Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team from Preston, Lancashire. The men's senior team play in the RFU National League 2 North, a level 4 league in the RFU league pyramid.

History

The club was founded on 28 September 1869 at a meeting held at the Bull Hotel, Preston, making it one of the oldest 'northern' rugby union teams.

The club were based at Farringdon Park (modern day Farringdon Crescent), New Hall Lane from 1924 until 1932, on the site of an old amusement park and cycling track. In 1929 the club agreed a six-year sub-tenancy with Preston speedway team, and a dirt track was constructed around the perimeter of the rugby pitch. The speedway syndicate folded in 1932 but a greyhound syndicate paid the Grasshoppers £2,000 (a huge sum at the time) to vacate the ground the same year.[1][2]

While many notable players have played for the team before going onto play professionally (both in the Premiership and for England), Preston's most famous player is lock Wade Dooley. Nicknamed 'the Blackpool Tower', Dooley played for Grasshoppers in the 1980s and 90s (before rugby turned professional) and whilst working in the Lancashire Constabulary. Dooley gained 58 Test caps- 55 for England and 3 for the British & Irish Lions.[3] The main room at Grasshopper's modern ground, Lightfoot Green Lane, is named the Dooley Suite after him.[4]

When the national league structure was introduced in the mid nineties, Hoppers remained in National League 3 (North) until their promotion in the 1998–99 season. This was achieved with the help of Australian Michael Lough and winger Ian Bruce who, between them, scored over 50 tries.

In 2013, Preston Grasshoppers 2nd team won the Preston Sports Awards Team Performance of the Year.[5] At the end of the 2015–16 Season Preston Grasshoppers accepted an offer from the RFU to replace the grass surface at Lightfoot Green Lane with an artificial 3G pitch. The terms of the agreement mean that the RFU have exclusive use of the pitch for the next thirty years.

In 2017–18 the club made an immediate return to National 2 North by winning the Northern Premier League at the first attempt. Under longstanding Director of Rugby Gareth Dyer and head coach Paul Arnold, the side were the stand-out side in the division with number 8 Matthew Lamprey scoring 32 league tries during the campaign to set a new club record for tries in a league season, beating the previous best of 27 set by Michael Lough in the 1998–99 National 2 North championship winning season.

After a mid-table finish in National 2 North in the 2018–19 season, the club suffered an injury decimated season that resulted in relegation in a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No play was available at all in the 2020–21 season due to the pandemic but the team rebounded to National Two by finishing runners-up in the Northern Premier Division in the 2021–22 season. They also won the Lancashire Cup to crown a superb season.

Joel Unsworth succeeded Arnold as head coach for the 2022-23 season whilst Director of Rugby Gareth Dyer also departed after 15 years in the role. Alex Keay returned to the role and after a poor start to the season, Keay also assumed the Head Coach role. Grasshoppers now compete in the restructured National League 2 North.

Honours

[6][7]

Notable former players

England

The following players have made appearances for England whilst playing for Grasshoppers:

The following players have made appearances for England after playing for Grasshoppers:

The following players have coached England after playing or coaching Grasshoppers:

Ireland

The following players have made appearances for Ireland after playing for Grasshoppers:

British & Irish Lions

The following players have made appearances for the British & Irish Lions whilst playing for Grasshoppers:

The following players have made appearances for the Lions after playing for Grasshoppers:

Other notable players

The following people have made appearances for Grasshoppers:

Current standings

2024–25 National League 2 North table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Leeds Tykes 22 21 0 1 775 421 +354 19 1 104 Promotion place
2 Sheffield 22 19 0 3 786 426 +360 17 2 95
3 Lymm 22 16 0 6 734 605 +129 18 0 82
4 Fylde 22 13 0 9 683 559 +124 15 6 73
5 Wharfedale 22 12 0 10 571 568 +3 14 2 64
6 Tynedale 22 10 3 9 616 691 −75 15 3 64
7 Chester 22 10 0 12 649 692 −43 12 4 56
8 Hull Ionians 22 8 0 14 626 614 +12 12 9 53
9 Otley 22 9 1 12 567 643 −76 9 4 51
10 Sheffield Tigers 22 7 1 14 534 583 −49 12 9 51
11 Preston Grasshoppers 22 7 1 14 547 698 −151 11 5 46
12 Billingham 22 7 1 14 508 690 −182 9 2 41
13 Hull 22 7 0 15 534 727 −193 9 3 40 Relegation place
14 Harrogate 22 4 1 17 540 753 −213 13 9 40
Updated to match(es) played on 15 March 2025. Source: National League Rugby [8]
Rules for classification: 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

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Preston Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  2. ^ "1900 – 1930". PGRF. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Wade Dooley | Rugby Union | Players and Officials". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Facilities". PGRFC. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Skiddle Sponsors Preston Sports Awards - Could Grasshoppers Win Again?". Skiddle.
  6. ^ "2000 - present".
  7. ^ "Preston Grasshoppers".
  8. ^ "National League 2 North". NCA Rugby.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Grasshoppers
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