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Blackheath F.C.

October 08, 2023

51°27′29″N 0°02′46″E / 51.458°N 0.046°E / 51.458; 0.046

Blackheath
Full nameBlackheath Football Club
UnionKent RFU, Middlesex RFU
Nickname(s)Club
Founded1858; 165 years ago (1858)
LocationWell Hall, Eltham, Greenwich, London, England
Ground(s)Well Hall (Capacity: 1,650 (550 seats))
PresidentAlan Thompson
Captain(s)Ed Taylor
League(s)National League 2 East
2022–231st (promoted to National League 1)
Team kit
Official website
blackheathrugby.co.uk

Blackheath Football Club is a rugby union club based in Well Hall, Eltham in south-east London.

The club was founded in Blackheath in 1858, and is the fourth-oldest rugby club in continuous existence in the world, after Dublin University Football Club (1854), Liverpool St Helens F.C. (1857) and Edinburgh Academical Football Club (1857). The Blackheath club also assisted in organising the world's first rugby international (between England and Scotland in Edinburgh on 27 March 1871) and hosted the first international between England and Wales ten years later – the players meeting and getting changed at the Princess of Wales public house. Blackheath, along with Civil Service F.C., is one of the two clubs that can claim to be a founder member of both The Football Association and the Rugby Football Union.

The club currently play in National League 1, the third tier of the English rugby union system, with matches played at Well Hall, after a move from Rectory Field in Blackheath at the end of the 2015–16 season.

History Edit

Early history Edit

The institution was founded as "Blackheath Football Club" in 1858 by old boys of Blackheath Proprietary School who played a "carrying" game of football made popular by Rugby School. When the old boys played against the current pupils, supporters would shout for either "Club" or "School" accordingly. This is why to this day supporters of BFC shout for "Club", not for "Blackheath". In 1863 the club developed the tactic of passing the ball from player to player as an alternative to the solo break and the "kick and follow-up".

 
Blackheath FC team of 1862

Blackheath is the fourth-oldest rugby club in continuous existence in the world, after Dublin University Football Club (1854), Liverpool St Helens F.C. (1857) and Edinburgh Academical Football Club (1857), but asserts it is the "oldest independent Rugby club, meaning that it was not attached to any institution such as a military establishment, hospital, school or college."[1]

In 1863 Blackheath was a founder member of The Football Association which was formed at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen Street, on Lincoln Inn Fields, London 26 October 1863 with the intention to frame a code of laws that would embrace the best and most acceptable points of all the various methods of play under the one heading of "football". Francis Maule Campbell, a member of Blackheath, was elected treasurer. At the fifth meeting Campbell argued that hacking was an essential element of 'football' and that to eliminate hacking would "do away with all the courage and pluck from the game, and I will be bound over to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week’s practice."[2] At the sixth meeting on 8 December Campbell withdrew Blackheath, explaining that the rules that the FA intended to adopt would destroy the game and all interest in it. Other rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the Football Association. In this way the great divide between association football and rugby took place.

In December 1870 Edwin Ash, secretary of Richmond Football Club published a letter in the papers which said, "Those who play the rugby-type game should meet to form a code of practice as various clubs play to rules which differ from others, which makes the game difficult to play." On 26 January 1871 a meeting attended by representatives from 22 clubs was held in London at the Pall Mall Restaurant. As a result of this meeting the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was founded. Three lawyers who had been pupils at Rugby School drew up the first laws of the game which were approved in June 1871. The Club is one of seven of the original twenty-one clubs to have survived to this day.

Later history Edit

 
Blackheath playing Oxford University in 1905

Blackheath initially played its matches on the Heath (meeting and changing at the Princess of Wales public house) but occasional interruptions from spectators led the club to move, initially to a private field (Richardson's Field) in Blackheath before moving to the Rectory Field in 1883.

On 27 March 1871, England (captained by Blackheath's captain and with three other Club players in the 20-strong side) played Scotland at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, losing by one point. This was the first international rugby union game in history. Richardson's Field hosted the first England v. Wales fixture on 19 February 1881, which England won, again with four Club players in the side. In 1982 Blackheath joined the list of winning teams at the Glengarth Sevens at Stockport R.U.F.C.

