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Huddersfield Giants are an English professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
club from
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the
Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
competition. They play their home games at the
John Smiths Stadium Kirklees Stadium (currently known due to sponsorship as the John Smith's Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of football club Huddersfield Town and rugby league si ...
which is shared with
Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from L ...
Huddersfield is also one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the
Northern Rugby Football Union Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...
in 1895, making them one of the world's first rugby league teams. The club itself was founded in 1864, making it the oldest rugby league club in the world. They have won seven
Championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
and six
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
s, but did not earn another honour between 1962 and 2013 until gaining the 2013
League Leaders Shield The League Leaders' Shield is a shield awarded to the team finishing the season top of Super League in the sport of rugby league football. Currently, and for most of Super League's history, the championship is decided on the basis of a play-off se ...
after topping the table for the first time in 81 years. The club, particularly amongst older supporters, is sometimes referred to as Fartown, after the area and
the ground ''The Ground'' (released 31 January 2005 in Germany on the label ECM Records, ECM
CM 1892 CM or its variants may refer to: Arts and media Gaming * ''Championship Manager'', a popular football management simulation game * ''Chessmaster'', a chess computer program series Music * C minor, abbreviated Cm, a minor scale or chord based ...
is an album by Norwegian jazz pianist and composer Tord Gustavsen, recorded in 2004. Reception "Melancholia is marvellous – and quiet," stated ''Th ...
in
Fartown, Huddersfield Fartown is a district of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England that starts north of the town centre. Fartown runs for approximately either side of the A641 main Huddersfield to Bradford Road. The district area stretches from the top of Woo ...
that was the club's home venue from 1878 to 1992. The club was known as Huddersfield Barracudas from 1984 to 1988 and Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants (after a merger with the original Sheffield Eagles) for the 2000 season. The team plays in a distinctive strip of a claret shirt with thin gold hoops, claret shorts and claret and gold hooped socks. They have rivalries with
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
,
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
,
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
, Halifax and
Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
.


History


1848–1894: Foundation and early years

The earliest record of a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
match being played in the Huddersfield area is in 1848, when a team of men from Hepworth took on a team of men from
Holmfirth Holmfirth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, on the A635 and A6024 in the Holme Valley, at the confluence of the River Holme and Ribble, south of Huddersfield and west of Barnsley. It mostly consist ...
near Whnuil Bank in Holmfirth. Hepworth won a closely fought game which "exhibited the usual amount of confusions, bloody noses, etc" and took the prize of £5 which had been jointly donated by each side. There appears to have been no formal structure to sport in the
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
area until the opening of the Apollo Gymnasium on 3 August 1850. At this time the gymnasium was the only venue in the town where young men could take part in physical activities, it offered the opportunity to participate in
fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...
,
swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
,
bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...
,
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
and many other sports. In 1864 the Apollo Gymnasium was turned into the Gymnasium Theatre. The athletes of the gymnasium responded by forming a more organised athletics association. In an advertisement headed "Huddersfield Athletic Club" they invited "gentlemen desirous of becoming members" to a public meeting at 8 o'clock on the evening of 16 November 1864 at the Queen Hotel. The meeting went ahead, a hundred names were registered and a committee was formed. Within a month a new gymnasium was in service in a basement on Back John William Street. The club's 1864 foundation (a few months before that of
Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...
) means that it is the oldest Rugby League club, both in terms of foundation date and continuous history; it celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2014. On 27 January 1866, twenty members of the Huddersfield Athletic Club agreed to play a football match against twenty of the Huddersfield Rifle Corps at Rifle Field in Trinity Street. Although the result was a scoreless draw, a large crowd was attracted. In light of this, the Huddersfield Athletic Club agreed to start a football section which was to start at the beginning of December 1866. Initially the Huddersfield Athletic Club made no contribution to the support of the football club and each paying member was forced to pay a subscription of 2s/6d (half a crown/p). As the football club grew, it became a useful recruiting tool for the Huddersfield Athletic Club. In 1869 six matches were played and by 1870 three of the club's players had been selected to represent
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. By 1872 there were so many players that a second team was formed. The growth in popularity of the club and the need for better facilities led to the Huddersfield Athletic Club approaching St John's Cricket Club with a proposal to merge the two clubs. St John's Cricket Club had been formed in 1866 at Hillhouse and had moved to
Fartown ground The Fartown Ground or just simply Fartown is a sports ground located in the Huddersfield suburb of Fartown in West Yorkshire, England and is predominantly famous for being the home ground of Huddersfield Rugby League Club from 1878 to 1992. T ...
. By 1875, when amalgamation talks began, over £800 had been spent on developing the new ground. At a meeting on 27 November 1875, at the Thornhill Arms Inn the two clubs agreed to merge to form the Huddersfield Cricket and Athletics Club. The motion was passed by 55 votes to 37. Initially the football section stayed at Rifle Field, but alterations made in the summer of 1878 meant that rugby could begin at the start of the 1878–79 season with the visit of Manchester Rangers on 2 November. The new ground would become the club's home for 114 years and would provide the club's famous "Fartown" nickname. After the 1890–91 season, Huddersfield along with other Yorkshire Senior clubs Batley, Bradford, Brighouse, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull, Hunslet, Leeds, Liversedge, Manningham and Wakefield decided that they wanted their own county league starting in 1891 along the lines of a similar competition that had been played in Lancashire. The clubs wanted full control of the league but the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union would not sanction the competition as it meant giving up control of rugby football to the senior clubs.


