West Hull A.R.L.F.C. is an amateur

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

football club from

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

, currently playing in the National Conference League Premier Division. The team plays their home matches at West Hull Community Park and their strip colours are green and gold.

History

The club was formed in 1961 as Birds Eye A.R.L.F.C., named after the local factory where most of the players came from. Following the formation of the

British Amateur Rugby League Association The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) is an association for social and recreational rugby league. It works jointly with the Rugby Football League through the RFL Community Board. History BARLA was created on 3 March 1973 at t ...

in 1971, the club was renamed to West Hull A.R.L.F.C. In the 1973–74 season, the club won the inaugural BARLA Yorkshire Cup competition, defeating Illingworth in the final. In 1976–77, under the name Cawoods, they won the

BARLA National Cup The BARLA National Cup is a knock-out competition for amateur rugby league clubs in Great Britain. It is administered by the British Amateur Rugby League Association The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) is an association for soc ...

for the first time with a 10–3 win against National Dock Labour Board (now known as Hull Dockers). The following season, they became the first amateur team since 1909 to defeat a professional side when they won 9–8 against Halifax in the first round of the Players No. 6 Trophy. In 1986, the club was one of ten founder members of the

BARLA The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) is an association for social and recreational rugby league. It works jointly with the Rugby Football League through the RFL Community Board. History BARLA was created on 3 March 1973 at t ...

National Amateur League (now known as the

National Conference League The National Conference League (NCL) comprises the five levels of the British rugby league system at the top end of the amateur pyramid below the professional RFL League 1, League One. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Rugby Football League ...

). The club won the National League championship for the first time in the 1988–89 season. In 1996, West Hull reached the fifth round of the

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

, becoming the first amateur club to defeat professional opposition twice in the same year. The team won 35–20 in the third round tie against Highfield, followed by a 10–6 win in the next round against

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

in blizzard conditions at The Boulevard. The club went on to dominate the game at amateur level over the next few years, winning five

championships between 1997 and 2002. In 2005, the club was relegated from the NCL Premier Division, but returned to the top flight a year later after finishing the 2005–06 season as champions of Division One.

Honours

Premier Division ** Winners (9): 1988–89, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2013, 2014, 2020 *

Division One ** Winners (2): 1991–92, 2005–06 *

Conference Challenge Trophy The Conference Challenge Trophy was a knockout cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League for both the National Conference League The National Conference League (NCL) comprises the five levels of the British rugby league system ...

** Winners (1): 2014 *

** Winners (3): 1976–77, 1994–95, 2001–02 * BARLA Yorkshire Cup ** Winners (5): 1973–74, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89

References

External links

West Hull ARLFC on NCL website
{{Sport in Hull Sport in Kingston upon Hull BARLA teams Rugby league teams in the East Riding of Yorkshire Rugby clubs established in 1961 1961 establishments in England Rugby league teams in England