Glasgow High Kelvinside , often abbreviated to GHK, is an amateur

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

club in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. They currently play in

Scottish National League Division Two The Scottish National League Division Two (known as Tennent's National League Division 2 for sponsorship reasons) is the third tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland. The division was established in it ...

History

Glasgow High Kelvinside was formed in 1982 by the merger of

Kelvinside Academy Kelvinside Academy is a private day school in Glasgow, Scotland, founded in 1878. It has a capacity of over 600 pupils and spans two years of Nursery, six years of Junior School (primary school), a transition year of Senior Preparatory, and six ...

and

High School of Glasgow The High School of Glasgow is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private, co-educational day school, day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the Cathedral school, choir school of Glasgow Cathedra ...

rugby clubs; Kelvinside Academicals and Glasgow HSFP. 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.

Impact of professionalism

When professionalism was finally allowed by the

International Rugby Football Board World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competit ...

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 The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...

. 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. 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. 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.

Glasgow Hawks

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.

Glasgow High Kelvinside reborn

Following the Academicals example of starting again, Glasgow High Kelvinside also started again in the bottom rung of the league structure. However they remain associated with the Glasgow Hawks. In June 2014, former

and GHK player Cameron Little was announced as the head coach at the club for the 2015–16 season. The club won promotion to Scottish National League Division Three after winning all 18 league matches in the 2014–15 season. It followed that up by winning the Scottish National League Division Three title in the 2015–16 season and gaining promotion to the

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 Scottish National League Division One (known as Tennent's National League Division 1 for sponsorship reasons) is the second tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland. The division was established in i ...

Sevens

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.

Honours

: 2021-2022 * Scottish National League Division Three: 2015–16 * Langholm Sevens: 1995 * Clarkston Sevens: 1984 * Greenock Sevens: 1984, 1987 * Ayr Sevens: 1994 * Allan Glen's Sevens: 1984 * Hillhead Jordanhill Sevens: 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 * Hillhead Sevens: 1985, 1987 * Bearsden Sevens: 1990 * Glasgow University Sevens: 1987 * Helensburgh Sevens: 1986 * Lochaber Sevens: 1992 * Cambuslang Sevens: 1990

Notable former players

Scotland internationalists

The following former Glasgow High Kelvinside players have represented

at full international level.

Glasgow Warriors

The following former Glasgow High Kelvinside players have represented

at professional level.

References

External links

GHK website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glasgow High Kelvinside RFC Rugby clubs established in 1982 Rugby union teams in Scotland Rugby union in Glasgow 1982 establishments in Scotland Sports clubs and teams in Glasgow