The Fans

History

Bristol Rugby (or Bristol Football Club as it was formerly known) was formed in 1888 and over the years some of the greatest names in the game have played for the Club from Len Corbett, Sam Tucker, Jack Gregory, John Pullin and Alan Morley through to Jason Little and Agustin Pichot in recent years.

Bristol Football Club was formed in 1888 when the ambitious Carlton Club invited its rival clubs Redland Park and Westbury Park to join in forming a representative city team. The word rugby is a very recent addition to the name.

After the war a Bristol United side was formed to provide rugby for returning servicemen and this led to the rebirth of Bristol in 1919. The County Ground was no longer available for home games so the Club rented a field at Radnor Road, Horfield although occasional matches were staged at the Bristol City and Bristol Rovers grounds. Radnor Road was only ever going to be a temporary home and in 1921 the Memorial Ground was opened.

This venue, dedicated as a memorial to local rugby players who fell in the war, has been the Club's home ever since. Over the next seventy years, Bristol twice recovered from the brink of extinction in the professional era, relegated to the then named Nation League Division One in 1998, 2004 and 2009. After the disappointment of losing to Exeter Chiefs at the end of the 2009/10 season,

Bristol enter their second season in the Championship, always aiming to return to the Premiership in the future and compete again in top flight rugby.

Click on one of the date periods below to read more about what happened to Bristol Rugby during that time: