Stockport RFC was a (semi) professional rugby league club.
Contents
The club was based in Stockport (population approximately 140,000), a large town in Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Mersey at the confluence with the rivers Goyt and Tame.
Historically Stockport was a part of Cheshire.
The club was involved in the momentous meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield in 1895.
And after the schism, the club became founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union (now Rugby Football League) and played for eight seasons from 1895–96 to 1902–03.
Although they were from Cheshire, they, like several other Cheshire clubs and some Cumberland clubs, participated in the Lancashire Competitions.
Only limited County League information is available for this season (1901–02).
Early days
There is little evidence about the formation of the club except that it was before 1895.
Northern Union
Prior to the Schism, Stockport, like many other clubs from Lancashire (and Yorkshire), had suffered punishment by the RFU for "broken time" payments.
When the 22 clubs met at The George Hotel, Huddersfield, the representative of Stockport had been unable to attend the meeting personally and so had telegraphed the meeting requesting the club's admission to the new organisation. This was duly accepted.
After the Great Schism in 1895, Stockport were one of the founder members of the new league. In the first season 1895–96 the league consisted of 22 clubs and Stockport finished in 17th position.
In the second season 1896–97 the league was divided into Yorkshire and Lancashire, Stockport playing in the latter section, where they would stay for all but one of the remainder of their (semi) professional existence. They finished in 5th position out of 14 teams.
In the two following seasons, still in the Lancashire section, season 1897–98 and 1898–99 they finished in 11th position (out of 14 teams).
In the fifth season, 1899–00 they improved slightly finishing 9th out of 14 teams.
In season 1900–01, still in the Lancashire Senior League, Stockport dropped to 12th place out the 14 teams.
In season, 1901–02 14 clubs broke away to form the Northern Rugby League. Stockport were not among these and so, together with the remaining clubs and several additions from the lower county leagues, continued in the Lancashire Senior league, which became in effect division 2 (West). A slightly better season saw a mid-table finish in 6th place out of the 13 clubs. Only limited County League information is available for this season (1901–02).
At the end of the 1901–02 season, the County Leagues elected 18 teams to join the new Division 2 (7 from Lancashire and 10 from Yorkshire and new member South Shields) with the existing second competition scrapped. This meant that teams were excluded from the senior competitions leaving them with several options :-
a) Join the new Lancashire League or the Lancashire Combination (reserve grade)
b) Join a new Yorkshire Senior League
c) reverting to amateur status within the Northern Union
d) revert to rugby union
e) turn to Association Football, which many clubs did
f) fold
In season 1902–03 Stockport joined the new 2nd Division. In this, their eighth and last season among the (semi) professional clubs, Stockport finished 18th out of 18 clubs, bottom of the league with only 11 points, whereas Morecambe, the second bottom, had 20 points.
Details of the club from this point on are sketchy, but according to the information provided in an article on the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council website :-
"(Stockport) County gained admission to the Second Division of the Football League in 1900, and following this elevation - and consequent requirement for a larger ground - the club moved to its current home of Edgeley Park in 1902, which was then the home of Stockport Rugby League Club. The rugby club folded a few years later, leaving County as sole tenants."
Although this is not confirmed elsewhere, if the dates are correct, it can be assumed that Stockport Rugby (League) Club played in the lower Lancashire League until finally folding in 1904 or 1905.
Stadium
Stockport Rugby (League) Club, played, for at least part of their existence, at Edgeley Park.
And, according to the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council website :-
"The stadium was built in 1901 for the (Stockport) rugby league club, before Stockport County moved there in 1902, after needing to find a bigger stadium to play in following their entrance into the Football League two years earlier"
Stockport County Association Football Club started life in Stockport, when the Wycliffe Congressional Church team merged with Heaton Norris FC to form Heaton Norris Rovers FC. In 1890 they were renamed Stockport County to reflect Stockport's status as a County Borough. They originally played at the Heaton Norris Recreation Ground, then various locations until settling at a park on Green Lane, Heaton Norris in 1889. Stockport County were elected to the Second Division of the Football League in 1900, and this elevation led to a requirement for a larger ground. For the start of the 1902–03 season they moved into their current home of Edgeley Park. At the time this was the home of Stockport Rugby (League) Club.
In 1905 (or 1906) Stockport Rugby Club appears to have folded, leaving Stockport County the sole user of the sole tenants of the ground. Edgeley Park has been County's home ever since, and the centenary of the ground was celebrated in 2002.
Several fixtures and results
The following are just a few of Stockport's fixtures from the eight seasons in which they played (semi) professional Rugby League :-