West Hull A.R.L.F.C. is an amateur

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 11 ...

football club from

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...

, currently playing in the

National Conference League Premier Division The National Conference League Premier Division (known as the Kingstone Press NCL Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) is the top British amateur rugby league competition in the Rugby Football League pyramid, and as such is the leading amateur ...

. The team plays their home matches at West Hull Community Park and their strip colours are green and gold.

History

The club was formed in 1961 as Birds Eye A.R.L.F.C., named after the local factory where most of the players came from. Following the formation of the

British Amateur Rugby League Association The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) is an association for social and recreational rugby league. It works jointly with the Rugby Football League through the RFL Community Board. History BARLA was created in 1973 in Huddersfiel ...

in 1971, the club was renamed to West Hull A.R.L.F.C. In the 1973–74 season, the club won the inaugural BARLA Yorkshire Cup competition, defeating Illingworth in the final. In 1976–77, under the name Cawoods, they won the

BARLA National Cup The BARLA National Cup is a knock-out competition for amateur rugby league clubs in Great Britain. It is administered by the British Amateur Rugby League Association The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) is an association for soci ...

for the first time with a 10–3 win against National Dock Labour Board (now known as

Hull Dockers Hull Dockers ARLFC is an amateur rugby league team from Kingston upon Hull, with teams ranging form U4 (diddy dockers) to open age playing in the National Conference League. They currently play their home matches at The Willows, Holderness Road ...

). The following season, they became the first amateur team since 1909 to defeat a professional side when they won 9–8 against Halifax in the first round of the Players No. 6 Trophy. In 1986, the club was one of ten founder members of the

BARLA The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) is an association for social and recreational rugby league. It works jointly with the Rugby Football League through the RFL Community Board. History BARLA was created in 1973 in Huddersfiel ...

National Amateur League (now known as the

National Conference League The National Conference League (known as the Kingstone Press National Conference League for sponsorship reasons) is the top English amateur rugby league competition in the Rugby Football League pyramid, and as such is the leading amateur rugby l ...

). The club won the National League championship for the first time in the 1988–89 season. In 1996, West Hull reached the fifth round of the Challenge Cup, becoming the first amateur club to defeat professional opposition twice in the same year. The team won 35–20 in the third round tie against Highfield, followed by a 10–6 win in the next round against

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in blizzard conditions at The Boulevard. The club went on to dominate the game at amateur level over the next few years, winning five

championships between 1997 and 2002. In 2005, the club was relegated from the NCL Premier Division, but returned to the top flight a year later after finishing the 2005–06 season as champions of Division One.

Honours

** Winners (9): 1988–89, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2013, 2014, 2020 *

Division One The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

** Winners (2): 1991–92, 2005–06 *

** Winners (3): 1976–77, 1994–95, 2001–02 * BARLA Yorkshire Cup ** Winners (5): 1973–74, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89

References

External links

West Hull ARLFC on NCL website
{{Sport in Hull Sport in Kingston upon Hull BARLA teams Rugby league teams in the East Riding of Yorkshire Rugby clubs established in 1961 1961 establishments in England English rugby league teams