Ripon Rugby Union Football Club is a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

club based in

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

Borough of Harrogate The Borough of Harrogate is a local government district with borough status in North Yorkshire, England. Its population at the census of 2011 was 157,869. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate, but it also includes surrounding towns and ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England. The club was founded in 1886, just 1200 years after the city of Ripon itself. The club currently fields four adult teams along with the club's development squad (U17s and U18s). Ripon also possess a thriving junior section which widely regarded as one of the largest in North Yorkshire and welcomes all young players from Under 7 through to Under 16. The First XV play in the

Yorkshire 2 Counties 2 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 2 is an English rugby union league at the eighth tier of the domestic competition for teams from Yorkshire. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top tw ...

league which is the eighth tier of the domestic competition organised and governed by the Rugby Football Union.

Club history

In 2006, the club were awarded the prestigious RFU Seal Of Approval in recognition of the safe and well-structured provision of coaching and care given to their young players. The club were presented the award by England national rugby union team legend Martin Johnson In April 2012, the club celebrated their 125th anniversary. The festival at Mallorie Park, titled '125 years of Ripon rugby', was attended by several notable ex players including former England international Peter Squires as well as the members of the Wooden Spoon Anti-Assassins Club.

Facilities

The Mallorie Park ground is regularly complimented by visitors as being some of the finest in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. The ground are meticulously maintained by a group of willing volunteers who are referred to as "The Friday Gang". In recent years the field facilities have been developed to meet the new demands of the sport and running multiple teams across several age groups. The club now have three changing rooms (with en-suite shower facilities) providing much needed extra accommodation for match days. The clubhouse has also been extended and refitted with a new function room which is used for local functions and social gatherings.

References

External links

www.riponrugby.orgwww.pitchero.com/clubs/riponrufcjuniors
{{Rugby union in England English rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1886 Ripon Sport in North Yorkshire