1895-1920s: Northern Union and golden years

In 1895 the club were founder members of the
Northern Rugby Football Union Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...
, (later the
Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...
). The club has seen many ups and downs in its long history, but for the first 60 years of rugby league it was one of the powerhouses of the game, with only
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
as rivals in terms of trophies won.
Harold Wagstaff Harold Wagstaff (9 May 1891 – 19 July 1939), also known by the nickname of "Waggy", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played as a and was nicknamed the ''Prince of Centres''. A ca ...
was only fifteen years and one hundred and seventy-five days old when he played his first match for Huddersfield, against Bramley in November 1906. At the time, he was the youngest first-team player the game had seen, he had signed on for a £5 signing-on fee. Huddersfield beat the touring 1908–09 Kangaroos 5–3. They were impressed enough with stand-off
Albert Rosenfeld Albert Aaron Rosenfeld (28 July 1885 – 7 September 1970), also known by the nickname of "Rozzy", was a pioneer Australian rugby league footballer, a national representative whose club career was played in Sydney and in England. He played f ...
to sign him up that evening along with Australian Dual Code International Pat Walsh one of the best forwards of the Kangaroos. Rosenfeld played his first game against
Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers were one of the twenty-one rugby clubs which met at the George Hotel, Huddersfield, in 1895 to form the Northern Rugby Football Union. They were originally based in Broughton, Salford, but in 1933 moved to Gorton, Manchester t ...
on 11 September 1909. The club's golden period came around the time of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The club was able to assemble a team of players from across the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
who swept all before them. Known as "The Team of All Talents", they were led by
Harold Wagstaff Harold Wagstaff (9 May 1891 – 19 July 1939), also known by the nickname of "Waggy", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played as a and was nicknamed the ''Prince of Centres''. A ca ...
and are still regarded as one of the finest football teams ever to have played. In the five years leading up to the First World War they won 13 trophies. Two members of the team, centre
Harold Wagstaff Harold Wagstaff (9 May 1891 – 19 July 1939), also known by the nickname of "Waggy", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played as a and was nicknamed the ''Prince of Centres''. A ca ...
and wing
Albert Rosenfeld Albert Aaron Rosenfeld (28 July 1885 – 7 September 1970), also known by the nickname of "Rozzy", was a pioneer Australian rugby league footballer, a national representative whose club career was played in Sydney and in England. He played f ...
were honoured by inclusion in the original
Rugby League Hall of Fame The Rugby League Hall of Fame honours the leading players of the sport of rugby league. It was established by the sport's governing body in the UK, the Rugby Football League, in 1988. Players must have been retired for at least five years to be ...
. They were later joined by the Cumberland second row Douglas Clark. Of just seventeen players to be elected to the Hall of Fame, no fewer than three were teammates in that famous Huddersfield side. In total, Huddersfield boast five representatives in the Hall of Fame, more than any other club. The particular fame of "The Team of All Talents" sprung from their extraordinary three quarter play. In 1911–12, Rosenfeld became the first player to score more than 50 tries in a season – a feat previously thought to be impossible. That season he scored 78. His wing partner,
Stan Moorhouse Stanley Moorhouse (fourth ¼ – 23 April 1951) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Huddersfield a ...
scored 52. In 1912–13, Rosenfeld scored 56, and then in 1913–14 he broke his own record with 80 tries, a record which stands to this day. On 28 February 1914, the club defeated Swinton Park by a record 119–2 (Rosenfeld contributing 7 tries) in a
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
tie at Fartown. The record would stand until 26 November 1994 when the
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
club broke their own
World Record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
by defeating Blackpool Gladiators 142–4 in a Challenge Cup tie at the
McAlpine Stadium MacAlpine, McAlpine, MacAlpin or McAlpin is a Scottish surname. It may refer to: People * The Scottish House of Alpin * Its claimed descendants, the Siol Alpin and/or Clan McAlpin(e) * Kenneth MacAlpin, founder of said dynasty * His brother and ...
– centre Greg Austin scoring 9 tries on his way to 52 tries that season, a
world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
for a centre. In the 1914–15 season they became only the second team to win "
all four cups Winning All Four Cups referred to winning all four competitions available to a British rugby league side in the top division between 1907 and 1970. The cups available to win were the First Division Championship, Challenge Cup, county league (La ...
" when they lifted the Championship, the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
, the
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
County Cup The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
, and the Yorkshire League. Huddersfield's dominance prior to the First World War was such that they went unbeaten in 38 consecutive matches before the suspension of the league in 1915. Huddersfield did not take part in the 1918–19 season. In the 1919–20 season, the first five games were won for a 43 match unbeaten run over six years which still stands as a record today. The unbeaten run consisted of 28 league matches, 8 Yorkshire Cup-ties, 5 Challenge Cup-ties and 2 League Championship play-offs. In addition, Huddersfield were drawing 8–8 in a Yorkshire Cup-tie that was abandoned because of fog and replayed. The Yorkshire Cup and Yorkshire League trophies were already won when Huddersfield met Wigan in the Challenge Cup final which resulted in a 21–10 victory.
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
were defeated in the Championship semi-final and
Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...
waited at
Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...
as Huddersfield strove for a clean sweep of silverware. Huddersfield were missing five players who were touring
Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
with
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
and Hull won 3–2. Albert Rosenfeld's last game for the club was on 2 April 1921, a cup-tie against Leeds.


Post-war era

In the first full season after the war, a new record transfer fee of £1,650 was set when
Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...
bought Bill Davies from Huddersfield. Huddersfield won the League Championship in 1949, beating Warrington 13–12 in the final at
Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...
,
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
in front of what was at the time a world record crowd of 75,194. This capitalised on a season which also brought home the Yorkshire League title. The highest attendance at Fartown to watch a Huddersfield game was 32,912 against
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
on 4 March 1950. More success followed in the 1950 season as Huddersfield retained the Yorkshire League title and reached another Championship final at
Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...
. However, on this occasion Wigan proved too strong, winning 20 points to 12. Huddersfield did, however, win the Yorkshire cup with a 16–3 victory over
Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...
at Headingley. On Saturday 17 November 1951, in an ordinary league game, Australian Lionel Cooper scored a club record ten tries, as Huddersfield defeated
Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
48–3 at Fartown. By the end of the 1950s, Huddersfield had won 3 Yorkshire cup finals, in 1950–51, 1952–53 and 1957–58, and the Challenge Cup final, in 1952–53. Huddersfield beat St. Helens 15 – 10 in the 1953 Challenge Cup Final at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
.
Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
beat Huddersfield 16–10 in the 1960
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
County Cup The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final at
Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...
,
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
on 29 October 1960. In the 1961–62 season Huddersfield were beaten by Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge Cup final but then the following week fortunes were reversed and Huddersfield won the Championship play off final at
Odsal Odsal is an area of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Odsal Stadium is the home of Bradford rugby league club. The Richard Dunn Sports Centre is named after the boxer who lived in Bradford at the time of his 1976 bout against Muh ...
. This is the last major trophy the club collected. In 1962, the league was split into East and West of the Pennines; Huddersfield and
Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...
met at Headingley, Leeds in the first final of the Eastern Division Championship on Saturday 10 November 1962. Reigning Champions Huddersfield were favourites to lift the Eastern Division title, especially as Rovers were missing five first choice players with injuries. The Robins, however, set the early pace and were 10–0 up after 30 minutes. Despite a rally by Huddersfield, Rovers hung on to win 13–10.


