Creating your own class GRFC timeline Below is a list of dates related to the history of GRFC. Decide with your class mates who is going to take each of the dates and then you need to represent your chosen date on a piece of A4 paper. The date should be written clearly in the top left hand corner, your facts should be included and then pictures should be drawn. Once the class have finished their pages, they can be displayed around the classroom to make a ‘History of GRFC timeline’. Date Event 1873 The club was formed in 1873 after a meeting at the Spread Eagle Hotel with the announcement in the Gloucester Journal: "A football club (as rugby was then called) has been formed in this city - the season's operations begin at the Spa on the first Tuesday in next month." A team was then organised to play the College school which was actually played on the ground of the current Kingsholm.playing field for the college boys. 1891 The club left the Spa after an argument with the cricket club that they were ground sharing with. During the winter the Rugby Club had used a salt mixture to remove frost from the pitch, resulting in the death of the grass on the wicket. Gloucester RFC were no longer welcome at the Spa ground.They then acquired lands from the Castle Grim Estate for £4,000 in 1891 and have resided in this place, known ever since as Kingsholm 1900 - 1901 The first international fixture was played at Kingsholm on 6th January 1900 which was England v Wales in front of 15,000 supporters. In 1901, the club set the record for the most tries scored in a single match. The 18 tries scored against Clifton remain unbeaten. to this day 1906 Arthur Hudson set a club record during this season by scoring 44 tries. Two years later he became the captain for 4 seasons and went on to act as the club secretary for many years earning the title ‘Grand old man of Gloucester rugby’. 1910 Three Gloucester RFC players – Dai Gent, Billy Johns and Harry Berry – were selected to play for England v Wales on 15 January 1910 in the first international to be played at Twickenham. Dai Gent, ‘the tiny giant of Gloucester rugby’, played 140 matches for the club 1903-11. Billy Johns, renowned for his dribbling skills, played 238 matches from 1902-13 and Harry Berry made 137 appearances between1907-12. Fixtures were suspended during the First World War (1914–18) when many Gloucester players saw active service and some gave their lives, including Harry Berry who was killed in action in France in 1915. 1920 The 1920-21 season became famous for Gloucester RFC when Fred Webb skippered the club to 23 matches unbeaten at home at Kingsholm, with only the United Services and Pontypool clubs being able to defeat them at home. Creating your own class GRFC timeline 1921 The following season was infamous for the number of footballers that were sent from the field by officials, 14 for fighting, seven for arguing, six for language and one for foul play. Leicester actually cancelled their Gloucester RFC fixture because of this. Around the mid 1920s the media began to refer to the club as the 'Red and Whites'. 1924 The New Zealand all blacks travelled to England and played at Gloucester at Kingsholm. It is thought that the Haka was written for them by two fans during the voyage. 1926 The first grandstand was built, which cost £2500 and contained 1750 seats. Six years later, in 1932, the grandstand burnt down due to a fire that started in a circus set up in the club car park. 1940 - 1945 Playing of rugby stopped due to World War II (as it had during World War I), although war time internationals did take place. 1947 In the 1946-47 season, rugby fans were able to witness the lost art of the dropped goal – the diminutive Willie Jones achieving a club record of 17. Jones is one of only two Gloucester players to have scored a hat-trick of drop goals in a single match. 1962 Flood lights were installed at Kingsholm in November and ‘Bosuns’ were the first oppositions to play Gloucester under them when Gloucester defeated them by 34 points to eight. 1972 Gloucester RFC won the first ever National Knock-Out Competition. Having overcome Bath, Bristol, London Welsh and Coventry (all away from home) in earlier rounds, they beat Moseley in a Twickenham final that was marred by violence and the sending off of Moseley's Nigel Horton. 