Topic summary
Gloucester Rugby
(Kingsholm Stadium)
29 October 2005
(Franklin's Gardens)
14 May 2024
Gloucester Rugby, commonly referred to as Gloucester, are a professional men's rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in the Gallagher PREM, England's top division of men's rugby union.
Nicknamed the cherry and whites, the club was founded in 1873 as Gloucester Football Club and since 1891 has played its home matches at Kingsholm Stadium in the north of the city, also in 1891 the club became a registered company as The Gloucester Football and Athletic Ground Company Limited. In the 2025–26 Premiership Rugby season, Gloucester finished 8th which earned them a space in the 2026–27 European Rugby Champions Cup. The current head coach is George Skivington who took the role in the summer of 2020, Chris Boyd is the clubs technical director having taken the role in March 2026.
Gloucester have won 8 major titles; four RFU Knockout Cup's in 1971–72, 1977–78, 1981–82 and 2002–03, one Anglo-Welsh Cup win in 2010–11, and one Premiership Rugby Cup win in 2023–24. The Premiership Rugby Cup win in 2024 meant they became the first club to win all three iterations of the English domestic cup competition. Outside of England, Gloucester has also seen success in Europe's second-tier completion having won the EPCR Challenge Cup twice: in 2005–06 and 2014–15. Despite never winning a league title, Gloucester have finished runners-up on four occasions; 1988–89, 1989–90, 2002–03, and most recently in 2006–07.
Although having no official nickname, the club is often referred to as the Cherry and Whites by supporters and the media in reference to the cherry and white hooped shirts worn by the team. Matches with local rivals Bath and Bristol Bears are referred to as West Country derbies.