1970–1995: Decline and revival

By the 1970s, the club had become a shadow of its former self; the old Fartown ground had fallen into disrepair and the club frequently finished in the lower reaches of the league. Local businessman, John Bailey, took a controlling interest in the stadium, the club and the pavilion. In 1984, in an attempt to revive the club, Huddersfield adopted the name 'Barracudas' and Fartown was renamed ''Arena 84''. As the crowds continued to stay away, it became clear that Bailey could not stem the decline. Huddersfield Rugby League Club was on the point of collapse. A new board of directors took over in 1989 and injected some much needed financial resources into the club. The 'Barracudas' and 'Arena 84' names were dropped for the 1988–89 season.
Nigel Stephenson Nigel Stephenson (born 12 October 1950), also known by the nicknames of "Nij", and "Stivvy", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at re ...
was appointed as coach and Huddersfield were helped by several clubs, in particular
Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship (rugby league), Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rover ...
, to put a reasonable squad together. As well as beginning to improve the playing staff, the new owners also carried out a considerable amount of work on the Fartown stadium and by the end of the 1989–90 season significant progress was being made. Average crowds topped 1,500 for the first time since the 1970s. Shortly after the 1991–92 season had begun, Alex Murphy took over as coach in 1991. Huddersfield were the first-ever champions of the newly formed third division in 1991–92. Promotion to the Second Division had been achieved, and there was pride once again in the famous claret and gold jersey. The expense of this achievement cost the club dearly and a new financial crisis arrived. However, along came a bright new consortium who began to shape the future of the club once again. The club left Fartown and moved to Huddersfield Town's home ground at
Leeds Road Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home of ...
in 1992. In 1993 six teams were invited to take part in an inaugural European Clubs Championship, the six teams consisted of two from the USSR; Tiraspol and Moscow Magicians, two from France;
AS Carcassonne Association Sportive of Carcassonne are a semi-professional rugby league football club based in Carcassonne in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie in the south of France. They play in the French Elite One Championship and a ...
and
XIII Catalan XIII Catalan is a rugby league team from Perpignan in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of southern France. They were founded in 1934, and thus were founding members of the French rugby league championship. In 2000 their senior team merged with n ...
and
Batley Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the ...
and Huddersfield. Only weeks before departure the plans collapsed as both Soviet clubs pulled out due to financial difficulties, closely followed by
Batley Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the ...
, Carcassonne who had just five players available due to a players’ strike. This left just Huddersfield and XIII Catalan to meet in the "final" in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
. The lead changed hands three times before Huddersfield held on for a 23–22 victory. Huddersfield were promoted as 3rd Division Champions in April 1993 but the receiver was called in, in May 1994. Huddersfield took a share in the new McAlpine Stadium (now known as
John Smith's Stadium Kirklees Stadium (currently known due to sponsorship as the John Smith's Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of football club Huddersfield Town and rugby league si ...
) in 1994. In March 1994, Huddersfield went into administration and the receivers sacked Murphy as coach. In November 1994, Huddersfield set world records for score and winning margin when they beat Blackpool Gladiators 142–4, although
Barrow Raiders The Barrow Raiders are a semi-professional rugby league team in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The club was formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club. For the 1995–96 and 1996 seasons the club was known as Barrow Braves, becoming the Ba ...
equalled the winning margin a day later by beating
Nottingham City Mansfield Marksman was a rugby league team based at various times in Mansfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Alfreton and ultimately Nottingham. The club changed its name to Nottingham City in 1989, and folded in 1994 a year after exiting the Rugby Foo ...
138–0. These records stood for almost 24 years until
York City Knights The York Knights are the men's professional rugby league team of York RLFC (known as the York City Knights from 2002 to 2022) based in York, England. The Knights played their home games at Huntington Stadium before moving to Bootham Crescent. ...
beat
West Wales Raiders The West Wales Raiders were a semi-professional rugby league club based in Llanelli, Wales. They competed in RFL League 1, League 1, the third tier of the British rugby league system, from 2018 until 2022. The club was founded in 2015 as an ama ...
by 144–0 in April 2018 In 1995 the first team reached the final of the Second Division premiership competition at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
.


1996–1998: Summer era and the first appearance of Giants

In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inaugural
Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
season and changed from a winter to a summer season. As the sport in Britain entered a new era it would be two years before Huddersfield rose again to the top level of the game.
Ken Davy Kenneth Ernest Davy (born 1941) is an English businessman. He is the owner and chairman of the rugby league club Huddersfield Giants and former chairman of football club Huddersfield Town. He was also the Conservative Party candidate for Huddersf ...
took over as chairman of Huddersfield and "Giants" was added to the team name. Steve Ferres took over as coach.
Garry Schofield Garry Edward Schofield OBE (born 1 July 1965) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and is a member of the British Rugby League Hall of Fame. At the time of his retirement he was the most ...
joined Huddersfield for a six-figure sum. Ken Davy's first trophy came in 1997 at Old Trafford, where Huddersfield beat Hull 18–0 in the Divisional Championship at Old Trafford. In 1998, due to the collapse of
Paris St Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
the club was promoted to Super League despite only finishing second in the second division. After helping the Giants into Super League, Schofield took over the coaching reins replacing Steve Ferres with Huddersfield saying that they needed a full-time coaching staff. However, dark days continued, the team struggled to compete, winning only a handful of games.
Garry Schofield Garry Edward Schofield OBE (born 1 July 1965) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and is a member of the British Rugby League Hall of Fame. At the time of his retirement he was the most ...
was removed as Huddersfield Giants' coach after 13 games, having picked up two wins. Schofield was replaced by his assistant
Phil Veivers Phil Veivers (born 25 May 1964) is a former Scotland international rugby league footballer. He played for the Southern Suburbs, St. Helens and Huddersfield as a . He is the brother of Australian international rugby league captain Greg Veivers ...
as caretaker coach. Schofield later successfully sued the club for unfair dismissal. It took Huddersfield's next three coaches more than 13 games to register two wins, with the club so far off the pace in their early Super League years.


