Rugby league in Lancashire
Rugby League in Lancashire refers to the sport of rugby league in relation to its participation and history within the traditional county of Lancashire, England. The county has since been split up with parts of traditional Lancashire forming parts of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and Cumbria as well as a rump Lancashire.
Contents
Rugby league clubs in Lancashire
The table below lists clubs located within the traditional borders of Lancashire: from the top division (the Super League), down to tier 3 of the British rugby league system.
| Club | Stadium | Founded | County Subdivision | Honours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super League - tier 1 | ||||
| Salford Red Devils | AJ Bell Stadium | 1873 | Greater Manchester | League: 1913-14, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1973–74, 1975-76 (6) Challenge Cup: 1937-38 (1) |
| St Helens | Langtree Park | 1873 | Merseyside | League: 1931/32, 1952/53, 1958/59, 1965/66, 1969/70, 1970/71, 1974/75, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014 (13) Challenge Cup: 1955-56, 1960–61, 1965–66, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 (12) |
| Warrington Wolves | Halliwell Jones | 1876 | Cheshire | League: 1947–48, 1953–54, 1954–55 (3) Challenge Cup: 1904–05, 1906–07, 1949–50, 1953–54, 1973–74, 2009, 2010, 2012 (8) |
| Widnes Vikings | Halton Stadium | 1875 | Cheshire | League: 1977–78, 1987–88, 1988–89 (3) Challenge Cup: 1929–30, 1936–37, 1963–64, 1974–75, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1983–84 (7) |
| Wigan Warriors | DW Stadium | 1872 | Greater Manchester | League: 1908/09, 1921/22, 1925/26, 1933/34, 1945/46, 1946/47, 1949/50, 1951/52, 1959/60, 1986/87, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95, 1995/96, 1998, 2010, 2013 (20) Challenge Cup: 1923–24, 1928–29, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1964–65, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2002, 2011, 2013. (19) |
| Championship - tier 2 | ||||
| Leigh Centurions | Leigh Sports Village | 1878 | Greater Manchester | League: 1905-06, 1981-82 (2) Challenge Cup: 1920-21, 1979-71 (2) |
| Oldham Roughyeds | Whitebank Stadium | 1876 | Greater Manchester | League: 1904-05, 1909–10, 1910–11, 1956-57 (4) Challenge Cup: 1898-99, 1924–25, 1926-27 (3) |
| Swinton Lions | Park Lane | 1866 | Greater Manchester | League: 1926-27, 1927–28, 1930–31, 1934–35, 1962–63, 1963–64 (6) Challenge Cup: 1899–1900, 1925–26, 1927–28 (3) |
| League 1 - tier 3 | ||||
| Barrow Raiders | Craven Park | 1875 | Cumbria | Challenge Cup: 1954-5 (1) |
| Rochdale Hornets | Spotland | 1866 | Greater Manchester | Challenge Cup: 1922 (1) |
Locations
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester has the strongest concentration of rugby league teams within the traditional boundaries of Lancashire.
Cheshire
Chester had its own rugby league tradition with Runcorn being one of the founder members of the Northern Union in 1895 but this died out. Boundary changes to England's counties in the 1970s brought the formerly Lancastrian towns of Widnes and Warrington into Cheshire.
Merseyside
Merseyside was a county formed in 1974 from parts of Lancashire and Cheshire. Currently St Helens RFC are the only professional side within Merseyside but other sides, notably Liverpool Stanley and Prescott Panthers have also existed.
Cumbria
Cumbria is a county that was created in the 1970s composing of the former counties of Cumberland, Westmorland and parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Barrow Raiders are the oldest side in what is now Cumbria and are based in what was part of Lancashire but other Cumbrian sides exist and have existed in the traditional county of Cumberland, namely Whitehaven, Workington Town and at one time Carlisle. These sides played in the Lancashire cup despite playing outside the boundaries of traditional Lancashire.
Lancashire
The rump Lancashire currently has no professional rugby league sides but has had many sides in the past, most recently Blackpool Panthers.
See also
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