Ards RFC

Last updated

Ards RFC
Full nameArds Rugby Football Club
Union IRFU
Ulster
Nickname(s)Black Knights
Founded1928
Ground(s)Hamilton Park, Newtownards
PresidentStephen Nutt
Director of RugbyStephen Nutt
Coach(es)Palmer Eccles and David Thompson
Captain(s)Matthew Kane
Kit left arm whiteborder.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body whitecollar.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm whiteborder.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks whitetop.png
Kit socks long.svg
Team kit

Ards RFC (Ards Rugby Football Club) is a rugby club based in Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, playing in the Ulster Rugby Championship Division 2. It is affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club currently fields three adult teams and a women's team, North Down Women, who are a combination of players from Ards, Bangor and Donaghadee. Three youth teams also play at under-18, under-16 and under-14 levels. There is also a rapidly developing girls' junior section and a very successful mini rugby section in the club. The club works in close collaboration with local schools such as Regent House Grammar School, Movilla High School and Strangford College who provide much of the playing talent at the club.

Contents

Foundation

On 11 April 1928, Ards Rugby Football Club was formed at a meeting in Newtownards Academy pavilion.[ citation needed ] The first competitive game was played on 13 October 1928. Ards RFC played most of their early years in the Ulster Junior Leagues.

Senior Status

In the 1961-62 season Ards won the Towns Cup for the first time captained by Bobby Haslett. In 1977-1978 season Ards achieved senior status when they gained promotion to the Ulster Senior League by defeating Ballymena 2nd XV 12-0 in an Ulster League Section 2 playoff at Shane Park, Instonians. After a downturn in fortunes in the 1990s Ards were relegated from senior rugby in season 2000-2001 to Qualifying League Section 1. However, in the 2002-2003 season Ards won the AIB All Ireland Qualifying Round Robin playoff and were promoted for a second time to the All-Ireland League. In 2015 Ards were relegated from the All-Ireland League and now play in the Ulster Rugby Championship Division 2.

Honours

Boston Floodlit Cup, Bangor: 1 1976-77

Notable Former Players

Internationals

British and Irish Lions flag with no Lion.svg British and Irish Lions
IRFU flag.svg  Ireland
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand

Source: [1]

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/ards/a/history-8456.html?page=5

  1. "The Ards Internationals". www.ardsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2019.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morley R.F.C.</span> Rugby team

Morley Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union club based in Morley, West Yorkshire. England. The club are famous for playing in a maroon kit and thus are nicknamed "The Maroons". They currently play in North 1 East, a level six league in the English rugby union league system, following their relegation at the end of the 2017-18 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ards F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Ards Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Championship. The club is based in Newtownards, but plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park in Bangor, which it rents from rivals Bangor to play home games. The club colours are red and blue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangor F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Bangor Football Club is a semi-professional Irish League football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club, founded in 1918, hails from Bangor and plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park. Club colours are gold and royal blue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Harlequins</span> School in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey, and squash. The club is associated on and off the field with Methodist College Belfast (MCB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instonians</span> Sporting society

Instonians is a sports club based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that incorporates rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey and cricket sections. There is also a golf society that plays under the Instonians name.

The Ulster Senior League, currently known as the Ulster Rugby Premiership, is a rugby union competition for senior clubs in the Irish province of Ulster. It was formed by the then Northern Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union in October 1890. It has traditionally being ranked second in importance to the Ulster Senior Cup. It has declined in importance due to the formation of the All-Ireland League and growth in importance of the Heineken Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymena R.F.C.</span> Rugby team

Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, playing in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League. It is affiliated to the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club fields five adult teams and an under-20s team. In youth rugby, there are under-18s, under-16s and under-14s teams.

City of Derry Rugby Football Club is a rugby club, formed in 1881 in Derry, Ireland. They currently play in the Ulster Rugby Championship Division 1 after relegation from Division 2C of the All-Ireland League in 2022.

Rainey Rugby Football Club is situated in the market town of Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland playing in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suttonians RFC</span> Rugby union football club in Dublin, Ireland

Suttonians Rugby Football Club is affiliated to the Irish Rugby Football Union. The men's 1st XV team plays in Division 1A of the Leinster League. The women's 1st XV, nicknamed 'Tribe', play in Division 1 of the women's All Ireland League.
The clubhouse and grounds are based at the JJ McDowell Memorial Grounds on Station Road, Sutton, Fingal.
The Club fields five senior sides with underage teams from under 6 age grade up to under 20, men's and women's.
Suttonians is one of only four Northside Dublin clubs to have played in the All Ireland Leagues.

The Ulster Senior League is a league competition for the first teams of men's hockey clubs affiliated to the Ulster Hockey Union of Hockey Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruff R.F.C.</span> Irish rugby union club

Bruff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in County Limerick, Ireland. As at April 2022 it was playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League. The club plays at home in Kilballyowen Park, near the town of Bruff in County Limerick. As at the 2017/18 season they were fielding 16 rugby teams at the club including 3 men's adult squads, girls' youth, minis and boys' youth rugby teams ranging in age from under-7 to under-18.

Dungannon RFC is a rugby union club from Dungannon, Northern Ireland, playing in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Amateur Football League</span> Association football league in Northern Ireland

The Northern Amateur Football League, also known as the Northern Amateur League and often simply as the Amateur League, is an association football league in Northern Ireland. It contains 13 divisions. These comprise four intermediate sections: the Premier Division, Division 1A, Division 1B and Division 1C; three junior sections: Division 2A, Division 2B and Division 2C; and six reserve sections.

Antrim Hockey Club is a hockey club based at Antrim Forum The club was founded in 1894 and was one of the founding members of the Ulster Hockey Union. Antrim Hockey Club's first eleven play in the Senior League of the Ulster Senior League.

Portadown RFC is an Irish rugby union team based in Portadown, County Armagh. They play in the Kukri Ulster Championship 1, the top level of Junior rugby in Ulster. The club colours are blue and white.

Coleraine Cricket Club is a cricket club in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, playing in North West Senior League Premiership. They are affiliated with the North West Cricket Union and Cricket Ireland. The club was founded as the cricket section of Coleraine Rugby Football Club in 1958 and later merged with the University of Ulster at Coleraine team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Football League</span> Football league

The Northern Ireland Football League, also known as the Irish League, is the national football league of Northern Ireland. The Irish League was originally formed in 1890, with the league in its current format created in 2013 to assume independent collective management of the top three levels of the Northern Ireland football league system; namely the Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate League.

Bangor RFC is a Northern Irish rugby union club from Bangor, County Down, playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League.

Walsall Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Walsall in the West Midlands, playing home games at the Broadway Ground, Delves Road. The club operates four senior men's teams, a colts side as well as a full range of junior teams. The men's 1st XV currently plays in Regional 2 West Midlands.