1999–2000: Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants

Mal Reilly Malcolm John Reilly OBE (born 19 January 1948) is an English former rugby league player and coach. He played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, ...
then took over with Veivers back as assistant coach. Huddersfield finished bottom of Super League and Reilly was sacked at the end of the season. In late 1999, the club merged with
Sheffield Eagles The Sheffield Eagles are a professional rugby league club that play in the Championship (rugby league), Betfred Championship. The club play their home games at the Olympic Legacy Park (OLP) on the former site of Don Valley Stadium, their forme ...
almost purely for financial reasons. Sheffield coach
John Kear John Kear (born 25 November 1954) is an English professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Widnes Vikings in the Betfred Championship and the Wales national rugby league team. He also works as a pundit for BBC Sport and is a f ...
took over as head coach of the merged side. They were officially known as the Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants, but more popularly as 'Shuddersfield'. The Association of Premiership Clubs blocked proposals for a separate Huddersfield team in the
Northern Ford Premiership The Rugby Football League Championship Second Division was founded in 1902 and was the second tier of professional rugby league in the UK until 2003. During the 1990s a third division was established and there is automatic promotion between ...
. They played two home games in Sheffield at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
with the others in Huddersfield, the away strip was in the Sheffield Eagles colours. In the 2000 season Huddersfield-Sheffield won only four games, three of them against rivals
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
. This arrangement lasted only a season before the Huddersfield name was reverted to, due to rejection from both sets of fans. In the four seasons between 1998 and 2001, they lost 81 times in 99 matches, avoiding relegation for a variety of reasons. John Kear was sacked as coach and Veivers had a second spell as interim coach.


2001–2004: Relegation

Australian Tony Smith was appointed as coach for the 2001 season after a rigorous process. This did not seem to have any effect as the club lost the first 14 matches of the season, culminating in a 78-point embarrassment by
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
. This low point became a pivotal day for the club, however. The club won 6 and drew one of the remaining 14 games, only finishing bottom of the table after Wakefield Trinity's appeal against a 4-point salary cap deduction was successful.
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
won the NFP competition that year and the club was seen to be fit to play in Super League. Huddersfield were finally relegated after their best season in Super League. In 2002 Huddersfield remained a full-time professional team despite playing in the
Northern Ford Premiership The Rugby Football League Championship Second Division was founded in 1902 and was the second tier of professional rugby league in the UK until 2003. During the 1990s a third division was established and there is automatic promotion between ...
. The club went unbeaten for the entire league season, drawing only one match and winning a record equalling 29 games. Along the way the team accumulated 1,156 points to equal the record for points in a league season achieved in 8 more games by
Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...
in 1986. The team won the Buddies Cup, as it was then known, and also the NFP Grand Final against Leigh in October 2002, which secured promotion back to the Super League for the 2003 season. In 2003 under Smith, Huddersfield established themselves as a Super League club, finishing 10th, above
Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
and Halifax. After guiding Huddersfield back to Super League, Smith and assistant coach Brian McDermott moved onto Headingley to take control of
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
. St Helens assistant coach and former Hull forward
Jon Sharp Jon Sharp (born 8 March 1967) was the head coach of Featherstone Rovers from 2015 to 2017. Between 2004 and 2008 he was head coach of the Huddersfield Giants, having been appointed in 2003 when Tony Smith left the club for the Leeds Rhinos. He ...
was appointed head coach for 2004 and the team improved again, finishing 7th in the league and making their first appearance in the Challenge Cup semi-finals since 1971.