Blackheath were one of the opponents for The Original All Blacks on their 1905–06 northern hemisphere tour, the first-ever New Zealand rugby union tour outside of Australasia. The touring side ran out 32–0 victors.

After 158 years it was announced that the 2015–16 season would be the last playing at the historic Rectory Field as the club had made the difficult decision to move to their training ground, Well Hall in Eltham, for the 2016–17 season to maximise matchday revenue and to continue developing for the future.[3][4] Blackheath played their last game at the Rectory Field on 30 April 2016, beating Blaydon 45–17.[5]

Current standings Edit

2023–24 National League 1 Table
Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1 Rams 6 6 0 0 218 140 78 6 0 30
2 Plymouth Albion 6 5 0 1 222 137 85 5 1 26
3 Blackheath 6 4 0 2 206 111 95 4 2 22
4 Chinnor 6 4 0 2 194 104 90 4 1 21
5 Sedgley Park 6 4 0 2 170 209 -39 3 0 19
6 Richmond 6 3 0 3 193 173 20 5 2 19
7 Rosslyn Park 6 3 0 3 197 178 19 3 1 16
8 Birmingham Moseley 6 3 0 3 163 182 -19 2 1 15
9 Bishop's Stortford 6 2 0 4 159 179 -20 4 2 14
10 Darlington Mowden Park 6 3 0 3 127 157 -30 1 0 13
11 Cinderford 6 3 0 3 117 182 -65 0 1 13
12 Taunton Titans 6 0 0 6 161 227 -66 5 3 8
13 Sale FC 6 1 0 5 81 152 -71 0 3 7
14 Leicester Lions 6 1 0 5 104 181 -77 0 2 6
  • 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
Green background is the promotion place. Pink background are the relegation places.
Updated: 7 October 2023

Source: "National League 1". RugbyEngland.


Modern club Edit

  • Blackheath FC's first team currently plays in National Division 1 in England, but the club fields many sides.
  • The mini and junior sections have their own home ground, based at Kidbrooke Road, Well Hall, London, SE9.
  • The club also has two women's teams, the first XV winning the Championship South East 2 League back to back in seasons 2015–16 and 2016–17.
  • The club provides sections ranging from under-6's right through to under-18's, and has experienced success at all levels.
  • The mini section ran its first Mini Rugby Festival at Eltham College on 25 November 2007.
  • The club also runs a rugby academy, which started in its current format in 2013, for boys who wish to continue their academic studies alongside playing rugby. The academy is also based at Well Hall.

Notable players Edit

See also Category:Blackheath F.C. players

Fictional players Edit

Honours Edit

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ "Our history". Blackheath Rugby. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  2. ^ Richard Holt,Sport and the British: A Modern History, Oxford University Press, 1990 ISBN 0-19-285229-9, p. 86
  3. ^ "BFC Executive Statement 9.12.15". Blackheath Rugby. 9 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Blackheath to leave the Rectory Field". Rolling Maul. 10 December 2015.
  5. ^ "The Big Match: Blackheath v Blaydon". Blackheath Rugby. 29 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b Steve Lewis, One Among Equals, 2008, pp9-10 (Vertical Editions:London)
  7. ^ . Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.

External links Edit

 
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Rules of Blackheath Football Club (1862)
  • Official website  

