Banbridge RFC

Banbridge RFC (Banbridge Rugby Football Club) is a rugby union club based in Banbridge, County Down, in the province of Ulster. It currently plays in Division 1B of the Energia All-Ireland League after gaining promotion in 2017 and Division 1 of the SONI Premiership. In addition to the senior team, the club fields another 4 adult junior-standard teams, and youth U18, U16 and U14 teams, as well as a large mini rugby section and a Ladies Committee which is the envy of the country.

Banbridge RFC
Full nameBanbridge Rugby Football Club
UnionIRFU
Ulster
Nickname(s)Bann
Founded1926
Ground(s)Rifle Park, Banbridge (Capacity: 2,500)
PresidentSam Grattan
Coach(es)Mark McDowell, Rob Logan & Ian Porter
Captain(s)Michael Cromie

Formation

Late in 1925, a group of former Banbridge Academy pupils interested in the game of rugby, got together to form a team to play Newry. The date of that historic first game was 2 January 1926. One of the players in that first game was F. E. McWilliam; later the well known Irish surrealist sculptor.

Banbridge spent the next 72 years in the ranks of Ulster junior rugby, with mixed fortunes.

Honours

Senior status

At the end of the 1997-98 season, Banbridge won the round-robin play-offs against the other provincial qualifying champions Naas, Monivea and Midleton. Their victory secured promotion to Division Four of the All Ireland League for the 1998-99 season. They have remained as an AIL senior club since then. In the 2016-2017 season Banbridge gained promotion to AIL 1B.

Touring team
  • The Club also have a touring team called the Bluesox that have travelled to Oldham, Newcastle, Cardiff, Edinburgh, The Netherlands, Isle of Man, Czech Republic, Uxbridge, Estonia, Blackpool. Germany, Devon, Germany, Portugal, Irvine, Italy, Leeds, Cardiff, Aylesbury, Bristol, Newcastle, Galway and Carlise since 1997. In 2019 the team are going to Spain.

Notable current players

Notable past players

Sources
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