the club established in 1870.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 was playing in the top ranks of English clubs when, in August 1895, the town hosted the a meeting at the George Hotel
George Hotel, Huddersfield
The George Hotel, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, situated in the centre of the city, is a Grade II listed building famous as the birthplace of rugby league football....
and was one of the 20 clubs that resigned from the Rugby Union to create a professional rugby league. A new club was re-formed and named Huddersfield Old Boys in 1909.
The club's first ground was at the United Cricket Club in Luck Lane with changing facilities at the Croppers Arms.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
blew the whistle on the sport and games were not restarted until 1919 on a ground at Salendine Nook
Salendine Nook
Salendine Nook is a district of Huddersfield to the north-west of Huddersfield in the English county of West Yorkshire.Bordered to the north-east by Laund Hill, Weather Hill and Low Hill and to the south-west by the natural scar of Longwood Edge, above the suburb of Longwood...
initially before the club took a lease on land at Waterloo
Waterloo, Huddersfield
Waterloo is a district in the town of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is to the east of Huddersfield Town Centre.Waterloo's population is around 7,000 and it is situated between Dalton and Almondbury....
. 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 plagued 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 aftermatch tea making. 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.
In 1946 the club changed their name to Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club.
The club sold part of its Waterloo property for £1.4 million to W Morrison's
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
to help fund the purchase of the 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) former brewery estate at Lockwood Park from Bass in 1996 to create a major sports complex backed by a £1.84 million Sport Council lottery grant.
The club won the Yorkshire Cup in 2011 for the second time in it's history, beating Hull RUFC 25-18 at York RUFC. The previous cup win was in 1890.
Associated clubs
As well as being a rugby club Huddersfield RUFC also has clubs based at Lockwood Park catering for hockey, squash, road running, Aussie rules football and a bowling club that boasts arguably the finest green in Yorkshire. Tucked away within the huge clubhouse is the Borough Club for the town's serious snooker players.Lockwood Park
Lockwood Park is the home of Huddersfield RUFC and is a multi sports complex with a capacity of 1,500 (with seating for 500). It is also the home of Huddersfield Dragons Hockey Club, Huddersfield Road Runners AC, HRUFC Bowling Club, HRUFC Squash Club and the Borough Club which offers snooker facilities in the town. It is also now the home of the town's Australian Rules Football ClubHuddersfield Rams Aussie Rules
Huddersfield Rams are an Australian Rules Football team, based in the West Yorkshire town of Huddersfield, England. They were formed in 2008 by Karl Haigh, who was introduced to the sport when traveling in Australia....
, the Huddersfield Rams.