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| Full name | Glasgow High / Kelvinside Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Scottish Rugby Union | |
| Nickname(s) | GHK | |
| Founded | 1982 | |
| Location | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| Ground(s) | Old Anniesland | |
| League(s) | Scottish National League Division One | |
| 2021–22 | Scottish National League Division Two, 1st of 12 | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| ghkrfc | ||
Glasgow High Kelvinside , often abbreviated to GHK, is an amateur rugby union club in Glasgow, Scotland. They currently play in Scottish National League Division One.
Glasgow High Kelvinside was formed in 1982 by the merger of Kelvinside Academy and High School of Glasgow rugby clubs; Kelvinside Academicals and Glasgow HSFP. [1] Both Glasgow High FP and Kelvinside Accies were struggling clubs at the time: Glasgow High in the Third Division; Kelvinside Academicals in the Fifth Division. [2]
When professionalism was finally allowed by the International Rugby Football Board in 1995, Scotland took a while to adapt. The SRU decided to make Scotland's four district teams professional in 1996. Glasgow's district team became the professional rugby union team now known as Glasgow Warriors.
However it was recognised that the amateur Glasgow clubs might provide a better pathway to professionalism for their players if some of the amateur Glasgow area clubs merged. [3] [4] The clubs considered for merger were Glasgow High Kelvinside, Glasgow Academicals and West of Scotland. Taking an initial letter each from High, Academicals, West and Kelvinside it was proposed the new side would be called the Glasgow Hawks. [5]
The Milngavie-based club West of Scotland pulled out of the planned merger. Nevertheless, Glasgow Academicals and Glasgow High Kelvinside did merge in 1997. The name Hawks was kept for the merged team. [5]
The merger of the two sides was not without its detractors and a few on each side of the GHK - Academical fence were concerned about losing their history in the new side. Glasgow Academicals continued as a league side the following year in 1998 but they had to start again at the bottom rung of the league structure.
Following the Academicals example of starting again, Glasgow High Kelvinside also started again in the bottom rung of the league structure. [6] However they remain associated with the Glasgow Hawks. [7]
In June 2014, former Glasgow Warriors and GHK player Cameron Little was announced as the head coach at the club for the 2015–16 season. [8] The club won promotion to Scottish National League Division Three after winning all 18 league matches in the 2014–15 season. [9] It followed that up by winning the Scottish National League Division Three title in the 2015–16 season and gaining promotion to the Scottish National League Division Two in the 2016–17 season. In 2020 Peter Wright "The Teapot" was named as head coach. In the 2021/2022 season, they won promotion to Scottish National League Division One.
The club once ran the Glasgow High Kelvinside Sevens tournament. Kelvinside Academicals had a history with Sevens - running their own tournament in 1922 and then from 1974 to 1981, with teams playing for the Minerva Cup. Glasgow HSFP ran theirs on just one occasion in 1929. (Glasgow HSFP won the 1922 Kelvinside Academicals Sevens, Dunfermline won the Glasgow HSFP Sevens of 1929.) When the sides merged as Glasgow High Kelvinside the Glasgow High Kelvinside Sevens tournament still offered the Minerva Cup for its winners from 1982 until it folded in 1989. [10]
The following former Glasgow High Kelvinside players have represented Scotland at full international level.
The following former Glasgow High Kelvinside players have represented Glasgow Warriors at professional level.
West of Scotland Football Club is a rugby union club based in Milngavie, Scotland.
Anniesland is a district in the West End of the Scottish city Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde, and centres on the major road junction of the Great Western Road (A82) and Crow Road/Bearsden Road (A739), known as Anniesland Cross.
Glasgow Hawks is an amateur rugby union team in Glasgow, Scotland. They were Premiership Division One champions for three consecutive seasons from 2003–04 to 2005–06.
Hillhead Jordanhill Rugby Football Club (HJRFC) is a Scottish rugby union club based in Glasgow, Scotland. HJRFC has roots going as far back as 1904 with the formation of the Hillhead Sports Club, however, the rugby club as we know it today was founded in 1988 with a Women's section added in 1995, they have played at their current home ground, Hughenden in the West End of Glasgow since then. Despite their name, the club is not located in either Hillhead or Jordanhill, although the pre-merger clubs did have historical links with these areas. Hughenden is located in Hyndland beside Great Western Road.
Scottish Premiership Division Two is one of Scotland's national rugby union league divisions, and therefore part of the Scottish League Championship – being the middle division in the Scottish Premiership. Until the 2009–10 season, the best teams were promoted to the Scottish Premiership Division One whereas the bottom teams were relegated to the Third Division. Since the 2010–11 season, the division merges with the Scottish Premiership Division One. After 11 matches, the top eight teams in Division One play each other in Premier A. The bottom four teams join the top four teams of Division Two to form Premier B and the bottom eight teams of Division Two form Premier C.
The Scottish League Championship is the third tier of Scotland's national rugby union league system, and therefore part of the Scottish League Championship.
The Scottish National League Division One is the second tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland.
Kilmarnock Rugby Football Club is a Scottish rugby union club which was founded in 1868, and is based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire in west central Scotland. They play in West Division One. Often simply referred to as "Killie", their ground is at Bellsland in Kilmarnock, and they were formerly based at Rugby Park.
The Scottish National League Division Two is the third tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland.
Greenock Wanderers R.F.C. is a rugby union club based in Greenock, Scotland. The men's 1st XV side currently compete in the Scottish National League Division Three; the women's side currently compete in the Scottish Womens West One.
The Glasgow Academical Football Club is the third oldest rugby football club in Scotland. The club was also a founder member of the Scottish Football Union in 1873.
Jordanhill Rugby Football Club is a former rugby union football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded as a club for the students and former students of Jordanhill College, it lasted until 1988 when it merged with Hillhead RFC to form Hillhead Jordanhill RFC.
Alan Watt is a former Scotland national rugby union team international rugby union player. He played for Glasgow High Kelvinside, Currie and Hillhead Jordanhill - as well as Glasgow Warriors.
Gerry Hawkes, is a Scottish former rugby union player for Glasgow Warriors at the Wing position.
Glasgow HSFP are a former rugby union team that played their home games at Glasgow, Scotland.
Kelvinside Academicals is a former rugby union team that played their home games at Balgray Playing Fields, Glasgow, Scotland.
The 1953–54 Scottish Inter-District Championship was a rugby union competition for Scotland's district teams.
The 1954–55 Scottish Inter-District Championship was a rugby union competition for Scotland's district teams.
Glasgow City Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held by Cartha Queens Park, in Dumbreck in the south side of Glasgow. The tournament was previously known as the Cartha Sevens and the Cartha Queens Park Sevens.
The Scottish Unofficial Championship was the top league of Scotland's best amateur rugby union clubs. The Championship was 'unofficial' as the Scottish Rugby Union held that the sport should remain amateur and at the time did not sanction competitive games between the clubs.