October 08, 2023
blackheath, blackheathfull, nameblackheath, football, clubunionkent, middlesex, rfunickname, clubfounded1858, years, 1858, locationwell, hall, eltham, greenwich, london, englandground, well, hall, capacity, seats, presidentalan, thompsoncaptain, taylorleague, . 51 27 29 N 0 02 46 E 51 458 N 0 046 E 51 458 0 046 BlackheathFull nameBlackheath Football ClubUnionKent RFU Middlesex RFUNickname s ClubFounded1858 165 years ago 1858 LocationWell Hall Eltham Greenwich London EnglandGround s Well Hall Capacity 1 650 550 seats PresidentAlan ThompsonCaptain s Ed TaylorLeague s National League 2 East2022 231st promoted to National League 1 Team kitOfficial websiteblackheathrugby wbr co wbr ukBlackheath Football Club is a rugby union club based in Well Hall Eltham in south east London The club was founded in Blackheath in 1858 and is the fourth oldest rugby club in continuous existence in the world after Dublin University Football Club 1854 Liverpool St Helens F C 1857 and Edinburgh Academical Football Club 1857 The Blackheath club also assisted in organising the world s first rugby international between England and Scotland in Edinburgh on 27 March 1871 and hosted the first international between England and Wales ten years later the players meeting and getting changed at the Princess of Wales public house Blackheath along with Civil Service F C is one of the two clubs that can claim to be a founder member of both The Football Association and the Rugby Football Union The club currently play in National League 1 the third tier of the English rugby union system with matches played at Well Hall after a move from Rectory Field in Blackheath at the end of the 2015 16 season Contents 1 History 1 1 Early history 1 2 Later history 2 Current standings 3 Modern club 4 Notable players 4 1 Fictional players 5 Honours 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory EditEarly history Edit The institution was founded as Blackheath Football Club in 1858 by old boys of Blackheath Proprietary School who played a carrying game of football made popular by Rugby School When the old boys played against the current pupils supporters would shout for either Club or School accordingly This is why to this day supporters of BFC shout for Club not for Blackheath In 1863 the club developed the tactic of passing the ball from player to player as an alternative to the solo break and the kick and follow up nbsp Blackheath FC team of 1862Blackheath is the fourth oldest rugby club in continuous existence in the world after Dublin University Football Club 1854 Liverpool St Helens F C 1857 and Edinburgh Academical Football Club 1857 but asserts it is the oldest independent Rugby club meaning that it was not attached to any institution such as a military establishment hospital school or college 1 In 1863 Blackheath was a founder member of The Football Association which was formed at the Freemasons Tavern Great Queen Street on Lincoln Inn Fields London 26 October 1863 with the intention to frame a code of laws that would embrace the best and most acceptable points of all the various methods of play under the one heading of football Francis Maule Campbell a member of Blackheath was elected treasurer At the fifth meeting Campbell argued that hacking was an essential element of football and that to eliminate hacking would do away with all the courage and pluck from the game and I will be bound over to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week s practice 2 At the sixth meeting on 8 December Campbell withdrew Blackheath explaining that the rules that the FA intended to adopt would destroy the game and all interest in it Other rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the Football Association In this way the great divide between association football and rugby took place In December 1870 Edwin Ash secretary of Richmond Football Club published a letter in the papers which said Those who play the rugby type game should meet to form a code of practice as various clubs play to rules which differ from others which makes the game difficult to play On 26 January 1871 a meeting attended by representatives from 22 clubs was held in London at the Pall Mall Restaurant As a result of this meeting the Rugby Football Union RFU was founded Three lawyers who had been pupils at Rugby School drew up the first laws of the game which were approved in June 1871 The Club is one of seven of the original twenty one clubs to have survived to this day Later history Edit nbsp Blackheath playing Oxford University in 1905Blackheath initially played its matches on the Heath meeting and changing at the Princess of Wales public house but occasional interruptions from spectators led the club to move initially to a private field Richardson s Field in Blackheath before moving to the Rectory Field in 1883 On 27 March 1871 England captained by Blackheath s captain and with three other Club players in the 20 strong side played Scotland at Raeburn Place Edinburgh losing by one point This was the first international rugby union game in history Richardson s Field hosted the first England v Wales fixture on 19 February 1881 which England won again with four Club players in the side In 1982 Blackheath joined the list of winning teams at the