WRFC History

History 2005-2022

Washington RFC was formed in 2005 by a small group of players from the disbanded Durham Constabulary RFC. They put in a lot of hard work, finding a location to play and recruiting players from the Washington area.

The club started out in 2005-2006, playing simply friendly games in the inaugural season of the Durham Junior League winning only two games all season and finishing second from bottom.

A change in coaching setup in 2006-2007 saw Washington finish runners up behind Sunderland III. The same season saw Washington field a second team and the beginning of an Under 15s team ran by Dave Kennedy.

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The club continued to progress the following 2007-2008 season and were sitting pretty at the top of the league when the departure of the head coach meant they ended up finishing midtable. They got back on track in 2008-2009 by ending up again as runners up, this time to Durham City III.

For the 2009-2010 season, the club took the big step of applying for a place in the RFU leagues and took their place in Durham and Northumberland Div 3. It proved to be a tough season, winning 2 games and finishing bottom of the league.

The club continued to be part of Durham and Northumberland Div 3, with the club improving on their previous finish. During which time, Washington RFC made the Durham County Cup final, losing to Newton Aycliffe at Durham City RFC's ground.

Between 2016-2022, Washington RFC played a number of seasons of social rugby with the intent of promoting the union code to the local community. The club was led during some very difficult periods for both the club and the nation (COVID-19 pandemic) by Dr Oliver Clewes who ensured Washington RFC did not suffer the same fate as other local clubs within the region when member numbers dropped. There were some high points - the club moved into their new home 'Washington Hub' - a state-of-the-art 4G facility which offered new training and matchday experiences.

Moving into 2022/2023 season, Washington RFC are continuing to play social based rugby. Playing from the Washington Hub, a new sport facility within the community they are expanding their offer to the local community with a number of ex-Washington players/committee members joining Dr Clewes in a 'reset' of the club. Washington RFC won the "Friday Night League" this season, making full use of the facilities on offer to ensure rugby was accessible and offered to all.

In 2024/2025 season, the club played in CANDY North 3 - the first league entry for the club in a number of years. The season was a remarkable success - more players coming to the club led to the formation of the 'Washington Pirates' 2XV - named after beloved all around club legend - Phil "Pirate" White. Success continued with the club finishing 2nd in the league and reaching a County Cup final against Billingham 3TM - an achievement not seen in over a decade.

We are excited to continue to update this page with even more club history!