Sale FC Rugby Club

Sale FC is a semi-professional rugby union club based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, England, which plays in National League 1 following promotion from National League 2 North at the end of the 2017–18 season. Premiership club Sale Sharks is a professional offshoot of Sale FC.

Sale FC
Sale FC Rugby Logo
Full nameSale FC Rugby
UnionCheshire RFU
Founded1861 (1861)
LocationSale, Greater Manchester, England
RegionCheshire
Ground(s)Heywood Road (Capacity: 3,387)
ChairmanSteve Smith
PresidentJames Hourihan
Coach(es)Jonathan Keep
Captain(s)Andy Hughes
League(s)National League 1
2019–2012th
Official website
www.salefc.com

History
Heywood Road

Formed by a team of sportsmen drawn mainly from Sale Cricket Club, Sale Football Club was founded in 1861 and is the fifth oldest surviving rugby club. In the early days of the club, rules were usually deemed unnecessary and those that were enforced were often made up on the spot. As the game began to evolve, however, the need for specified regulations became apparent and in 1865 the Minute Book was created stipulating the ten rules to be followed by all players. This is reputedly world's oldest existing rugby rule book and a much treasured possession. Games were originally played on either a rented portion of Sale Cricket Club or on fields owned by local farmers. In 1905, the club bought a field at the end of Heywood Road.

Sale FC have featured many prominent international and county players. Pat Davies became their first England international in 1927 and the 1930s saw an international backline of Hal Sever (England wing), Claude Davey and Wilf Wooller (Wales centres) and Ken Fyfe (Scotland wing). Fran Cotton, Steve Smith, Dewi Morris, Richard Trickey and Jason Robinson also played at Sale.

In 1936, Sale were invited to take part in the Middlesex Sevens Cup and went on to win the competition.

Before World War II, an increase in membership meant that the club had almost outgrown facilities at Heywood Road and an additional site on Woodbourne Road was purchased. Initially this was meant to be a training ground for the junior team, but there were talks to eventually relocate the rest of the club there too, but when war was over it was instead decided to focus efforts on the redevelopment of Heywood Road. Land was sold to fund the project and the ground gradually began to evolve. A new clubhouse was built, the old bath house replaced by squash courts, changing facilities improved, floodlights installed and the commemorative Jim Birtles Stand erected.

The Suite @Sale
The Suite @Sale FC

In December 2017 at their home game against Sedgley Tigers, Sale FC opened their Suite @Sale hospitality suite. This new suite seats 180 for meals in the main room, 24 people in the Executive Suite and has two bars. The downstairs also has a new gymnasium and a Martial Arts facility used by TaeKwonDo.

Training ground
Carrington High Performance Centre

Sale FC also own the Sale Sharks High Performance Training Centre on Carrington Lane. This facility has four pitches, one of which is floodlit and a training resource area including dining room, performance analysis suite and it is also where Minis and Juniors train on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings.

Mascot
The unveiling of Trickey the Mutt, 23 December 2017

On 23 December 2017 the club unveiled a new mascot, Trickey the Mutt.[1]

Honours

Old amateur club (pre Sale Sharks)

Modern amateur club (post Sale Sharks)

Current season
2019–20 National League 1 Table
Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1Richmond (C)25200574134739412597
2Rosslyn Park25181672847225612490
3Rams25190668052115916289[lower-alpha 1]
4Chinnor25162763150212913485
5Blackheath25161862151111012482
6Plymouth Albion25132106986178114575
7Darlington Mowden Park251311179651727914674
8Old Elthamians25131115745017310468
9Cambridge25122115715601111467
10Cinderford2313010526452747665
11Sale FC25120136216021910664
12Bishop's Stortford249213599595412961
13Birmingham Moseley258017505649−1444844
14Rotherham Titans (R)256118490727−2377740
15Canterbury (R)252023357824−4672616
16Hull Ionians (R)2411223301071-7413211
  • 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. Pink background are relegation places.
Updated: 14 March 2020
Source: "National League 1". NCA Rugby.

Notes
  1. Rams deducted 5 points due to an issue with their Payment of Players declaration during the 2018–19 National League 2 South season.[3]

References
  1. "Sale FC Rugby Club make landmark signing, Tricky the Mutt". Messenger Newspapers.
  2. "Disappointment for Caldy in Cheshire Cup". Wirral Globe. 6 May 2014.
  3. "RAMS DEDUCTED 5 POINTS". Rams RFC (Pitchero). 26 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
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