Newmarket Rugby Union Football Club was formed in 1956, drawing its players from a wide cross section of the community in Newmarket. For the first twelve seasons the Club led a nomadic existence, using hired pitches in nearby villages and changing in local clubs and pubs. In 1969 The Club moved to the Scaltback Recreation Ground - owned by Suffolk County Council since the early 1970s - and which was the site of the former Scaltback Middle School.
The clubhouse was built in 1974 and was shared with other sporting and recreational clubs. Since then there have been two major extensions to the clubhouse to provide extra changing rooms and a larger clubroom. NRUFC has largely funded these extensions, both financially and from voluntary labour (click here), with support from local authorities. We have two playing pitches, slightly smaller than full size, and a small, floodlight, training area.
For the first seven seasons, the Club ran only one team and grew to two sides in 1964 after recruiting a number of young players from the local secondary school. A third fifteen was started in 1977 and a veteran’s team followed shortly afterwards. Currently, the club runs 2 senior sides, with the first fifteen competing in Eastern Counties division 1.
The core of the side is made up of young players who had progressed through from the junior teams and several new members have joined the club this season: the future, therefore, looks very promising.
Youth and mini rugby was launched in 1978 and has grown successfully to a point where the Club can offer rugby to all age groups from 7 to 17 years. For the 2015/16 season, the Mini and Youth Section boasts more than 300 registered players and continues to grow every year. There has been some participation of girls in the mini section and a girls/women’s rugby was started in September 2010: they have enjoyed two successful seasons but, due to lack of players across the county, are currently not active; a situation we will be addressing over the coming months.
Training is on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm to 9pm, with junior rugby training focused on Sunday morning 10am to 12pm.
The club is very grateful for the sponsorship it receives and anyone wishing to sponsor can do so by contacting Ed Rudge at sponsorship@newmarketrufc.com for a preliminary chat.
