Gloucester Rugby Club

Gloucester Rugby Club is one of England’s oldest clubs dating back to 1873 when game records were not even kept. The club plays at Kingsholm Stadium near the city of Gloucester with a capacity of 16,500.

In 2005, the club changed its official name from “Gloucester Rugby Football Club,” to “Gloucester Rugby.”

Currently Gloucester Rugby Club is coached by Bryan Redpath, with Mike Tindall and Gareth Delve as captains. The club plays in the Guinness Premiership league and also competes in the EDF Energy Cup and the European Rugby Cup.

Although the club has no official nickname, in the early days Gloucester Rugby Club was known by names like “The Elver Easters” and “The Club.” They wear a mostly red shirt with white sleeves, and blue and white side stripes together with red shorts and socks. The team was formerly called the “Cherries and Whites” after their traditional cherry-red and white hooped jersey. Some fans and the media still use “Cherries and Whites,” while others simply refer to the club as “Gloucester.”

The club finished first in the 2002-2003 Zurich Premiership. In the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 seasons, Gloucester Rugby finished first in the Guinness Premiership league. They were league runner-ups in 1988-1989, 1989-1900, and 2002-2003.

Other honours for the club include:

• Zurich Championship in 2001-2002
• National Merit Table ‘A’ in 1985-1986
• European Challenge Cup in 2005-2006

In 2008-2009, Gloucester landed in the 6th spot at the end of the season, and in the current 2009-2010 season, the club is ranked seventh behind London Irish, and ahead of Harlequins.

Gloucester’s contests with rivals Bath, Bristol and Worcester have been noteworthy, and when any of these four teams compete the matches are known as ‘west country derbies.’

Among the club’s all-time great players are leading scorers Peter Butler with 2,961 career points, and Eric Stephens with 1,562 points. Micky Booth holds the record for career drop goals with 41, followed by Willie Jones with 38 and John Hopson with 35. Alan Brinn had the most league appearances with 572 compared to second place Peter Ford with 506.

Phil Vickery won the most England Caps playing for Gloucester Rugby Club with a total of 47 caps. Other players who have won cap honours while playing for the club include Arthur T. Voyce with 27, Mike Teague with 22, and Trevor Woodman with 21.

Other great Gloucester players include Phillipe St. Andre, Richard Jardine, John Bayliss, James Simpson-Daniel, Willie Jones, Mike Nicholls, John Gwilliam, Steve Boyle, Mike Teagu, John Watkins, John Gadd, Chris Catling, Terry Fanolua, Dmitri Yachivilli and Junior Paramore.

In 2010, Gloucester Rugby launched the Former Players Association to help promote the club’s heritage and to keep past players in contact with the club. At Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester’s slogan reads: “The Pride, The Passion, The Honour, The History.” By forming the new association, the club hopes to celebrate that history and they have also launched a new website — www.gloucesterrugbyheritate.org.uk – with an impressive archive, for the same purpose.