2005–2009: Resurgence

The beginning of the 2005 Super League season saw the club make its highest-profile signing in fifty years when Australian centre
Michael De Vere Michael De Vere (born 11 December 1976 in Caringbah, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Australia in four tests and New South Wales in five State of Or ...
signed from
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...
, becoming the club's first Australian international player since
Pat Devery Patrick Charles Devery (9 August 1922 – 17 December 2017) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s, and coached in the 1950s. An Australian international representative half, he played in Austr ...
in the 1950s. For the kick off of the 2006 season the club unveiled a host of new signings to strengthen the squad, including the iconic New Zealand international scrum-half
Robbie Paul Robert Rawiri Hunter-Paul (born 3 February 1976) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. He has since become a business owner and television pundit, runninXtra Mile Marketing an inbound and digital marketing company. Robbie retired fr ...
. After a convincing victory over
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
in the quarter final, the Giants faced
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
(ironically coached by Tony Smith) in the Challenge Cup semi-final at
Odsal Odsal is an area of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Odsal Stadium is the home of Bradford rugby league club. The Richard Dunn Sports Centre is named after the boxer who lived in Bradford at the time of his 1976 bout against Muh ...
, Bradford. Against all the odds, massive underdogs Huddersfield pulled out what is regarded as possibly their best performance of modern times, Stuart Donlan and
Chris Nero Chris Nero (born 14 February 1981) is an Australians, Australian/Italian people, Italian former professional rugby league footballer. He last played in the Super League for Salford Red Devils, Salford City Reds. His usual position was at , alth ...
with 2 tries apiece and
Michael De Vere Michael De Vere (born 11 December 1976 in Caringbah, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Australia in four tests and New South Wales in five State of Or ...
with a try and five goals steering them to a 30–12 victory. Huddersfield lost the 2006 Challenge Cup Final to eventual Super League champions St. Helens 42–12, but the performance heralded the best Huddersfield achievement since 1970. The start of the 2007 season saw Huddersfield make some exciting signings, including
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
trio, Jamahl Lolesi,
John Skandalis John Skandalis (born 16 June 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies and for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells in the Na ...
and
Shane Elford Shane Elford (born 28 December 1977), is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a er and in the 1990s and 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League for Sydney clubs, Penrith and Wests Tigers (with whom ...
, as well as
Ryan Hudson Ryan Lee Hudson (born 20 November 1979), also known by the nicknames of "Raz", and "Hudders", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He played at representative level for Great Britai ...
. The season started horrendously for Huddersfield in terms of results. After seven consecutive losses they found themselves marooned at the foot of the table, 5 points adrift, but ironically with the second best defence in the league. Large sections of the fans began to question the coach's ability and as a result crowds began to dwindle and morale was beginning to suffer. By the end of May, the picture was totally different. Huddersfield had a
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
quarter-final to look forward to and had been on their longest ever winning streak since joining the Super League, nine games including two wins in the Challenge Cup including a 36–12 victory over
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
in front of the Sky Television cameras on 18 May, Huddersfield's first victory over Bradford since joining the top flight. In addition, John Sharp was named consecutively as Coach of the Month for April and May Huddersfield's winning run came to an unexpected end in a shock 14–12 defeat by
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
at
the Willows The Willows may refer to: Places * The Willows, El Paso, Texas, USA * The Willows, Queensland, a town in Australia * The Willows, Salford, home of Salford Rugby League club in Salford, England, UK * The Willows, Saskatoon, a residential community ...
. They had been overwhelming favourites with fans and bookies. Following the 2006 Challenge Cup Final appearance, Giants continued their progress by beating Wakefield Trinity for the 9th consecutive occasion to qualify for the play-offs for the first time and a match against
Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...
at the
KC Stadium The MKM Stadium (also known as the Hull City Stadium due to UEFA sponsorship regulations) is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull, England. The stadium was previously called the KC Stadium, but was renamed the KCOM Stadi ...
, which was lost 22–16. The opening 2 matches in 2008 were lost, to Leeds and to Bradford. However the 3rd match saw Sharp's team beat Castleford 64–12. After a 48–0 loss to
Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons ( French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from ...
and a run of disappointing results, Sharp's contract was terminated by Huddersfield. Following Sharp's departure from the club in 2008,
Kieron Purtill Kieron Purtill was most recently the head coach of the Widnes Vikings in the Betfred Championship before resigning in October 2019 after signing a 1 year contract extension only two months prior. He is the former head coach of both the Canada n ...
had a brief spell as caretaker coach alongside Paul Anderson. Club chairman Ken Davy brought in a new head coach, Nathan Brown, and a new set of new players for the 2009 season. New signing
Brett Hodgson Brett Hodgson (born 12 February 1978) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player during the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative goal-kicking , he played his club football in the NRL ...
went on to win the
Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
Man of Steel award and Huddersfield also picked up awards for ''Club of the Year'' and ''Coach of the Year''. Huddersfield finishing 3rd in the league and managing to reach the final of the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
where they lost 25–16 to league rivals
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
, the team responded to their cup defeat by finishing the season in 3rd place but lost in the play-offs twice. Firstly to St. Helens away from home and then at home to
Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons ( French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from ...
.


2010–present: League leaders

After yet another promising recruitment drive from Huddersfield, they were yet again tipped to make big strides in the
Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
in 2012. This season really proved as a roller-coaster ride for the "Fartown Faithful" who saw their team go from 1st in
Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
to finishing 7th and yet again failing to make an impact on the play-offs. After a poor dip in form
Ken Davy Kenneth Ernest Davy (born 1941) is an English businessman. He is the owner and chairman of the rugby league club Huddersfield Giants and former chairman of football club Huddersfield Town. He was also the Conservative Party candidate for Huddersf ...
decided it was time for change and terminated the contracts of coach Nathan Brown and captain
Kevin Brown Kevin Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Kevin Brown (blues musician) (born 1950), English blues guitarist * Kevin Brown (author) (born 1960), American journalist and translator * Kevin Brown (poet) (born 1970), American poet and teacher * Kevin ...
. Paul Anderson was given the task of finishing the season as best as possible. In 2013, Huddersfield won the
League Leader's Shield The League Leaders' Shield is a shield awarded to the team finishing the season top of Super League in the sport of rugby league football. Currently, and for most of Super League's history, the championship is decided on the basis of a play-off s ...
, the first time they have finished top of the league in 81 years. 5 of the team were selected for the
Super League Dream Team The Super League Dream Team is an annually-selected rugby league All Star Team consisting of the players deemed to have been the best in their respective positions in the Super League competition. The team is selected by a panel of journalists and ...
, more than any other club. In 2014, the club celebrated the 100th anniversary of the "Team of all Talents" who won ''
All Four Cups Winning All Four Cups referred to winning all four competitions available to a British rugby league side in the top division between 1907 and 1970. The cups available to win were the First Division Championship, Challenge Cup, county league (La ...
'' in 1914, by playing in heritage jerseys to commemorate the feat. During the 2016 season, after a run of bad form, the club sacked Anderson as head coach, with Andy Kelly taking charge on an interim basis for a few games. It was later announced that the club had agreed Australian
Rick Stone Rick Stone (born 14 February 1967) is a professional rugby league football coach and former player. He has coached the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, the Sydney Roosters in the NRL ...
to be the replacement. 2017 saw an overall improvement for the Giants as they finished 8th at the end of the regular season. Despite a poor start, plagued by injury, the team saw a more successful finish after the mid-season signings of Jordan Turner and
Jordan Rankin Jordan Rankin (born 17 December 1991) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL. He previously played for the Gold Coast Titans and the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby Leag ...
. Following the Super8s, they remained in 8th. It was announced in September that Giants' prop Sebastine Ikahihifo had achieved a place in the
Super League Dream Team The Super League Dream Team is an annually-selected rugby league All Star Team consisting of the players deemed to have been the best in their respective positions in the Super League competition. The team is selected by a panel of journalists and ...
after a highly impressive performance that season. Following a disappointing start to the 2018 season in which the Giants only won 2 of their opening 7 games, head coach
Rick Stone Rick Stone (born 14 February 1967) is a professional rugby league football coach and former player. He has coached the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, the Sydney Roosters in the NRL ...
was sacked. On an interim basis, former player and academy coach
Chris Thorman Christopher Thorman (born 26 September 1980) is an English rugby league coach is head coach of Newcastle Thunder and a former player. An England international goal-kicking , he previously played in the Engage Super League for Hull F.C. ( Heri ...
was announced as head coach to lead the team over the Easter period. On 29 April 2018, former
Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
and
St. George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...
player
Simon Woolford Simon Woolford (born 7 April 1975) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who was most recently the head coach of the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, and a former professional rugby league footballer. He played in the NRL ...
was announced as the Giants new head coach. Despite being popular with the fans, Woolford left the Giants in September 2020 after being unable to agree a new contract, Luke Robinson took over as interim head coach until the end of season.


