Rosslyn Park F.C.

Last updated

Rosslyn Park
Rosslyn Park F.C. logo.png
Full nameRosslyn Park Football Club
Union Middlesex RFU, Surrey RFU
Founded1879;145 years ago (1879)
Location Roehampton, Wandsworth, London, England [1]
Ground(s)The Rock, Priory Lane (Capacity: 2,000. Additional games at Richmond Park)
ChairmanAdam Tyrer
PresidentNick Goddard [2]
Director of RugbyKieran Power
Coach(es) John Mills [3]
Captain(s) Hugo Ellis [ citation needed ]
League(s) National League 1
2023–24 3rd
Kit left arm thinnavyborder.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body thinredhoops.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm thinnavyborder.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks hoops red.png
Kit socks long.svg
Home kit
Official website
rosslynpark.co.uk

Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union club based in south west London.

Contents

History

Founded in 1879 by cricketing friends in north London, at the end of their first season, Charles Hoyer Millar proposed forming a football club to keep the players together during the winter. There was already a Hampstead Football Club (from which both Wasps and Harlequins sprang), so the cricket club's name was adopted, reflecting the area of Hampstead where the cricketers first played their scratch games in the grounds of Rosslyn House. Their original rugby ground was at South End Green, Hampstead, then Gospel Oak and Acton before a lengthy tenure at Old Deer Park, Richmond until 1956, when Rosslyn Park moved to its current premises in Roehampton. After an initial blue shirt with white Maltese cross, its current red-and-white hoops were adopted in 1881. It still remains a Football Club, without the need for the word Rugby, and so is correctly Rosslyn Park FC, not RFC.

The Rosslyn Park squad in 1892 Rosslyn park 1892.jpg
The Rosslyn Park squad in 1892

Early fixtures were generally against second XVs of leading clubs, but in the 1890s Rosslyn Park joined the first rank with fixtures against Oxford University, London Scottish, Richmond and Harlequins. Park's acceptance into the elite was signalled when venerable Blackheath agreed to play home and away fixtures in 1909. The club became the first English side to play rugby internationally when it beat Stade Français in Paris on 18 April 1892. [4] In 1912, the club played exhibition matches in Prague, Budapest and Vienna - the first rugby matches ever played in those cities - and in 1913 played two games in Hanover, Germany. [4] In 1939, Rosslyn Park inaugurated the annual Rosslyn Park Schools Seven Tournament, which expanded from sixteen schools to 350 in 1996. With some 7,000 players annually, it is the world's largest rugby tournament. [4] After the Second World war, Park again led the way with a first international fixture in 1945 against traditional rivals Stade Français. In 1951, Park was the first to bring the Ladies' Cup from the Melrose Sevens south of the border. In 1975 and 1976, the club played in the final of the John Player Cup, narrowly losing on both occasions

The club runs five senior men's sides (the 1st XV, "B's", "Hatters", "Fours", and "Nomads") and a ladies side (the "Slingbacks") who play on Sundays. Rosslyn Park also have one of the country's largest mini- and youth-rugby set-ups with sides at all age groups from under-6s up. When English league rugby began in 1987, Park were placed in Division two, which they won. The first team currently play in the third division of the English league system, National League One.

The club plays at Priory Lane, Roehampton in South-West London on a ground leased from the next-door Roehampton Club. There is one 4G (4th generation synthetic turf) pitch at the main site; additional games are played on grass pitches in nearby Richmond Park. Changing facilities for both sets of pitches are at the main site in Priory Lane. The clubhouse has two bars, which are named after two of the club's famous players – Andy Ripley and Alexander Obolensky. The first floodlights for the main pitch were famously provided by the hell-raising actor Oliver Reed who was also a member of the club and occasional player. Those lights have now been replaced after storm damage.

Some 350 Park members served in the Great War, of which 109 died, believed to be the highest number from any club. The story was told in a 2012 book The Final Whistle: the Great War in Fifteen players. The original memorial was lost but was replaced with a new board in 2014 when a Centenary memorial match was played under the Laws prevailing in 1914 and the memorial was unveiled by Bill Beaumont, Chairman of the RFU.

Current standings

2024–25 National League 1 table
PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDTBLBPtsQualification
1 Rams 101000343166+1778048Promotion place
2 Richmond 10910362193+1697045
3 Rotherham Titans 10802337236+1016139
4 Rosslyn Park 10604341228+1136232
5 Blackheath 10604298245+536131
6 Birmingham Moseley 1060423423734028
7 Sale FC 10505228275474226
8 Plymouth Albion 10406257254+36426
9 Dings Crusaders 10415305347427025
10 Bishop's Stortford 10406237254175223
11 Esher 103072774191426018
12 Sedgley Park 10208272289174416Relegation place
13 Leicester Lions 101092123581465312
14 Darlington Mowden Park 10109195397202318
Updated to match(es) played on 16 November 2024. Source: National League Rugby [5]
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled

Honours

Notable former players

List of seasons (since the beginning of professional era)

SeasonDivisionLevelLeague recordPromotion play-off
PWDLFABPPtsPos
1987-88 National Division 2 21182115583-251st
1988-89 English Premiership 111506172208-109th
1989-90 English Premiership 111407164243-810th
1990-91 English Premiership 112606216174-127th
1991-92 English Premiership 1120111111258-113th
1992-93 National Division 2 212507209199-108th
1993-94 National Division 3 3181017372240-215th
1994-95 National Division 3 3181008313280-204th
1995-96 National Division 3 3183213290426-89th
1996-97 National Division 3 33017013630620-348th
1997-98 National League 1 32613112486537-275th
1998-99 National League 1 3261718588371-353rd
1999-2000 National League 1 3261727694371-364th
2000-01 National Division 2 3251924752439-403rd
2001-02 National Division 2 3268117490605-1712th
2002-03 National Division 3 South 42624021055395-481st
2003-04 National Division 2 3269116672646-1912th
2004-05 National Division 2 3266020415671113514th
2005-06 National Division 3 South 4261501154944411716th
2006-07 National Division 3 South 4261001648566484810th
2007-08 National Division 3 South 4261201450246311599th
2008-09 National Division 3 South 426220463933810982nd
2009-10 National Division 2 South 4282314995423191132nd Loughborough Students 21-43 Rosslyn Park
2010-11 National League 1 3301301778684719717th
2011-12 National League 1 3301711276565717885th
2012-13 National League 1 3301929974638201004th
2013-14 National League 1 3302514915413171192nd
2014-15 National League 1 3302604909508231272nd
2015-16 National League 1 3302001074557815955th
2016-17 National League 1 3301611386768220866th
2017-18 National League 1 32910217752810226612th
2018-19 National League 1 3302118873699201063rd
2019-20 National League 1 325181672847216903rdSeason curtailed due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020-21Not played due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22 National League 1 3281918869556241023rd
2022-23 National League 1 325160978468519834th
Total8394832533120,92116,6433902,008

Number of seasons at each level

LevelSeasons
14
22
323
46

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References

  1. "Rosslyn Park RFC". Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  2. "ParkNews AGM Update" (PDF). Official site. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  3. "Rosslyn Park New Player & Coaches Announcements 2020/21". Rosslyn Park FC. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "A brief history". Official site. Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  5. "National League 1". NCA Rugby.