Harrogate Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.Harrogate 1st XV - The team , Harrogate RUFC The club runs three senior sides. The first team play in National 2 North, following promotion in 25:26. The second team, Harrogate Georgians,Harrogate Georgians, Harrogate RUFC play in the Yorkshire 2., Harrogate RUFC

The club also fields a womens team (Harrogate Ladies)Harrogate Ladies - The team , Harrogate RUFC in the RFUW Championship,Women's Competitions, England Rugby and eight junior teams (from ages 6 to 16).Junior , Harrogate RUFC

History

The team was founded in 1871 as Harrogate Football Club, the same year as the Rugby Football Union, and played its first match on 16 December that year. It moved to Dragon Fields in 1875 and then moved to Claro Road in 1896. In 1903, the club played Canada and two years later it won the Yorkshire Cup for the first time. In 1914, the club decided to concentrate on football and rugby union activities were split off into a new club called Harrogate Old Boys. In 1923, a club called Harrogate RUFC was formed and RUFC and Old Boys amalgamated in 1936, although it was only in 1945 that the merged club officially became known as Harrogate RUFC. In 1957, the club merged with Harrogate Georgians and the decision was taken to retain the Georgians' name by naming the second XV Harrogate Georgians. When the leagues were formed in 1987, the club was placed in North 1. Subsequent promotions resulted in Harrogate joining the third tier for the 1994–95 season and it remained at that level for thirteen seasons. However, the club has been relegated twice and is playing in regional rugby for the first time in more than twenty years.

Harrogate's most successful season was 2001–02 when it finished fourth in the league, won the Yorkshire Cup and won the National 7s competition.History, Harrogate RUFC In 2015, the club won the Yorkshire Cup for the tenth time. At the start of the 2015–16 season, after a wait of fifteen years, Harrogate moved from its old ground of Claro Road (where it had been for 119 years) to a new location at Rudding Lane.Harrogate Rugby Club launches new ground in style with local derby On 15 September 2015 Harrogate played its first game at Rudding Lane – beating local rivals Otley 15 – 10 in front of a club record crowd of 1,050 in the 2015–16 National League 2 North.- -

Ground

Rudding Lane Since 2015 the club has been based at Rudding Lane on the south-east outskirts of Harrogate, with access to the A658. The ground consists of a club house and four full size rugby pitches as well as parking for over 250 cars. Capacity around the main pitch is approximately 2,000 standing, with grass banking enabling spectators a clear view of the action.

Claro Road Between 1896 and 2015 the club was based at Claro Road, in the centre of Harrogate. Claro Road had a capacity of around 4,500, with 4,000 standing and 500 seats split between the covered grandstand on one side with a smaller uncovered seating area on the other.

Honours Division 4 North: Winners (1): 1992–93 National 7s: Winners (1): 2001–02 Runner-up (1): 2002–03 Yorkshire Cup: Winners (12): 1905, 1907, 1949, 1965, 1981, 1991, 1992, 2002, 2003, 2015, 2016, 2017 National League 3 (north v midlands) promotion play-off: Winners (1): 2012–13 North Premier Runner-up (promoted from level 5): 2019–20 Regional 1 North East: Winners (1): 2023-24

Harrogate , The Rugby Archive

Women's team honours Women's Championship North 2 Winners (1): 2018–19 Women's North 1 East Winners (1): 2017–18 Women's NC North 2 East Runners-up (1): 2016–17 Women's Junior Plate Runners-up (1): 2017

League record Club website - Timeline of Harrogate Rugby Club

1993–94 Division 4: 2nd — promoted 1994–95 Division 3: 7th 1995–96 Division 3: 6th 1996–97 Division 3: 5th 1997–98 National Division 1: 14th 1998–99 National Division 1: 12th 1999–00 National Division 1: 6th 2000–01 National Division 1: 5th 2001–02 National Division 2: 4th 2002–03 National Division 2: 4th 2003–04 National Division 2: 8th 2004–05 National Division 2: 10th 2005–06 National Division 2: 13th — avoided relegation due to league reshuffle. 2006–07 National Division 2: 14th — relegated 2007–08 National Division 3 North: 6th 2008–09 National Division 3 North: 5th 2009–10 National League 2 North: 4th 2010–11 National League 2 North: 6th 2011–12 National League 2 North: 14th — relegated 2012–13 National League 3 North: 2nd — promoted 2013–14 National League 2 North: 9th 2014–15 National League 2 North: 4th 2015–16 National League 2 North: 7th 2016–17 National League 2 North: 14th — relegated 2017–18 North Premier: 3rd 2018–19 North Premier: 3rd 2019–20 North Premier: 2nd — promoted 2020–21 National League 2 North: league not contested due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom 2021–22 National League 2 North: 16th (relegation avoided due to league reorganisation)

International players At least twelve former Harrogate players have gone on to win international caps.Club history - past international players, Harrogate RUFC

Jonathan Callard Peter Glover Peter Larter Roger Shackleton Peter Squires Carlton Troop Martyn Wood Thomas Grant Jeff Young Simon Easterby Guy Easterby Lee Feurer

Current season

References

External links