Glengarth Sevens at Stockport R U F C Blackheath were one of the opponents for The Original All Blacks on their 1905 06 northern hemisphere tour the first ever New Zealand rugby union tour outside of Australasia The touring side ran out 32 0 victors After 158 years it was announced that the 2015 16 season would be the last playing at the historic Rectory Field as the club had made the difficult decision to move to their training ground Well Hall in Eltham for the 2016 17 season to maximise matchday revenue and to continue developing for the future 3 4 Blackheath played their last game at the Rectory Field on 30 April 2016 beating Blaydon 45 17 5 Current standings Edit2023 24 National League 1 Table vtePlayed Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points1 Rams 6 6 0 0 218 140 78 6 0 302 Plymouth Albion 6 5 0 1 222 137 85 5 1 263 Blackheath 6 4 0 2 206 111 95 4 2 224 Chinnor 6 4 0 2 194 104 90 4 1 215 Sedgley Park 6 4 0 2 170 209 39 3 0 196 Richmond 6 3 0 3 193 173 20 5 2 197 Rosslyn Park 6 3 0 3 197 178 19 3 1 168 Birmingham Moseley 6 3 0 3 163 182 19 2 1 159 Bishop s Stortford 6 2 0 4 159 179 20 4 2 1410 Darlington Mowden Park 6 3 0 3 127 157 30 1 0 1311 Cinderford 6 3 0 3 117 182 65 0 1 1312 Taunton Titans 6 0 0 6 161 227 66 5 3 813 Sale FC 6 1 0 5 81 152 71 0 3 714 Leicester Lions 6 1 0 5 104 181 77 0 2 6If teams are level at any stage tiebreakers are applied in the following order Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match then the second and so on until the tie is settledGreen background is the promotion place Pink background are the relegation places Updated 7 October 2023 Source National League 1 RugbyEngland Modern club EditBlackheath FC s first team currently plays in National Division 1 in England but the club fields many sides The mini and junior sections have their own home ground based at Kidbrooke Road Well Hall London SE9 The club also has two women s teams the first XV winning the Championship South East 2 League back to back in seasons 2015 16 and 2016 17 The club provides sections ranging from under 6 s right through to under 18 s and has experienced success at all levels The mini section ran its first Mini Rugby Festival at Eltham College on 25 November 2007 The club also runs a rugby academy which started in its current format in 2013 for boys who wish to continue their academic studies alongside playing rugby The academy is also based at Well Hall Notable players EditSee also Category Blackheath F C players nbsp David Allen openside flanker who played at Club for 13 seasons between 2004 and 2016 scoring 147 league tries from 274 appearances and becoming the all time top try scorer in tier 3 Gained 8 caps for the England Counties XV as well as appearing for the Barbarians nbsp Harold Dingwall Bateson nbsp Thomas Batson nbsp Norman Bruce nbsp George Burton rugby union nbsp Mike Campbell Lamerton nbsp Charles Arthur Crompton played in England s first international nbsp Walter Michael Dickson nbsp John Douglas nbsp Hector Forsayth nbsp Edward Fraser nbsp C B Fry nbsp John Gallagher All Black and member of the team that won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 nbsp Stephen Gray played for Canada 1987 91 95 World Cups nbsp Thomas Gubb nbsp Stan Harris nbsp Dhani Jones nbsp Aadel Kardooni England A nbsp JEC Birdie Partridge nbsp Alexander William Pearson born 1854 nbsp Charles Pillman Played for England 18 times before WW1 nbsp Robert Pillman Charles Pillman s younger brother who played for England against France in 1914 and was killed in Belgium in 1916 nbsp Hamish Scott nbsp E H D Sewell sports writer and cricketer nbsp Charles Sherrard 1849 1938 played in England s first international nbsp Joe Simpson nbsp Mickey Skinner The Munch nbsp Graham Standing nbsp Frederick Stokes 1850 1929 6 the first captain of the England national rugby union team nbsp Lennard Stokes 1856 1933 6 former captain of the England national rugby union team nbsp Henry Taylor rugby union nbsp Rob Webber Fictional players Edit Dr Watson character from the Sherlock Holmes storiesHonours EditMiddlesex Sevens 2 1932 1958 Gala Sevens 1 1957 Kent Cup 16 1891 1972 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1996 2003 2009 2013 Glengarth Sevens Main Event 1 1982 Glengarth Sevens Davenport Plate 1 1983 National Division Three South 1 2003 04 7 National League 2 East 1 2022 23See also EditRugby union in LondonReferences Edit Our history Blackheath Rugby Retrieved 13 July 2022 Richard Holt Sport and the British A Modern History Oxford University Press 1990 ISBN 0 19 285229 9 p 86 BFC Executive Statement 9 12 15 Blackheath Rugby 9 December 2015 Blackheath to leave the Rectory Field Rolling Maul 10 December 2015 The Big Match Blackheath v Blaydon Blackheath Rugby 29 April 2016 a b Steve Lewis One Among Equals 2008 pp9 10 Vertical Editions London National Division Three South 2003 2004 Archived from the original on 21 May 2014 Retrieved 21 May 2014 External links Edit nbsp Wikisource has original text related to this article Rules of Blackheath Football Club 1862 Official website nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Blackheath F C amp oldid 1177075088, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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