Kelvinside Academicals is a former

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 it ...

team that played their home games at Balgray Playing Fields,

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. The team was founded in 1888 by former pupils of the

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 ...

. The team no longer exists. In 1982 it merged with Glasgow HSFP - the rugby team of another school; the

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 ...

- to form a rugby club called

Glasgow High Kelvinside Glasgow High Kelvinside , often abbreviated to GHK, is an amateur rugby union club in Glasgow, Scotland. They currently play in Scottish National League Division One. History Glasgow High Kelvinside was formed in 1982 by the merger of Kelvin ...

. In 1997, the 1st XV of Glasgow High Kelvinside merged with the 1st XV of

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 ...

to form

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 ...

. Both GHK and Academicals survived the merger as individual clubs and now compete in SRU National League 2 - 2 divisions below Hawks. In 2018 Glasgow Hawks relocated to Balgray from Old Anniesland to play their games there in the Tennent's Premiership as part of a new partnership with Kelvinside Academy. Hawks now train at Craigholme School's Sports Complex in Pollok Park.

History

Founded in 1888, Kelvinside Academy Former Pupils formed a rugby club. Throughout the 1890s they were noted for a fast open style of play. The club played at various locations in the Anniesland area until the early years of the Twentieth Century. For a short period after the Second World War, Kelvinside Academicals joined with West of Scotland to form a new club

Kelvinside-West Kelvinside-West is a former rugby union team that played their home games at Balgray Playing Fields, Glasgow, Scotland. Kelvinside-West was a short-lived rugby union club based on the merger of Kelvinside Academicals and West of Scotland. Hi ...

Sevens tournament

Kelvinside Academicals first hosted a rugby sevens tournament in 1922. It was re-started in 1974 playing for the Minerva Cup. The Kelvinside Academicals Sevens ended when the club merged with Glasgow HSFP.

Past winners

Notable former players

Scotland internationalists

The following former Kelvinside Accies players have represented

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

at full international level.

Glasgow District

The following former Kelvinside Accies players have represented Glasgow District at provincial level.

Honours

* Bearsden Sevens ** Champions: 1976, 1982 * Cambuslang Sevens ** Champions: 1978 * Kilmarnock Sevens ** Champions: 1933 * Stirling Sevens ** Champions: 1965 * Cartha Sevens ** Champions: 1972, 1973

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelvinside Academicals RFC Rugby clubs established in 1888 Rugby union in Glasgow Scottish rugby union teams Defunct Scottish rugby union clubs Rugby union clubs disestablished in 1982 1888 establishments in Scotland 1982 disestablishments in Scotland