Where are they now? (Updated)
My
first season playing for Barnsley was 1969/70 and when I recently looked again at the
fixture list for that season and compared that fixture list with the 2019/20 fixture list I was struck by how many things have changed in rugby
union over the past 40 years.
 |
| 1969/70 season |
Exactly why some clubs have disappeared, while
others have improved their status and still another group has declined is hard
to explain. Was the reason the impact of leagues, professionalism or the
increasing range of leisure activities available? Rugby union has suffered, as
have many other team sports, a significant decline in playing numbers. Clubs
that once organised four or five teams now only organise two or three. Players
can now move freely between both codes of rugby but that doesn’t appear to have
had a significant impact on player numbers.
The
reality is that the reasons for the changes are obviously complex. There isn’t
just one reason for clubs disappearing, improving their status or declining. I
have listed below the clubs that were in the 1969/70 Barnsley fixture list, the
name they go by today and, if they are still in existence, which league they
are in.
|
1969/70
|
CURRENT CLUB NAME
|
2019/20 LEAGUE
|
|
HEATH OLD BOYS
|
HEATH RUFC
|
YORKSHIRE ONE
|
|
YORKSHIRE COPPER WORKS
|
NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE
|
|
|
ROTHERHAM
|
ROTHERHAM TITANS
|
NATIONAL LEAGUE ONE
|
|
BRAMLEY BARBARIANS
|
BRAMLEY PHOENIX
|
YORKSHIRE FOUR
|
|
RODILLIANS
|
STANLEY RODILLIANS
|
YORKSHIRE FOUR
|
|
STOCKSBRIDGE
|
NO CHANGE
|
YORKSHIRE FOUR
|
|
LEEDS CHIRONS
|
NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE
|
|
|
SHEFFIELD TIGERS
|
NO CHANGE
|
NATIONAL LEAGUE TWO (NORTH)
|
|
WEST PARK OLD BOYS
|
WEST PARK LEEDS
|
YORKSHIRE TWO
|
|
BEVERLEY
|
NO CHANGE
|
YORKSHIRE ONE
|
|
OLD WATHONIANS
|
WATH UPON DEARNE
|
YORKSHIRE TWO
|
|
YARNBURY
|
NO CHANGE
|
YORKSHIRE TWO
|
|
HUDDERSFIELD YMCA
|
NO CHANGE
|
NORTH ONE EAST
|
|
CLECKHEATON
|
NO CHANGE
|
NORTH ONE EAST
|
|
OLD RISHWORTHIANS
|
NO CHANGE
|
YORKSHIRE
TWO
|
|
LEEDS CORINTHIANS
|
NO CHANGE
|
YORKSHIRE THREE
|
|
BAILDON
|
NO CHANGE
|
YORKSHIRE THREE
|
|
LEEDS ENGINEERS
|
NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE
|
|
|
BURLEY
|
NO CHANGE
|
YORKSHIRE FOUR
|
|
HALIFAX VANDALS
|
NO CHANGE
|
YORKSHIRE THREE
|
|
OLD GRAMMARIANS
|
NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE
|
|
|
EAST RETFORD
|
NO CHANGE
|
MIDLAND FOUR EAST (NORTH)
|
|
YORK
|
NO CHANGE
|
NORTH ONE EAST
|
Barnsley
in Yorkshire Two in 2019/20 only have fixtures against four of the twenty three
clubs listed above.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.