Barnes Rugby Football Club

Barnes
Full name Barnes Rugby Football Club
Union Rugby Football Union
Founded November 1862 (1862-11)[1]
Ground(s) Barn Elms
Chairman Michael Whitfield
League(s) National League 2 South
2015–16 13th
Team kit
Official website
www.barnesrfc.org

Barnes Rugby Football Club, formerly known simply as the Barnes Club, is a rugby union club which is claimed by some sources to be the world's first and oldest club in any code of football. It is claimed that Barnes RFC was founded in as early as 1839 but there is no actual evidence, so the club itself states to have clear documents about its activities from the 1920s.[1] If the claim is true, then Barnes is the world's oldest football club in all codes. The club, from Barnes, London, also played a major role in the early years of association football, and was one of the teams in the first ever game of football. The club currently play in the fourth tier of the English league system, National League 2 South.

History

Accounts of the date that the club was formed are contradictory: club records give 1839,[2] while other accounts[3] give credit to eminent club member Ebenezer Cobb Morley, in 1858 or 1862. Its earliest recorded result was in November 1862 versus Richmond, played at Barn Elms. The club won that match and the replay that followed later in the year.

The Barnes Club was a founder member of the Football Association and Morley is often said to be the "father of The Football Association".[4] On December 19, 1863, Barnes participated in the first ever match under FA rules, again against Richmond.[5] It also competed in the first ever FA Cup and continued to do so through to the 1885–86 competition.[6] The first three secretaries of the FA were members of Barnes.

Barnes forward Charles Morice represented England in the first ever international football match between Scotland and England played at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow in 1872.[7]

"Of the 'only and original' clubs forming the Football Association the Barnes Club alone has throughout the ages been an active and faithful member of The Football Association. This is a matter of historical fact."
— Geoffrey Green, The History of The Football Association, The Naldrett Press, London, (1953); p.428

For many years the club played at the Harrodian Club before moving to its Barn Elms location in 1987 when the grounds were sold to form a school.

Barnes RFC first XV has been promoted eight times since being positioned in Surrey Division Three in 1987.

Honours

Current standings

2016–17 National League 2 South Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1 Chinnor 14 12 0 2 602 203 399 11 1 60
2 Old Elthamians 14 12 0 2 444 248 196 9 0 57
3 Bishop's Stortford 14 11 0 3 450 272 178 11 2 57
4 Taunton Titans 14 10 0 4 474 355 119 10 2 52
5 Redruth 14 10 0 4 411 288 123 8 1 49
6 Canterbury 14 8 0 6 404 333 71 7 5 44
7 Cinderford 14 7 1 6 318 347 -29 7 3 35[b 1]
8 Clifton 14 7 0 7 312 412 -100 4 2 34
9 Redingensians Rams 14 6 1 7 338 284 54 3 5 34
10 Bury St Edmunds 14 6 0 8 332 382 -50 5 3 32
11 Henley Hawks 14 5 0 9 327 422 -95 3 2 25
12 Worthing Raiders 14 5 0 9 283 386 -103 2 3 25
13 London Irish Wild Geese 14 3 0 11 310 443 -133 7 3 22
14 Barnstaple 14 4 1 9 242 458 -216 2 1 21
15 Barnes 14 2 2 10 270 413 -143 5 4 21
16 Exmouth 14 1 1 12 280 534 -254 5 3 14
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Blue background is the play-off place. Pink background are relegation places.
Updated: 3 December 2016
Source: "National League 2 South". NCA Rugby. 
Notes
  1. ↑
    • Cinderford were deducted 5 points for fielding unregistered players against Canterbury on 3 September 2016.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 History of the club at Barnes RFC website
  2. ↑ Inverdale, John: Telegraph article November 2, 2005
  3. ↑ Butler, Bryon: The Official History of the Football Association, page X. ISBN 0-356-19145-1
  4. ↑ "Miscellaneous Football". Sheffield & Rotherham Independent. XLIV (2826). British Newspaper Archive. 30 October 1863. p. 4. Retrieved 29 June 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ "The History of The FA". The Football Association. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Barnes at the Football Club History Database
  7. ↑ 1872 Scotland vs England football match
  8. ↑ "Club Discipline Season 2016-2017". NCA. Retrieved 24 September 2016.

External links

Coordinates: 51°28′30.28″N 0°14′13.03″W / 51.4750778°N 0.2369528°W / 51.4750778; -0.2369528

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