Halifax RLFC
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| Halifax | |
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| Full name | Halifax Rugby League Club |
| Emblem | Crest |
| Colours | Blue and white |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Sport | Rugby league |
| League | National League One |
| Ground | Shay Stadium |
| Official website | halifaxrlfc.co.uk |
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, hence the former nickname: The Blue Sox. They share The Shay Stadium with football club Halifax Town. For a virtual Halifax rugby league stadium experience, see the official webcams on the links at the bottom of the page, which include a look at the playing pitch, the boot rooms, the physio lounge, and the referee room.
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[edit] History
The club was formed in 1873. After becoming the first ever winners of the Yorkshire Cup in 1878, the club went on to win it on another four occasions. Several players were supplied for the Yorkshire County side in these years, and five were picked for the full England rugby union team.
The Halifax club were founder members of the breakaway Northern Rugby Union in 1895. In 1886, the club moved to their traditional home of Thrum Hall, this would be their home ground for the next 112 years. In 1896, Halifax lost out on winning the first ever rugby league championship by a single point with Manningham being the champions. Onfield success continued producing one of their best ever teams in the early years of the twentieth century. In 1902-03 they achieved the 'double' by winning the Challenge Cup and finishing top of Division One. They won the cup again the following season, and were the first ever Championship Play-off winners in season 1906-07.
Halifax enjoyed their first Wembley Challenge Cup final victory over York in 1931. They have since been to Wembley six more times, winning in 1939 and 1987, with their last appearance being in 1988 when they lost to Wigan. The 1949 Challenge Cup final was sold out for first time as 95,050 spectators saw Bradford beat Halifax.
The sides of the late 1930s and mid-1980s were outstanding teams, but many fans would claim the best of all was the team of the 1950s. During this decade they were Championship runners-up three times, Yorkshire Cup winners twice, and Yorkshire League winners four times. They played in two Wembley finals in 1954 and 1956, featuring in the first ever drawn final against Warrington in 1954, losing in the replay at Odsal Stadium in front of what was then a world record Rugby League crowd of 102,569.
Chris Anderson was captain-coach of Halifax between 1985-88 where he enjoyed great success including the 1986-87 Challenge Cup victory against St Helens. In 1998 Halifax sold Thrum Hall for £1.5 million and moved across town to their present home, the Shay Stadium, which they share with Halifax Town AFC.
Halifax joined the Super League in 1996 and became known as the Blue Sox. However, this proved to be unpopular with most supporters who continued to refer to them as 'Fax'. Halifax finished third in Super League in 1998 under John Pendlebury.
The club returned to the traditional Halifax R.L.F.C. at the start of 2003. At the end of the 2003 season they were relegated from Super League and narrowly avoided a second relegation to National League 2 in 2004, with a last-gasp victory over local rivals Keighley and are presently rebuilding for a return to the top flight.
In August 2006 Halifax RLFC was on the verge of going bust. The club announced that it needed to raise £90,000 otherwise it would go into liquidation. Rugby League fans nationwide rallied behind 'Fax', and through visits to the ground, during home fixtures, and other fund-raising events, were able to raise £55,000. Former Chairman Howard Posner then came forward and announced that he would loan the club the remaining £35,000 in order to keep Halifax RLFC alive. This ensured that Halifax RLFC would be playing in National League One during 2007.[1]
[edit] National League One Teams
Batley Bulldogs
Castleford Tigers
Doncaster Lakers
Halifax RLFC
Leigh Centurions
Rochdale Hornets
Dewsbury Rams
Whitehaven Warriors
Widnes Vikings
Sheffield Eagles
[edit] 2007 Fixtures
FEBRUARY Sun 11th Keighley Cougars (NRC) 3.00pm Sun 18th York City Knights (NRC) 3.00pm Sun 25th Gateshead Thunder (NRC) 3.00pm MARCH Sun 4th Keighley Cougars (NRC) 3.00pm Sun 11th Challenge Cup - Round 3 - Sun 18th Gateshead Thunder (NRC) 3.00pm Sun 25th York City Knights (NRC) 3.00pm APRIL Sun 1st Challenge Cup - Round 4 - Fri 6th Castleford Tigers 8.00pm Mon 9th Dewsbury Rams 3.00pm Sun 15th Rochdale Hornets 3.00pm Sun 22nd NRC - Qualifying Round - Sun 29th Widnes Vikings 3.00pm MAY Sun 6th Sheffield Eagles 3.00pm Sun 13th Challenge Cup - Round 5 - Sun 20th Whitehaven 3.00pm Sun 27th NRC - Quarter Finals - JUNE Sun 3rd Castleford Tigers 3.00pm Sun 10th Batley Bulldogs (Also CC QF) 3.00pm Sun 17th Widnes Vikings 3.00pm Sun 24th NRC - Semi-Finals - JULY Sun 1st Leigh Centurions 3.00pm Sun 8th Rochdale Hornets 3.00pm Sun 22nd Doncaster Lakers 3.00pm Sun 29th Whitehaven Warriors (Also CC SF) 3.00pm AUGUST Sun 5th Dewsbury Rams 3.00pm Sun 12th Leigh Centurions 3.00pm Sun 19th Batley Bulldogs 3.00pm Sat 25th CHALLENGE CUP FINAL - Fri 31st Sheffield Eagles 8.00pm SEPTEMBER Sun 9th Doncaster Lakers 3.00pm
