Union Rugby Football Union Chairman Barry Fitzgerald Captain(s) Matthew Ibbotson League National League 3 North | Ground(s) Birkenhead Park President Mark Mcnally Founded 1871 | |
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Full name Birkenhead Park Rugby Union Football Club | ||
Birkenhead Park Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club operates five senior teams, a ladies team (Birkenhead Park Panthers) and six junior sides.
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Club history
Birkenhead Park was formed in 1871, the same year as the Rugby Football Union, from the amalgamation of two smaller clubs, Claughton and Birkenhead Wanderers during the 1871/72 season. After an initial period where the club failed to find any form, the season of 1877/78 saw the team losing only two matches from 19. The club was central to the formation of the Cheshire County Union, and in 1887 Birkenhead Park was chosen as the venue for the Home Nations clash between Wales and Ireland; the first time a Home Nations Championship game had ever been played on neutral soil.
The club has a rich history and have hosted the New Zealand All Blacks team on four occasions most recently in 1978 and in 1984 they hosted the North of England's match against Romania.
The club has won two promotions in the 25 years of club rugby - winning South Lancashire and Cheshire Division One and North 2 West in consecutive seasons in the early 2000s. The first team now plays at the fifth level - National League 3 North.