2017: Women's Side

In December 2017, it was announced that Huddersfield would be fielding an under 19s girls side for the 2018 season, with the overall aim of producing a competitive Women's Super League team in 2019. Trials were held in January 2018. Only 3 years after forming, the Giants Women won the Super League shield final in October 2021 by beating Featherstone Rovers 24–22 at
Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...
and reached the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
quarter final in 2022 but lost to reigning champions St Helens


Academy/Youth system

Despite not being one of the bigger or successful clubs in Super League, the Giants have a very good academy system, backed by the Supporters Association, who provide volunteers to run and promote the games and raise vital funds, in 2018, the academy team, under head of youth Andy Kelly and head coach Luke Robinson, and nicknamed "Baby Giants" by the supporters, made it to the top 4 grand final play off semi final for the first time. They were joined by Wigan, St Helens and Leeds, however they lost 50–0 to Wigan. Some of that team have now made the step up to first grade level and as of 2022
Jake Wardle Jake Wardle (born 18 November 1998) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Wigan Warriors in the Betfred Super League, and England national rugby league team, England and the England Knights at international ...
, Oliver Russell,
Innes Senior Innes Senior (born 30 May 2000) is an international rugby league footballer who plays as a er and for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League, on a season-long loan from the Huddersfield Giants. He has spent time on loan from Huddersfiel ...
,
Louis Senior Louis Senior (born 30 May 2000) is an international rugby league footballer who plays as a er for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Betfred Super League. He has previously played for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, and spent time on loan ...
, Sam Hewitt,
Jon Luke Kirby Jon Luke Kirby (born 23 September 1998) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or forward for the Midlands Hurricanes in the RFL League 1. He had previously played for the York City Knights. He has spent time on loan from Hu ...
,
Matty English Matthew English (born 14 November 1997) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League and the England Knights at international level. He spent time on loan from Huddersfield ...
,
Oliver Wilson Oliver John Wilson (born 14 September 1980) is an English professional golfer. Wilson was a member of the 2008 Ryder Cup, but had to wait another six years for his first European Tour win, the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Amateur c ...
,
Ronan Michael Ronan Michael (born 3 July 2000) is an Irish professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the York Knights in the Championship and Ireland at international level. He previously played for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, ...
, Dominic Young have all made the step up to first grade rugby. Other graduates from the Giants academy in the recent past include Huddersfield legends
Leroy Cudjoe Leroy Cudjoe (born 7 April 1988) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Huddersfield Giants in the Betfred Super League. A product of the Huddersfield academy system, he also captained Huddersfield as well as ...
, Michael Lawrence and
Jermaine McGillvary Jermaine McGillvary (born 16 May 1988) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays on the for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League. He has played for the England Knights, England and Great Britain at international level. ...
, also,
Kruise Leeming Kruise Leeming (born 7 September 1995) is an England Knights, England Knights international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Leeds Rhinos in the Betfred Super League. He played the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League and on lo ...
,
Jake Connor Jake Connor (born 18 October 1994) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, and and at international level. He has also played as a and in his career. He sta ...
, Darnell McIntosh
Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as ''A Night at the Opera (film), A Night at the Opera'', ''A Day at the Races (fi ...
. As of 2022 there are currently 18 members of the first team squad who have graduated through Huddersfield's own youth system.


2020: New Era

In 2020, the club announced that it had appointed Ian Watson as head coach from
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
starting in the
2021 Super League season Super League XXVI, known as the Betfred Super League XXVI for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the Super League and 127th season of rugby league in Great Britain. The 2021 season was originally scheduled to begin on 11 March 2021, ho ...
. The club had a disappointing year in the
2021 Super League season Super League XXVI, known as the Betfred Super League XXVI for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the Super League and 127th season of rugby league in Great Britain. The 2021 season was originally scheduled to begin on 11 March 2021, ho ...
finishing seventh on the table and missing the finals series. However, Watson repeated his success with
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
when he steered the Giants to the Challenge cup final in May 2022, a comprehensive 25–4 win over
Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...
at
Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...
secured a final place against
Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...
at
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the home of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in north London, replacing the club's previous ground, White Hart Lane. With a seating capacity of 62,850, it is the third-largest football stadium in England and the ...
In the
2021 Super League season Super League XXVI, known as the Betfred Super League XXVI for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the Super League and 127th season of rugby league in Great Britain. The 2021 season was originally scheduled to begin on 11 March 2021, ho ...
, the club endured a difficult campaign finishing 9th on the table. On 28 May 2022, Huddersfield played in the
2022 Challenge Cup Final The 2022 Challenge Cup Final was the 121st final of rugby league's Challenge Cup knock-out competition, which was contested between Huddersfield Giants and Wigan Warriors. It took place on 28 May 2022 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Wigan won ...
against
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
. Huddersfield led Wigan for nearly the entire match until Wigan scored a try with two minutes remaining to win the game 16–14 and deny Huddersfield their first major trophy win in 60 years. Huddersfield would finish the 2022 Super League season in third place on the table. In the elimination play off, Huddersfield suffered a shock 28–0 loss against
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
which ended their season.


Stadia


1878–1992: Fartown Ground

The
Fartown Ground The Fartown Ground or just simply Fartown is a sports ground located in the Huddersfield suburb of Fartown in West Yorkshire, England and is predominantly famous for being the home ground of Huddersfield Rugby League Club from 1878 to 1992. T ...
was originally a cricket ground before being occupied by Huddersfield rugby club in 1878. It hosted two Challenge Cup finals in 1908 and 1910 and hosted one football match. During the 1980s, the stadium fell into disrepair as Huddersfield struggled to attract crowds. Huddersfield left Fartown in 1992, but still used it as a training ground until 2004 and it still hosts amateur games.


1992–1994: Leeds Road

Huddersfield ground shared with
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
at
Leeds Road Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home of ...
from 1992 to 1994.


