Glasgow High Kelvinside , often abbreviated to GHK, is an amateur

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

club in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. They currently play in

Scottish National League Division One The Scottish National League Division One (known as Tennent's National League Division 1 for sponsorship reasons) is the second tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland. The division was established in it ...

History

Glasgow High Kelvinside was formed in 1982 by the merger of

Kelvinside Academy Kelvinside Academy is an independent day school in Glasgow, Scotland, founded in 1878. It has a capacity of over 600 pupils and spans two years of Nursery, six years of Junior School (primary school), a transition year of Senior Preparatory, and ...

and

High School of Glasgow The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the choir school of Glasgow Cathedral in around 1124, and is the oldest school in Scotland, and the ...

rugby clubs;

Kelvinside Academicals Kelvinside Academicals is a former rugby union team that played their home games at Balgray Playing Fields, Glasgow, Scotland. The team was founded in 1888 by former pupils of the Kelvinside Academy. The team no longer exists. In 1982 it merg ...

and

Glasgow HSFP Glasgow HSFP are a former rugby union team that played their home games at Glasgow, Scotland. The team was founded in 1884 by former pupils of the High School of Glasgow. The team no longer exists. In 1982 it merged with the Kelvinside Academi ...

. Both Glasgow High FP and Kelvinside Accies were struggling clubs at the time: Glasgow High in the Third Division; Kelvinside Academicals in the Fifth Division.

Impact of professionalism

When professionalism was finally allowed by the International Rugby Football Board in 1995, Scotland took a while to adapt. The SRU decided to make Scotland's four district teams professional in 1996. Glasgow's district team became the professional rugby union team now known as

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

. However it was recognised that the amateur Glasgow clubs might provide a better pathway to professionalism for their players if some of the amateur Glasgow area clubs merged. The clubs considered for merger were Glasgow High Kelvinside,

Glasgow Academicals The Glasgow Academical Football Club is the third oldest rugby football club in Scotland. The club was also a founder member of the Scottish Football Union (the future SRU) in 1873. History Glasgow Hawks In 1997 the decision was made to ...

and West of Scotland. Taking an initial letter each from High, Academicals, West and Kelvinside it was proposed the new side would be called the

Glasgow Hawks Glasgow Hawks is an amateur rugby union team in Glasgow, Scotland. They were Premiership Division One champions for three consecutive seasons from 2003–04 to 2005–06. History In Paris on 27 August 1995 a meeting of the International Rugby ...

. The Milngavie-based club West of Scotland pulled out of the planned merger. Nevertheless,

and Glasgow High Kelvinside did merge in 1997. The name Hawks was kept for the merged team.

Glasgow Hawks

The merger of the two sides was not without its detractors and a few on each side of the GHK - Academical fence were concerned about losing their history in the new side.

continued as a league side the following year in 1998 but they had to start again at the bottom rung of the league structure.

Glasgow High Kelvinside reborn

Following the Academicals example of starting again, Glasgow High Kelvinside also started again in the bottom rung of the league structure. However they remain associated with the

. In June 2014, former

and GHK player

Cameron Little Cameron Little (born 31 August 1968) is a former Scottish rugby union player and now coach. A Scotland Sevens internationalist, he played for the amateur Glasgow District side and after professionalism played for Glasgow Rugby, now named the ...

was announced as the head coach at the club for the 2015–16 season. The club won promotion to

Scottish National League Division Three The Scottish National League Division Three (known as Tennent's National League Division 3 for sponsorship reasons) is the fourth tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland. Geographical Location The Scot ...

after winning all 18 league matches in the 2014–15 season. It followed that up by winning the

title in the 2015–16 season and gaining promotion to the

Scottish National League Division Two The Scottish National League Division Two (known as Tennent's National League Division 2 for sponsorship reasons) is the third tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland. The division was established in it ...

in the 2016–17 season. In 2020 Peter Wright "The Teapot" was named as head coach. In the 2021/2022 season, they won promotion to

Sevens

The club once ran the Glasgow High Kelvinside Sevens tournament. Kelvinside Academicals had a history with Sevens - running their own tournament in 1922 and then from 1974 to 1981, with teams playing for the Minerva Cup. Glasgow HSFP ran theirs on just one occasion in 1929. (Glasgow HSFP won the 1922 Kelvinside Academicals Sevens, Dunfermline won the Glasgow HSFP Sevens of 1929.) When the sides merged as Glasgow High Kelvinside the Glasgow High Kelvinside Sevens tournament still offered the Minerva Cup for its winners from 1982 until it folded in 1989.

Honours

: 2021-2022 *

: 2015–16 *

Langholm Sevens Langholm Sevens is an annual rugby sevens event held by Langholm RFC, in Langholm, Scotland. The Langholm Sevens was the last of the Border Sevens tournaments to be instated in 1908. Held around the end of every April, the tournament is part ...

: 1995 * Clarkston Sevens: 1984 * Greenock Sevens: 1984, 1987 * Ayr Sevens: 1994 * Allan Glen's Sevens: 1984 * Hillhead Jordanhill Sevens: 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 * Hillhead Sevens: 1985, 1987 * Bearsden Sevens: 1990 * Glasgow University Sevens: 1987 * Helensburgh Sevens: 1986 * Lochaber Sevens: 1992 * Cambuslang Sevens: 1990

Notable former players

Scotland internationalists

The following former Glasgow High Kelvinside players have represented

at full international level.

Glasgow Warriors

The following former Glasgow High Kelvinside players have represented

at professional level.

References

External links

GHK website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glasgow High Kelvinside RFC Rugby clubs established in 1982 Scottish rugby union teams Rugby union in Glasgow 1982 establishments in Scotland Sports teams in Glasgow