Charlotte Rugby Club
| Full name | Charlotte Rugby Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | USA Rugby | ||
| Nickname(s) | Olde Originals | ||
| Founded | 1971 | ||
| Ground(s) | Skillbeck Athletic Grounds (Capacity: 900) | ||
| Coach(es) | Brendan Keane (Men) Brad Richard (Women) | ||
| League(s) | USA Rugby South | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
Charlotte Rugby Club, nicknamed the "Olde Originals", are a rugby union team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their men's team currently play in USA Rugby Division II, and are members of the USA Rugby South. Their women's team currently place in USA Rugby Division I and are member of USA Rugby Mid Atlantic. They play home games at Skillbeck Athletic Grounds.
Charlotte Rugby Club was founded in 1971. In the ensuing decades they became one of the most dominant teams in the region, often competing for state and regional championships. As a result of their success they were invited to join the Rugby Super League, the country's highest level of rugby union competition, in 2006. They competed in the Rugby Super League from 2006–2010. In 2012, Charlotte Rugby Club started their Women's team, which won the 2018 Division II National Championship. Since then, the women's team has been moved up to Division I.[1]
History
Men's Team
Charlotte Rugby Football Club (CRFC) formed in 1971 by former college rugby players living in the Charlotte area. In 1974, some of the players decided to leave and form a separate club, the Charlotte Gargoyles. The succession prompted CRFC to adopt the nickname "Olde Originals" to distinguish themselves from the other Charlotte team.[2] Charlotte joined the Rugby Super League in 2006; in 2010 they announced they would not compete in the 2011 Super League season.[3] CRFC then competed in the USA Rugby South DI competition for the 2011 and 2012 seasons while fielding their “B” side in USA Rugby South's Division III matrix. For 2013 due to low player numbers and a lack of success at the DI level, Charlotte focused their energy on the DIII level, finishing atop their matrix and advancing to the DII competition where they have played since the fall of 2013.
Women's Team
Founded in 2012 after a group of recent graduates went looking for a place to continue to play, they found their home with CRFC, which had been lacking a women's side. Originally members USA Rugby Division II Club rugby, the women brought home their first National title in 2018, launching them to join Division I, where they currently play.
Grounds
The Olde Originals play their matches at the Skillbeck Athletic Grounds located in the Coulwood neighborhood of Charlotte. Built in 1988, the grounds includes a 5,800 ft² clubhouse with a 900 ft² deck overlooking the pitch. The grounds also has an apartment for the players and a licensed bar, "The Turton Taproom", named for the late Andy Turton, a CRFC Legend, for social events. When it was first built, it was considered to be one of the finest rugby facilities in the country. Today, It still is.
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Official Olde Originals History". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-08-22.
- ^ Danny Stephens (Nov 22, 2010). "Charlotte the latest to quit RSL". americanrugbynews.com. Retrieved January 14, 2011.[permanent dead link]
External links
- Official site
- Super League
- USA Rugby
- The Skillbeck Athletic Grounds is at coordinates 35°19′03″N 80°57′01″W / 35.317384°N 80.950195°W
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