GORTON STREET GAZETTE Eccles RFC 1XV 1924 Eccles Rugby Football Club was re-established 124 years ago in 1897 (following the great Northern Union rugby schism of 1895) in 1897 and has now worn its iconic Blue and White hooped shirt for 100 years. The hoops were first adopted in the aftermath of WWI, when the club had to rebuild with many of its new recruits running out to play at Stott Lane with injuries suffered in the trenches. In its early days before the First World War, Eccles RFC had played in green shirts and we believe this switch in colours was a tribute to fallen comrades in the Salford Pals Battalions. Overcoming adversity and recovering from enforced breaks in activity have been a feature of our club’s history. The pitch at Stott Lane suffered from drainage issues and for the early 1920s the club lead a nomadic existence, playing at Alder Forest and then Barton Lane with changing facilites at the Kings Head Hotel, close to the swing bridge. In 1925 the club moved once again to land owned by Mr Farnworth at Bromyhurst Farm, Redclyffe Road, Davyhulme, on the opposite bank of the ship canal, behind All Saints RC church and facing Barton Power Station. Eccles quickly established themselves in their new home and a second-hand hut was purchased with 4 dressing rooms, a hot water bolier and a bath installed within the season.
15 Publizr Home