[edit] 2007 Squad
| Name | D.O.B. | Posistion | Country | Former Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Watene | Prop Forward | Fiji | Dewsbury Rams | |
| Sean Penkywicz | Hooker/Scrum Half | England | Huddersfield Giants | |
| Andy Shickell | Prop Forward | England | Hunslet Hawks | |
| Marcus George | 28/02/1986 | Wing | England | Bradford Bulls |
| James Haley | 02/07/1985 | Utility Back | England | Product Of Halifax RLFC Academy |
| Mark Roberts | Second Row | England | Oldham Roughyeds | |
| Damian Ball | 14/07/1975 | Loose Forward | England | Hull K.R. |
| Lee Greenwood | 28/09/1980 | Wing | England | Leigh Centurians |
| Richard Varkulis | Centre | England | Rochdale Hornets | |
| David Wrench | 3/1/1979 | Prop Forward/Second Row | England | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| David Larder | 05/06/1976 | Second Row | England | Leigh Centurions |
| Scott Law | 05/06/1976 | Prop Forward | England | Product Of Halifax RLFC Academy |
| Phil Joseph | 10/01/1985 | Loose Forward/Hooker | Wales | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Ian Watson | Scrum Half | Wales | Widnes Vikings | |
| Danny Heaton | Prop Forward | England | Widnes Vikings | |
| Paul Southern | Prop Forward | England | Swinton Lions | |
| Shad Royston | Utility Back | Australia | Doncaster Lakers | |
| Damian Gibson | Utility Back | Wales | Castleford Tigers | |
| Brad Attwood | Full Back | England | Product Of Halifax RLFC Academy | |
| Mick Govin | Half Back | England | Leigh Centurions | |
| Matthew Bottom | Prop Forward | England | Leigh Centurions | |
| Danny Jones | Scrum Half | England | Product Of Halifax RLFC Academy | |
| Luke Simeunovich | Second Row | England | Product Of Halifax RLFC Academy | |
| Jode Sheriffe | Prop Forward | England | Product Of Halifax RLFC Academy | |
| Aaron Trinder | Prop Forward | Australia | North Sydney | |
| Tim Hartley | Stand Off | England | Harlequins RL |
[edit] Coaching staff
Halifax's latest coach is 37-year-old former Wigan Warriors hooker Martin Hall, who once played for Halifax several years ago. He takes over from Anthony Farrell. Hall, who worked with Farrell on the Wales coaching staff last season, has joined the National League One club with a contract to the end of the season.
He was in the Halifax side that finished third in Super League in 1998 and was briefly assistant to player-coach Gary Mercer in 2000 before quitting to concentrate on his business interests. He has also held the position of head coach at Rochdale Hornets and Hull Kingston Rovers.
"Martin is an experienced coach who has had plenty of success at this level working with relatively limited resources," said Halifax director Michael Steele. "We are very confident he is the right man to help this club back to the level we all believe we should be playing at."
[edit] Youth And Community Development
Activities:
Blue Base Study Support Centre is a commmunity sporting initiative sponsored by Halifax RLFC, and part of the national Playing For Success educational scheme launched for school pupils to interact with professional sports teams, to help provide motivation to young people. Locally, Blue Base is working with an initiative established by the DfES, in partnership with Calderdale Children and Young People's Services and Halifax RLFC.
The centre exists to support Calderdale schools in their drive to raise attainment levels with their pupils. This is achieved by developing young peoples levels of motivation, self esteem and helping them to have a more postive attitude towards learning by concentrating particulalry upon literacy, numeracy and the use of ICT.
Playing for Success Address: South Stand Lounge, Shay Stadium, HALIFAX, HX1 2YS
Telephone: 01422 300013
Fax: 01422 300013
Contact: Mick Moffatt
[edit] International Presence
During their Thrum Hall years, Halifax have played many memorable matches against international opposition, including France, who they beat, and the Kangaroos, who they gave many a decent, competitive game.
Halifax (during the SuperLeague BlueSox incarnation) went to Jacksonville University, Florida, to help develop American Rugby League, along with the Salford City Reds, in 2000.
[edit] Sponsorship
The main club sponsor is Halifax Home Insurance, part of the Halifax Bank of Scotland HBOS group, with matchday sponsors and billboard sponsors provided by a whole host of local organisations. Official matchday radio broadcasting is provided by popular local radio station Pheonix FM, who have been awarded a community radio licence by the Radio Authority. Local housing trust Pennine Housing are active in promoting school-age interest in professional rugby league in the Halifax district. The Halifax RLFC Independent Supporters Trust also sponsor the Under19s team, providing kit and expenses, showing the commitment of Halifax's legendary supporters towards returning the famous North of England sporting club to the European Super League.
