| File:Knight | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | York City Knights Rugby League Club |
| Colours | White, navy blue and light blue |
| Founded | 2003/1868 |
| Website | www.yorkcityknights.co.uk |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) | |
| Competition | National League Two |
York City Knights are a British rugby league team hailing from York. They play at the Huntington Stadium, situated to the north of York city centre.
York Football Club was formed in 1868, for the first few seasons they had portable goal posts as they did not have their own ground and would play wherever they could find a pitch. Eventually a permanent pitch was secured on Knavesmire.
It took three years for the club to record their first victory - and that was in a soccer match against York Training College. Results picked up in the mid 1870s as the club attracted a higher standard of player. In 1877, York were among several leading Yorkshire clubs who inaugurated the Yorkshire Challenge Cup. In the first season 16 teams battled it out for the T'owd Tin Pot, with York eventually losing out to Halifax in the final.
Financial problems in the early 1880s forced the club out of the Yorkshire Gentlemen's Ground in Wigginton Road and in 1883 the club amalgamated with York Melbourne Club.
After playing on Poad's Fields for a short time, the York Lunatic Asylum leased the club a plot of land at the end of the Clarence Street in 1885. The first game at the new site was between a York XV and 20 players from the city.
The club made great strides with the team of 1895, which won virtually all their home matches. Off the field the club paid £85 for the Waterman's Mission Hut in Fishergate and converted it into their first grandstand, incorporating dressing rooms.
There were also changes on a wider scale as northern teams broke away from the Rugby Football Union to form their own Northern Union. York initially stayed with the Rugby Football Union but as the better clubs began to join the new order, it became a financial necessity to follow suit. The decision to join the Northern Union was taken at a meeting at the Bar Hotel, Micklegate, on Monday, April 25, 1898 and five days later they played their first Northern Union match against Hull KR.
York Wasps were first admitted to the Rugby Football League in 1901. In 1902/3 The Lancashire and Yorkshire leagues were combined to form a second division. York was one of the new teams to join the second division. After World War I, they became known as the Dreadnoughts.
York's best moment came in 1931 when they reached the Challenge Cup Final, only to be beaten 22-8 by Halifax.
10 Feb 1934, the York's record attendance was set when 14,689 turned up to watch a Challenge Cup match against Swinton. In 1933/34 York beat Hull Kingston Rovers 10-4 in the Yorkshire Cup final.
In 1989 York left their ground at Clarence Street in the centre of York and relocated to the Huntington Stadium (originally Ryedale Stadium) two miles to the north of the city at Monk's Cross. As the stadium was financed by Ryedale District Council the club became known as Ryedale-York.
Huntington / Ryedale Stadium's record attendance for a rugby league match was set on 5 Jan 1990 when 4,977 turned up to watch a division two match against Halifax (Division 2).
In 1991, York and Fulham (now Harlequins Rugby League) toured Russia. An act that caused many Russian rugby union clubs to switch to rugby league.
Following the move to summer rugby in 1996, the club was renamed York Wasps.
On 19 March 2002, after completing 11 games York Wasps announced that they had folded. After a last-ditch take-over deal to save the Wasps collapses, the RFL accept the club’s resignation on 26 March.
A supporters’ trust working party was formed on 27 March and applied to the RFL to continue the 2002 Northern Ford Premiership fixtures. After hearing it would be impossible to meet requirements to return that season, on 5 May fans backed new proposals for a new club to apply for admittance to the league for 2003.
The RFL accepted York's bid to play in the newly-formed National League Two if they have £75,000 in the bank by August 31. York RL decide best way to raise cash is through a fans’ membership scheme. Former Great Britain star Paul Broadbent revealed as prospective player-coach. With the total standing at £70,000, John Smith’s brewery come in with £5,000 as the club hit the target just hours before the deadline.
The full name of the new club is revealed to be York City Knights RLFC, following a competition in the Evening Press. John Guildford, majority shareholder of York building firm Guildford Construction, was revealed to be the majority shareholder. Official fixture list hands Knights a home match on first day of the 2003 season, against Hull KR in the National League Cup on January 19.
As well as gaining promotion to National League One, 2005 saw the club reach the fifth round of the Powergen Challenge Cup, as well as having the highest crowd average for National League Two teams, of 1,986. Yorks's game against Hunslet on the 25th of May 2005 drew a crowd of 3,224 which is still a record for National League two.
Despite a good late run of form, York were relegated back to League Two in 2006. However, it is to be hoped that their squad can be retained and a challenge for promotion back to League One can be produced.
Goals: 11 by Danny Brough at London Skolars, 20 July 2003 (Goals: all time York RL record: 13 by Jamie Benn v Oldham 29 Aug 1999). Tries: 5 by Mark Cain at home to Workington Town, 3 October 2004 (Tries: all time York RL record: 7 by Brad Davis v Highfield 17 Sep 1995) Points: 28 by Danny Brough at home to Dewsbury Rams, 22 August 2004 - 3 tries and 8 goals (Points: all time York RL record: 30 by Jamie Benn v Oldham 29 Aug 1999 - 1 try and 13 goals)
Goals: 178 (174 goals and 4 drop goals) by Danny Brough, 2004 Tries: 25 by Peter Fox, 2005 (Tries: all time York RL record: 35 by John Crossley, 1980-81) Points:412 by Danny Brough, 2004
74-12 at home to Dewsbury Rams, 24 April 2005 (all time York RL record: 84-0 at Nottingham C., 4 Oct 1992)
74-12 at home to Dewsbury Rams, 24 April 2005 (all time York RL record: 84-0 at Nottingham C., 4 Oct 1992)
62-0 at St Helens, Powergen Challenge Cup, 6 May 2005 (all time York RL record: 98-0 at Rochdale Hornets, 8 April 2001)
62-0 at St Helens, Powergen Challenge Cup, 6 May 2005 (all time York RL record: 98-0 at Rochdale Hornets, 8 April 2001)
3,509 v Leeds Rhinos, Friendly, 3 January 2005 (at Bootham Crescent) 3,224 v Hunslet Hawks, NL2, 22 May 2005 3,105 v Hull KR, ATC, 19 January 2003 (all time York RL record - Clarence Street: 14,689 v Swinton (Challenge Cup), 10 Feb 1934. (all time York RL record - Huntington Stadium: 4,977 v Halifax (Division 2), 5 Jan 1990 - Then Ryedale Stadium.
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