Draft:Eccles RFC
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Comment: We need to see more sources like the Salfrod city one that are independent of the subject and show significant coverage. Sulfurboy (talk) 05:48, 9 August 2026 (UTC)
- Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. ChrisGaffey (talk) 02:27, 8 August 2026 (UTC)
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| Full name | Eccles Rugby Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Lancashire RFU | ||
| Founded | 1897 | ||
| Location | Eccles, Salford, England. | ||
| Ground | Gorton Street | ||
| Chairman | Chris Gaffey | ||
| President | Alan Bent | ||
| Coach | Sam Simpson | ||
| League | Counties 1 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| eccles | |||
Eccles Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Eccles, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Established in 1878 and re-founded in 1897, the club’s home ground has been located at Gorton Street, Eccles since 1948.
The club operates three Senior Men’s teams, a Senior Women’s team and 16 age-grade teams (Minis, Juniors, Girls and Colts) U6s to U18s.
The Men’s first XV team currently plays in Counties 1, the seventh tier of the English rugby union system, following relegation from Regional 2 at the end of 2024-25 season. The Women’s first XV team currently compete in the Women’s NC 2 North, the fifth tier of the Rugby Football Union for Women.
The club's playing colours are navy and white hooped shirts, navy shorts and navy and white hooped socks. The club's badge features a Lancastrian red rose and a gold cross in reference to the ecclesiastical origins of Eccles.
History
[edit]Early Years
[edit]Eccles RFC played its first game on Saturday 19th October 1878 versus Leigh[1], followed by a game against Rossendale on Saturday 16th October 1878 and continued to play its home fixtures at Higher Bentcliffe Park, Eccles for several seasons. In January 1881 Eccles won the regional Cup competition organised by Swinton Lions, beating Clifton in the Final, in front of 1,300 spectators at Swinton’s Stoneacre ground[2].
Eccles RFC became a member of the Lancashire County Union in 1886 and joined the RFU in 1887 with membership lapsing during the bitter severance and upheaval of rugby by the Northern Union schism in 1895.[3] Eccles RFC was re-established in 1897 playing at a ground in Monton and in 1899 moved to take over the former ground of Barton NUFC, a Northern Union club who had folded in 1898 due to financial problems. At this time the Eccles Captain was J.E. Kidd, a Lancashire County player who would go on to be Lancashire President. [4]In 1901, Eccles moved a short distance to a larger enclosure on Edison Road, near the junction with Peel Green Road and the Barton Swing Bridge and Aqueduct on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, and were to remain here until the commencement of World War I in August 1914, playing the principle clubs of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire, with Eccles players Reid Cameron, Tommy Stephens, Harold Bowker and Reginald Lightbown Bolton selected for County representation. The densely populated district of Barton, primarily engaged in engineering, provided the club with strong local support, with a crowd of 3,000 in September 1912 to see Eccles face Kendal, being typical of the period.
In the early years Eccles played their rugby wearing green jerseys[5], changing to a navy and white hooped shirt when fixtures recommenced after World War I[6]. Eccles continued to lead a nomadic existence between the wars, resuming its rugby activities on 25th October 1919 with a game against Fylde at Stott Lane, Salford. In 1921 the club moved to Alder Forest, Worsley and in 1925 moved again to Redclyffe Road, facing Barton Power Station, remaining here until the outbreak of World War II. After the war, the club revived its activities once again and on the 2nd of October 1948, Eccles RFC played its first home game at their new ground on Gorton Street, Peel Green, Eccles where they have remained since.
Expansion
With the purpose of producing homegrown players, Eccles RFC established Colts Rugby in 1962 and a Mini & Junior Rugby section in 1991 with former senior players delivering coaching.[7] Eccles introduced a Ladies team in 1997 and introduced Girls rugby in 2013, with players Detysha Harper, Hollie Bawden and Alicia Calton recruited to play professionally for Sale Sharks Women[8]. In 2024, after 125 years of playing in white shorts, Eccles switched to Navy Blue shorts in support of women’s and girls rugby, when concerns about period anxiety were raised at the club Annual General Meeting.[9]
Honours
[edit]Lancashire RFU Club of the Year 2014, 2024
Kings Award for Voluntary Service in 2024[10].[11]
Men's Honours
Lancashire County Plate Winners 2009, 2022, 2023
Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire Champions 2022/23[12][13]
North Lancashire 2 Champions 1994/95
Women's Honours
RFUW North 2 Champions 2010/11
References
[edit]- ↑ "Leigh Leopards", Wikipedia, 2026-08-04, retrieved 2026-08-08
- ↑ "Club History". eccles.rfu.club. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "Rugby Football History". www.rugbyfootballhistory.com. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Gilbody, A.R. (1996). A Hundred Years. A History of Eccles Rugby Union Football Club. pp. 9–11.
- ↑ "When We Were Green". eccles.rfu.club. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "Changing Times. 100 years of Hoops". eccles.rfu.club. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "Eccles Rugby Club volunteer receives Citizen's Award". Salford City Council News. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ "ECCLES RFC TRIO REUNITED AT SALE SHARKS | Premiership Women's Rugby". www.thepwr.com. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ "Rugby club break 125-year tradition after concerns about period anxiety". www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ "Rugby clubs recognised by King's Award | Rugby Football Union". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "Salford kicks off Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 preparations with a special reception for Eccles RFC women and girls teams". Salford City Council News. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "Eccles secure back to back promotion". eccles.rfu.club. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "Rugby fixtures and results for Eccles in Northern Division | Rugby Football Union". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
Category:England rugby union templates
Category:Sport in the City of Salford Category:Eccles, Greater Manchester Category:Rugby union teams in Lancashire Category:Rugby clubs established in 1897
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