Full name | Old Brodleians RUFC |
---|---|
Union | Yorkshire RFU |
Nickname(s) | Brods |
Founded | 1930 |
Location | Hipperholme, West Yorkshire, England |
Ground(s) | Woodhead Park |
Chairman | Andrew Mear |
President | Richard 'Bruce' Turner |
Coach(es) | Oliver Akroyd |
League(s) | Regional 2 North East |
2023–24 | 3rd |
Official website | |
www |
Old Brodleians RUFC (or Brods, as they are known) are an English rugby union club from Hipperholme, near Halifax, West Yorkshire. The club currently operates three senior men's teams. In the past there was a veterans side whose regular European Tour tradition has been carried on by the club's third team, The Beavers. There club runs a full range of junior teams for both boys and girls.as well as five netball teams. [1]
Old Brodleians was founded in 1930 by former pupils of the Hipperholme Grammar School. As the school was endowed in the will of a local man, Matthew Brodley hence, the 'Old Brodleians' was chosen as the club's name. In the early years they struggled to raise a full team and almost went out of existence in 1934. By 1939 the Brods ran two teams and had established themselves as a prominent junior club with a reputation for scrappy rugby.
When league rugby was introduced in 1987, Brods were placed in North East One. They stayed in that league until they were placed in Yorkshire 1 when the 1998 restructuring took place. [2] They are back in Yorkshire 1 after a short spell in the North 1 East league, after achieving promotion from Yorkshire 1 at the end of the 2008–09 season. The club returned to North One East after coming top of Yorkshire 1 in 2019–20.
The club play their matches at Woodhead ground in Hipperholme. A gas decontamination centre behind the council offices at Hipperholme was transformed into changing rooms and clubhouse after the war. Whilst these facilities were adequate the aim was to own and develop the club's own facilities. The chance to purchase the 18 acre (later extended to 23 acre) Woodhead ground was taken, supported by an RFU loan, and in 1963 the old hut was erected. The hut was an old RAF hospital wooden structure purchased for £700. It took two years but club members beavered away and a homely clubhouse with changing rooms and bath was the result. Many members have fond memories of the old hut but 27 April 2003 marked the end of an era when Charlie Hodgson cut the ribbon to open the rebuilt clubhouse. [3] The new clubhouse stands as a permanent memorial to Colin Green who wrote " Although it seemed obvious to me that the club must start to plan for gradual replacement of its timber framed clubhouse. I was quick to learn that the old building was very dear to the hearts of older members and much loved by current players. So I trod carefully."
Brighouse is a town within the metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the River Calder, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Halifax. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the town centre is a mooring basin on the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The United Kingdom Census 2001 gave the Brighouse / Rastrick subdivision of the West Yorkshire Urban Area a population of 32,360. The Brighouse ward of Calderdale Council gave a population of 11,195 at the 2011 Census. Brighouse has a HD6 postcode.
The York Wasps was an English professional rugby league club based in York. At the start of the 2002 season, the club was dissolved. A new club, York City Knights was established to take the Wasps' place for the 2003 season.
Charles Christopher Hodgson is a retired English rugby union player, having previously been a player for Sale Sharks and Saracens. His position was fly-half and he is the leading Premiership points scorer of all time. Hodgson also played for England, until announcing his international retirement in 2012. Hodgson made 18 consecutive starts at fly half for England between 2004 and 2006.
Coventry Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union club based in Coventry, England. The club enjoyed great success during the 1960s and 70s, with many players representing their countries. Coventry's home ground is the Butts Park Arena, which opened in 2004. Between 1921 and 2004, the club played at Coundon Road. The club plays in the RFU Championship following their promotion from the 2017–18 National League 1.
Stephen William Borthwick is an English rugby union coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of the England national team. As a player, he played as a lock for Bath and Saracens. At international level, he played for England 57 times from his debut in 2001; he served as captain from 2008 until he was dropped from the side in 2010.
Lightcliffe is a village in the Calderdale district in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated approximately three miles east of Halifax and two miles north west of Brighouse. Lightcliffe was a separate parish in 1846 in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Hipperholme is a village in West Yorkshire, England, located between the towns of Halifax and Brighouse in the Hipperholme and Lightcliffe ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 11,308.
Jamie Bloem is a former dual code rugby player and rugby league referee. He currently coaches amateur rugby league side Elland ARLFC. He played representative rugby league for South Africa and Scotland. At club level for Cape Town Coasters, Castleford Tigers, Oldham, Doncaster, Widnes Vikings,Halifax Panthers, Huddersfield Giants and player-coach for Stainland Stags ARLFC, as a fullback, wing, centre, scrum-half, second-row, or loose forward.
Sherborne Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Dorset in the south west of England. The club was established in 1980. It has a membership of 100 senior players and a further 300 boys and girls in the junior section. The club runs two men's teams with the 1st XV currently playing in Regional 2 South West – a league at level 6 of the English rugby union system – following their promotion as champions of Southern Counties South at the end of the 2018–19 season.
Lance corporal Semesa "Roko" Rokoduguni is a professional rugby union player for Doncaster Knights in England RFU Championship, previously playing for English club Bath. Rokoduguni is also an actively serving soldier in the British Army, and notably served in Afghanistan.
Piers Francis is an English rugby union footballer who plays in the fly-half and occasionally inside centre position. His current club is Bath in Premiership Rugby, he has previously played for Northampton Saints, the Blues in Super Rugby, Edinburgh & Doncaster Knights.
The Yorkshire Rugby Football Union is the governing body responsible for rugby union in the historic county of Yorkshire, England. It is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having formed in 1869, the union was formerly called Yorkshire County Club.
North East 1 was an English Rugby Union league which was at the 7th tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North East England. Promoted teams moved up to North 2 East while relegated teams dropped to North East 2. The division was abolished at the end of the 1999–2000 season due to RFU restructuring with teams either being moved up to North 2 East or dropping down to regional leagues such as Yorkshire 1 or Durham/Northumberland 1.
Jacob Umaga is an English professional rugby union player who plays at fly-half for Italian United Rugby Championship side Benetton.
Alfie Barbeary is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a number eight for Premiership Rugby club Bath. He now plays in the back row having previously focused on hooker.
Isobel "Issy" Pollard is an English former footballer who played for the England women's national football team. She played for several clubs at FA Women's Premier League level and for Betsele IF in Sweden.