[edit] Mascots
The last time the club were in the premier flight of rugby league, award winning mascots the outrageous twosome, Billy and Bluey, were cult heroes in the Halifax club. Later, came Fat Cat, and Bruno The Bear.
[edit] Major Honours
- Championship: 1907, 1965, 1903, 1986 (4 times)
- Championship Finalists:1953, 1954, 1956, 1966 (4 times)
- Challenge Cup: 1903, 1904, 1931, 1939, 1987 (5 times)
- War Emergence League Finalists: 1943, 1945
- Challenge Cup Finalists: 1921, 1941, 1942, 1949, 1954, 1956, 1988 (7 times)
- Yorkshire Cup: 1909, 1945, 1955, 1956, 1964 (5 times)
- Yorkshire Cup Finalists: 1906, 1908, 1942, 1980 (4 times)
- Charity Shield Winners: Charity Shield Winners: 1986
- Charity Shield Finalists: 1987
- John Player Special/Regal Trophy Winners: 1972
- John Player Special/Regal Trophy Finalists: 1990
- Rugby League Premiership Trophy Finalists: 1986
- Second Division Premiership Finalists: 1991
[edit] All-Time Statistics
Match
Goals: 14 Bruce Burton at Hunslet 27/8/72 Tries: 8 Keith Williams v Dewsbury 9/11/57 Points: 32 John Schuster at Doncaster 9/10/94
Season
Goals: 147 Tysul Griffiths 1955-56 Tries: 48 Johnny Freeman 1956-57 Points: 362 John Schuster 1994-95
Career
Goals: 1,028 Ronnie James 1960-72 Tries: 290 Johnny Freeman 1954-67 Points: 2,191 Ronnie James 1960-72
Halifax Appearances
Career: Stan Kielty 482 (1946-58) Season: John Thorley 48 (1956-57) Consecutive: Dick Davies 108 (1925-28)
Representative Appearances
Great Britain: Karl Harrison 11 England: Alvin Ackerley 6 Wales: Arthur Daniels 13 Yorkshire: Archie Rigg 14 Lancashire: Ken Roberts 4 Cumberland: Alvin Ackerley 13
Highest Score
82-8 v Runcorn 14/10/90
Biggest Loss
6-88 v Hull KR (Northern Rail Cup) 23/4/06
Record Crowd
29,153 v Wigan (Challenge Cup) at Thrum Hall 21/3/59
All club statistics are courtesy of Andrew Hardcastle (Official Club Historian)
[edit] Club Legends
The Wembley-winning team was the most legendary team in recent years, and was coached by Chris Anderson under the management of David Brooke, who has died, after serving as a director of both Halifax rugby league at Thrum Hall, and the Halifax Rugby Union Club at Ovenden Park.
Such a painful separation took time to recover from, but, eventually, Mr Brook returned to his roots at Ovenden Park, first as a sponsor, then a committee man and, lately, as president and chairman. His love of the game remained undiminished, as did his knack for inspiring success. Halifax Rugby Union won the Intermediate Cup at Twickenham in 2002 and promotion to National Two last year, a fitting final victory for Mr Brook’s infectious enthusiasm.
Another behind-the-scenes club legend who also died in autumn 2006, was popular kitman, Stan Hardy.
[edit] Halifax RLFC Hall Of Fame
George Thomson 1875-85; Jimmy Dodd 1876-93; Archie Rigg 1891-1915; George Langhorn 1897-1913; Joe Riley 1901-15; Billy Little 1901-10; Asa Robinson 1904-23; Jack Beames 1913-22; Cyril Stacey 1915-29; Frank Todd 1916-28; Dai Rees 1921-32; Hudson Irving 1933-47; Hubert Lockwood 1934-46; Charlie Smith 1936-48; Harry Beverley 1937-41; Arthur Bassett 1939-48; Arthur Daniels 1945-57; Stan Kielty 1946-58; Ken Dean 1948-60; Jack Wilkinson 1948-59; Alvin Ackerley 1948-58; Albert Fearnley 1950-56; Tommy Lynch 1951-56; John Thorley 1952-60; John Burnett 1953-67; Johnny Freeman 1954-67; Garfield Owen 1956-61; Charlie Renilson 1957-69; Jack Scroby 1959-70; Terry Fogerty 1961-73; Ronnie James 1961-72; Colin Dixon 1961-68; Ken Roberts 1963-67; Gordon Baker 1964-82; Mick Scott 1974-91; Chris Anderson 1984-87.
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Independent Halifax Supporters Website
- RLFax.com
- Halifax RLFC Fans Forum
- Alternative Halifax RLFC Forum
- Shay Stadium Trust
- The Fax Trust
- Halifax Evening Courier
- Biff Memorabilia
- General Rugby League News Website
- Halifax RLFC Online Store
- Match DVDs Available
- Official Matchday Broadcasts by Phoenix FM
- Blue Base Learning Support Centre
- Halifax IMBRL (AKA the Pump Room Possé)
- Halifax RLFC Virtual Stadium Webcam Tour
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