1973 The Gloucester Rugby Club centenary season. Tributes flooded in to mark the centenary of the club. During those 100 years no fewer than 26 Gloucester players had represented England. Fittingly, on 3 October 1973, Gloucester won their centenary match against an International XV by 24 points to 14. 1975 Michael Burton, a Gloucester player, toured Australia with England and became the first ever player to be sent off for England. He was capped 17 times. 1978 In 1978 Gloucester RFC won the first ever John Player Cup, defeating Leicester in another final noted for violent play both on and off the pitch at Twickenham. 1982 Gloucester became joint winners of the 1982 RFU National Knockout Competition (John Player cup) at Twickenham under the captaincy of Steve Mills. They drew 12–12 with Moseley. 1984 On 2 June 1984 the club provided the entire front row of forwards for England’s match against South Africa at Port Elizabeth – Phil Blakeway, Steve Mills and Malcolm Preedy. Creating your own class GRFC timeline 1989 The brewers ‘Bass’ became sponsors for the club bringing in much needed money for the club after losses from previous seasons. Also In 1989, legendary Mike Teague, starred for the victorious Lions in Australia. Teague went on to become the first Gloucester player to appear in a world cup match, when he battled against New Zealand at Twickenham in October 1991. 1991 Kingsholm hosted the New Zealand versus USA World Cup match in 1991 1995 The arrival of professionalism to the sport in 1995 would signal a change in direction for the sport and allowed players to be paid by clubs 1996 David Sims had become the Club’s first full time professional in the May of 1996 and a few months later they became the first English club to pay a transfer fee to another club. The signing of Craig Emerson from Morley made club history. 1997 Tom Walkinshaw, from the world of Formula one racing, became the new club owner with a majority shareholding on 29 April. In 1997-98 Gloucester RFC won the inaugural C&G cup, defeating Bedford 33–25 at Franklins Gardens, Northampton. They retained the cup the following season, defeating the same opponent 24-9. Terry Fanolua and Philippe Saint-Andre became two of the club’s first overseas players in 1997. 1999 - 2000 Phillipe Saint-Andre became the new Gloucester coach, replacing Richard Hill. He had a successful first season with a third-place finish in 1999/2000 that took the Cherry & Whites into the Heineken Cup. With Phil Vickery, Trevor Woodman and All Blacks legend Ian Jones forming the basis of a formidable pack, Gloucester RFC marched their way to the last four, where only last-ditch Leicester defending would deny them a final appearance 2003 - 2004 Saint-Andre left Gloucester rugby club, but it couldn't stop them winning another cup in 2003, under new coach Nigel Melville. They were champions of the EDF cup. 2003 - 2004 Unstoppable in the league, Gloucester RFC reached the Championship final 15 points clear of their nearest rival. This was the first year that the league would enter a final instead of acknowledging the outright league winners. Under the new league system Gloucester RFC were 'rewarded' with a 3 week lay-off, while Wasps played regular rugby during the 3 weeks and as a result, Gloucester RFC lost their momentum and were crushed emphatically by Wasps at Twickenham. 2003 - 2004 In November 2003 England won the World Cup, beating Australia in Sydney by 20 points to 17. Three Gloucester players, Trevor Woodman, Phil Vickery and Andy Gomersall were awarded MBEs for their involvement. 2005 - 2006 Gloucester RFC won silverware in the European Challenge Cup, defeating London Irish in a tense final that went into extra time. Creating your own class GRFC timeline 2006 - 2007 Gloucester Rugby won the league again and defeated London Saracens in the semi-final at Kingsholm, 50-9, to move into the Twickenham final where they faced Leicester Tigers. However, Gloucester Rugby were beaten heavily by the Tigers with the final score being 44-16, Gloucester Rugby again being defeated by the play-off system. 2007 - 2008 Gloucester overcame their poor mid-season form with a series of victories capping it off with their first away win against Wasps for 18 years, and then defeating Bath in an intense encounter at Kingsholm to win the league for the second year running, and book a home semi-final in the Championship Play-off against Leicester Tigers in a repeat of last season’s Championship final. Unfortunately they lost this game thanks to a late Andy Goode drop goal. .