1994–Present: Kirklees Stadium

In 1994 Huddersfield took a share in the then named
McAlpine Stadium MacAlpine, McAlpine, MacAlpin or McAlpin is a Scottish surname. It may refer to: People * The Scottish House of Alpin * Its claimed descendants, the Siol Alpin and/or Clan McAlpin(e) * Kenneth MacAlpin, founder of said dynasty * His brother and ...
with Huddersfield Town after they both moved from Leeds Road. The stadium has hosted Challenge Cup semi finals on multiple occasions. The venue has a capacity of 24,500 with the Giants attendance record being 15,629 set on 10 February 2008 for match against rivals
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
. The clubs Academy, scholarship and Reserves side currently use the facilites at the Laund Hill complex which is home to Huddersfield YMCA Rugby Union club


Supporters

Despite not having the largest fanbase in super league they have a dedicated and loyal fanbase and a consistent following of around 100–200 dedicated away fans and average 4000+ at a majority of the home games, the fans have been nicknamed "the Cowbell Army" due to the presence of
Cowbells The cowbell is an idiophone hand percussion instrument used in various styles of music, such as Latin and rock. It is named after the similar bell used by herdsmen to keep track of the whereabouts of cows. The instrument initially and traditio ...
amongst the crowd. The Huddersfield Giants Supporters Association (HGSA)are a voluntary group of supporters which aims to raise funds for the academy and scholarship teams, they hosts regular guest speakers evenings, fundraising events and also collect donations for a local food bank charity They also help organise and promote the club's reserves, under 18's Academy and Under 16's Scholarship games and raise valuable funds towards junior development. as well as liaising with the club on behalf of the supporters. In 2019 the group were nominated for an award in the prestigious Huddersfield Community Awards evening for their work in junior and community development.


Kit sponsors and manufacturers


Past coaches

* Joe Withers c. 1927–28 season *
Chris Brockbank Christopher Brockbank (fourth ¼ 1901 – 24 July 1963) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s, and coached in the 1930s through to the 1950s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level ...
1933–35 * Alex Fiddes 19??–?? *
Russell Pepperell George Russell Pepperell (23 April 1918 – 15 January 2003) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and coached in the 1950s and 1960s, and rugby union footballer who played in the 1940s. H ...
19??–?? * Ernie Ashcroft 1958–61 *
Dave Valentine David Donald Valentine (12 September 1926 – 14 August 1976) was a Scottish representative rugby union and Rugby League World Cup, World Cup winning rugby league footballer, a List of dual-code rugby internationals, dual-code rugby internatio ...
19??–?? * Jack Scroby 1970–?? * Ian Brooke 1979–80 *
Maurice Bamford Maurice Bamford (20 April 1936 – 23 May 2019) was an English professional rugby league footballer and coach. He also went on to write several books on rugby league. Early life Bamford was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He ...
1980–81 * Les Sheard 1981–82 *
Brian Lockwood Brian Lockwood (8 October 1946) is an English World Cup winning former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yo ...
1984 * Chris Forster 1985–86 * Jack Addy 1987 *
Neil Whittaker Neil Whittaker (born 10 September 1956) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s for Balmain in the NSWRL competition. Whittaker was also the chief executive officer of the National Rugby L ...
1988 *
Nigel Stephenson Nigel Stephenson (born 12 October 1950), also known by the nicknames of "Nij", and "Stivvy", is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at re ...
1989 *
Barry Seabourne Barry Seabourne (birth registered first ¼ 1947) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, a ...
1990–91 * Alex Murphy 1991–94 * George Fairbairn 1994–96 * Darryl Van De Velde 1996 * Steve Ferres 1997 *
Garry Schofield Garry Edward Schofield OBE (born 1 July 1965) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and is a member of the British Rugby League Hall of Fame. At the time of his retirement he was the most ...
1998 *
Phil Veivers Phil Veivers (born 25 May 1964) is a former Scotland international rugby league footballer. He played for the Southern Suburbs, St. Helens and Huddersfield as a . He is the brother of Australian international rugby league captain Greg Veivers ...
*
Mal Reilly Malcolm John Reilly OBE (born 19 January 1948) is an English former rugby league player and coach. He played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, ...
1999 *
John Kear John Kear (born 25 November 1954) is an English professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Widnes Vikings in the Betfred Championship and the Wales national rugby league team. He also works as a pundit for BBC Sport and is a f ...
1999–2001 *
Phil Veivers Phil Veivers (born 25 May 1964) is a former Scotland international rugby league footballer. He played for the Southern Suburbs, St. Helens and Huddersfield as a . He is the brother of Australian international rugby league captain Greg Veivers ...
2001 * Tony Smith 2001–03 *
Jon Sharp Jon Sharp (born 8 March 1967) was the head coach of Featherstone Rovers from 2015 to 2017. Between 2004 and 2008 he was head coach of the Huddersfield Giants, having been appointed in 2003 when Tony Smith left the club for the Leeds Rhinos. He ...
2003–08 *
Kieron Purtill Kieron Purtill was most recently the head coach of the Widnes Vikings in the Betfred Championship before resigning in October 2019 after signing a 1 year contract extension only two months prior. He is the former head coach of both the Canada n ...
& Paul Anderson 2008 * Nathan Brown 2009–12 * Paul Anderson 2013–16 * Andy Kelly (interim) 2016 *
Chris Thorman Christopher Thorman (born 26 September 1980) is an English rugby league coach is head coach of Newcastle Thunder and a former player. An England international goal-kicking , he previously played in the Engage Super League for Hull F.C. ( Heri ...
(interim) 2016 *
Rick Stone Rick Stone (born 14 February 1967) is a professional rugby league football coach and former player. He has coached the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, the Sydney Roosters in the NRL ...
2016–2018 *
Chris Thorman Christopher Thorman (born 26 September 1980) is an English rugby league coach is head coach of Newcastle Thunder and a former player. An England international goal-kicking , he previously played in the Engage Super League for Hull F.C. ( Heri ...
(interim) 2018 *
Simon Woolford Simon Woolford (born 7 April 1975) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who was most recently the head coach of the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, and a former professional rugby league footballer. He played in the NRL ...
2018–2020 * Luke Robinson (interim) 2020 * Ian Watson 2021–Present


