History

Some pictures of bygone times click a number to see images

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Dumfries Saints Rugby Football Club

Dumfries Rugby Football Club has been in existence for over 100 years. We are currently working on increasing the historical content of the web site so any pictures or news articles would be welcome. Please contact Hamish McGhie or Andy Ferguson if you would like to contribute.To whet your appetite a profile of the Club was featured in the August 1991 edition of Scottish Rugby magazine.  We have split the the article into three pdf files for easier downloading . Please click the relevant section to view. Page 1 Page 2  Page 3

We have recently adopted the name of Dumfries Saints to reflect the link to Saint Michael and the town crest which has always been used by the club. The club reached a high in the early 90’s when it was promoted to National Division 3. Unfortunately it fell upon hard times and by season 2002-03 only just survived in the lowest national league.

The club decided that it was not ready to fold and set about re-establishing itself as a serious rugby club. The efforts of a small committee of volunteers and young squad of players, largely developed through the clubs mini and junior sections, have reaped significant rewards with the success of the last four seasons.

Dumfries Saints now run three adult sides including an under 18s team,. We also run teams, including some for girls, at every age group from Primary 4 up to Under 17s . This involves a total of over 175 active players of all ages and a large group of qualified volunteer coaches.

Please follow the link to view the current league position of our two senior teams. For the  1st XV please click here and for the second XV click here.     For directions to the club please click here

At senior level the last four seasons have resulted in four consecutive championship wins and a promotion with the club having climbed from National 5B to National 1. Whilst doing so they have also enjoyed significant cup success, defeating teams from several divisions above them on numerous occasions including Premiership sides. This has been achieved with a largely home grown squad of young players, the average age is less than 23 years old. During this period the club has also enjoyed district success at Under 18, Under 16 and Under 15 levels.

In the season 2006-07 all club sides either won their respective leagues or achieved promotion in second place, this included the First XV, Second XV, Under 18s, Under 16s and Under 15s. In October 2006 it was awarded the SRU Club of the Month title and in May 2007 it received the SRU Club of the Year trophy, these awards reflect on all the club’s activities from Primary 6 upwards and on the work of all those involved with the club. In 2007-08 both the first and second XV achieved promotion whilst the Under 18s again won the regional league.

Dumfries Saints hope to continue to rise through the ranks of Scottish rugby, and perhaps one day reach the Premiership. It is however an amateur club and will remain so. The club has initiated a development plan which will incorporate a youth academy, it is hoped this will ensure more young people play rugby and more young adults remain active in sports.

In April 2007 the club recruited its first full time Club Development Officer, in partnership with the SRU and the Dumfries and Galloway Council. Already it has raised the profile of the game and the club in local schools and in the community. In August 2007 it also enrolled its first youngster on the SRU SVQ Sports Development programme. The club now has a full time CDO and two SVQ assistants, it is hoped that the club is now equipped to pursue its development plan and increase the number of people of all ages active in the sport.

The club is keen to continue to develop its coaching capacity, to offer opportunities for more young people to experience rugby and to increase the use of its facilities by other community sports clubs and organisations. If it can continue to be successful whilst achieving these wider goals then Dumfries will have a rugby club it can be proud of.