Built in 1886, and located in

Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the Athletic Ground is a rugby ground, managed by Richmond Athletic Association, home to

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men's English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when Eng ...

side London Scottish and

National League 1 National One, up until 2023 known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Lea ...

side

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. The first team pitch has a stand capable of seating around 1,000 people, though in the past temporary stands have been erected in the considerable space around the pitch to boost the seated capacity. Lower league side, Old Tonbridgians RFC, also play home games at the Athletic Ground. As well as rugby, a small football team by the name of Mortlake FC play at this ground. The original facilities include six other pitches and two bars which are available for hire, a canteen, changing rooms, a physio room, a shop and offices. Part of

Old Deer Park Old Deer Park is an area of open space within Richmond, London, Richmond, owned by the Crown Estate, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It covers of which are leased as sports grounds for sports, particularly rugby, gol ...

, a huge continuous leisure area, the Athletic Ground was bordered by the Pools on the Park leisure centre,

Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club The Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club is a private Country club, golf club and golf course comprising two 18-hole courses located in Old Deer Park in Richmond, London, Richmond, south west London. Location The course lies in an arc of Crown Estate l ...

, and health centre, and also a driving range. Three pitches have been marked out on the driving range which closed down in the 1990s as did Richmond Bowls Club which is now used as a play area for neighbouring Falcons School. The Athletic Ground is also host to the National Surveyor 7s, Lloyds Insurance 7s, Neptune City 7s, Law Society 7s, Middlesex Club 7s, NABs Media 7s and Rugby Rocks. The complex has considerable parking facilities for its size, and is often used as a stop-off for fans on their way to

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium (; usually known as Twickenham, and for sponsorship purposes known as the Allianz Stadium Twickenham) is a rugby union stadium in Twickenham, London, England. It is owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the English rugby u ...

. Rugby Union club London Scottish announced they would leave the Athletic Ground after 127 years following the 2020–21 season. However as Scottish 1st XV would not participate in the Championship season and there would be no community leagues in 2020–21 they would not play at the Athletic Ground in 2020–21. It was later confirmed they would remain at the Athletic Ground. In February 2021 it was confirmed that

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

side

London Broncos The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, England. They play their home games at Plough Lane and currently compete in the RFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of British rugby le ...

would move their academy to the Athletic Ground for three seasons from 2021.

International rugby union

England played ten Test matches at the Athletic Ground between 1891 and 1909. In five of those matches against Scotland (listed below), England failed to win:

Football

In the

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

code

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

enjoyed more success against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, playing one match here in 1893 as part of the 1893 British Home Championship and winning 5-2. The

FA Amateur Cup The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status. History Following the legalisation of professionalism within footb ...

final was also played here in 1894, with

Old Carthusians F.C. Old Carthusians Football Club is an association football club whose players are former pupils of Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1876 and won the FA Cup in 1881 FA Cup Final, 1881, as well as the F ...

beating Casuals F.C. 2–1.

References

External links

Richmond Athletic Association
{{LB Richmond Rugby union stadiums in London London Scottish F.C. Richmond, London Sport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Sports venues completed in 1886 1886 establishments in England Rugby union stadiums in England