2023 squad


2023 transfers


Gains


Losses


Players


Hall of Fame inductees

Six Huddersfield rugby league players have been inducted into the
Rugby League Hall of Fame The Rugby League Hall of Fame honours the leading players of the sport of rugby league. It was established by the sport's governing body in the UK, the Rugby Football League, in 1988. Players must have been retired for at least five years to be ...
: * Douglas "Doug/Dougie/Duggy" Clark * Neil Fox *
Mick Sullivan Michael Sullivan (12 January 1934 – 5 April 2016), also known by the nickname of "Sully", was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1970s. He set the record fo ...
*
Albert Rosenfeld Albert Aaron Rosenfeld (28 July 1885 – 7 September 1970), also known by the nickname of "Rozzy", was a pioneer Australian rugby league footballer, a national representative whose club career was played in Sydney and in England. He played f ...
*
Harold Wagstaff Harold Wagstaff (9 May 1891 – 19 July 1939), also known by the nickname of "Waggy", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played as a and was nicknamed the ''Prince of Centres''. A ca ...
*
Garry Schofield Garry Edward Schofield OBE (born 1 July 1965) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and is a member of the British Rugby League Hall of Fame. At the time of his retirement he was the most ...
In 2006, Rosenfeld became only the second rugby league player to be inducted into the
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame ( he, יד לאיש הספורט היהודי, translit=Yad Le'ish HaSport HaYehudi) was opened July 7, 1981 in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around ...


Seasons


Men's Honours


League

* Division 1/ Super League: ::Winners (7): 1911–12, 1912–13, 1914–15, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1948–49, 1961–62 :::* League Leaders: ::::Winners (1): 2013 :::* Bottom 14 Championship: ::::Winners (1): 1964–65 * Division 2/ Championship: ::Winners (2): 1974–75, 2002 * Division 3/ League 1: ::Winners (1): 1991–92 *
RFL Yorkshire League The Yorkshire League and the Lancashire League formed two sections of the Rugby Football League Championship for much of its history. Initially, the 22 clubs that broke away in 1895 played in one combined league; however, the following season saw ...
: ::Winners (11): 1911–12, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1919–20, 1921–22, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1951–52


Cup

*
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
: ::Winners (6): 1912–13, 1914–15, 1919–20, 1932–33, 1944–45, 1952–53 *
RFL Yorkshire Cup The RFL Yorkshire Cup is a rugby league county cup competition for teams in Yorkshire. Starting in 1905 the competition ran, with the exception of 1915 to 1918, until the 1992–93 season, when it folded due to fixture congestion. In 2019, th ...
: ::Winners (12): 1909–10, 1911–12, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1918–19, 1919–20, 1926–27, 1931–32, 1938–39, 1950–51. 1952–53, 1957–58 * RFU Yorkshire Cup: ::Winners (1): 1890 *
Championship Cup The Championship Cup, (known as the Northern Rail Cup for sponsorship reasons), and previously known as the National League Cup, was a rugby league football competition for clubs in the United Kingdom's Rugby League Championships. Although the F ...
: ::Winners (1): 2002


Women's Honours

*
RFL Women's Super League The Rugby Football League Women's Super League (known as the Betfred Women's Super League due to sponsorship) is the elite women's rugby league club competition in England. Originally competed between four teams in the 2017 season, the league has ...
Shield: ::Winners (1): 2021


Records (Men)


Player records

*Most tries in a match: 10 by Lionel Cooper vs
Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
, 17 November 1951 *Most goals in a match: 18 by
Major Holland Major Holland (29 October 1887 – 24 August 1953) was an English rugby league footballer of the early 20th century. Born in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, Holland played at for Huddersfield between 1909 and 1921 and, subsequently, ...
vs Swinton Park, 28 February 1914 *Most points in a match: 39 by Major Holland vs Swinton Park, 28 February 1914 *Most tries in a season: 80 by
Albert Rosenfeld Albert Aaron Rosenfeld (28 July 1885 – 7 September 1970), also known by the nickname of "Rozzy", was a pioneer Australian rugby league footballer, a national representative whose club career was played in Sydney and in England. He played f ...
, 1913–14 *Most goals in a season: 148 by
Danny Brough Danny Brough (born 15 January 1983) is a Scottish former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or . Brough started his professional career in 2002 with Dewsbury Rams in the second tier before moving to York City Knights a year ...
, 2013 *Most points in a season: 332 by
Danny Brough Danny Brough (born 15 January 1983) is a Scottish former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or . Brough started his professional career in 2002 with Dewsbury Rams in the second tier before moving to York City Knights a year ...
, 2013


Team records

*Highest score: 142–4 vs Blackpool Gladiators, 26 November 1994 *Highest attendance: 32,912 vs
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
, League, at Fartown, 4 March 1950 *Highest attendance (neutral game): 35,136 Leeds vs
Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...
, RL Challenge Cup Semi-Final, at Fartown, 19 April 1947 *Most consecutive wins in Super League: 8 Games (2013). *Highest attendance vs an international touring team: 26,017 vs
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, ( 1948–49
Kangaroo Tour Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France, tours to New Zealand and the one-off tour to Papua New Guinea (1991). The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours to ...
)


All-time records

*Most tries by any player in a season: 80 by
Albert Rosenfeld Albert Aaron Rosenfeld (28 July 1885 – 7 September 1970), also known by the nickname of "Rozzy", was a pioneer Australian rugby league footballer, a national representative whose club career was played in Sydney and in England. He played f ...
, 1913–14 *Most tries by a centre in a season: 52 by Greg Austin, 1994–95 *Most tries by a centre in a game: 9 by Greg Austin, vs Blackpool Gladiators, 26 November 1994 *Highest score: 142–4 vs Blackpool Gladiators, as above *Highest winning margin: 138 vs Blackpool Gladiators, as above *Longest unbeaten run: 43 matches, 1914–1919 *Unbeaten in a season: 28 games (27 wins, 1 draw), 2001–02 *Most points scored in a season: 1,156, 2001–2002


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huddersfield Giants 1895 establishments in England Founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union Rugby clubs established in 1895 Super League teams English rugby league teams Sports clubs in Huddersfield