Grassroots rugby isn’t just about the game. It’s about people. It’s about a sense of belonging, about creating a space where anyone can show up, throw a ball around, share a laugh, and feel like part of something bigger. Skipton RFC embodies that as well as anyone. The club is a Yorkshire institution that has stood proudly for 150 years — and continues to serve as a cornerstone of its community. The club provides a safe, inclusive, friendly, and family oriented space for the community. 

A Club With Deep Roots

Founded in 1874, Skipton RFC is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world. Over the past century and a half, generations of players have come and gone, but one thing has never changed — the club’s commitment to community.

From the first men who took the field against Ilkley to today’s thriving mix of senior men, women, juniors, and minis, Skipton has always been about more than wins and losses. As Chairman Olivia Bell puts it:

“The club has so much to offer — a place for men, women, and children to throw a ball around, make friends for life, and enjoy a fantastic sport.”

That sense of belonging goes well beyond the pitch. Their facility isn’t just a rugby venue; it’s a home for the town. Weddings, dementia support groups, coffee mornings for retired players, and even meetings for local men’s mental health charities all find a place there. “The space can be used for pretty much anything,” Olivia says proudly — and it often is.

More Than a Rugby Club

Skipton RFC stands as proof of what grassroots sport can do when a community comes together. Like most grassroots clubs it’s powered by volunteers. People who give their time, energy, and love to keep the dream alive.

“Without each volunteer at our club it wouldn’t survive,” Olivia says. “We have volunteers mowing the pitches, picking up rubbish after games, cleaning changing rooms after local schools use the facilities — all those behind-the-scenes things that make a club flow.”

It’s a familiar story across grassroots rugby, but one that deserves to be celebrated at every opportunity. These small acts of service, done out of love for the game and the people around it, are what make rugby so special. 

Why They’re Asking for Help

Like many grassroots clubs, Skipton RFC faces a challenge familiar to so many community organizations: ageing facilities that desperately need investment. The clubhouse, kitchen, spectator stands, and interior/exterior paintwork are in urgent need of attention. 

Volunteer run clubs are expert at making use of limited resources and extending budgets. Skipton RFC has done everything it can through membership dues, sponsorships, bar sales, and fundraising events. However, some projects require a larger investment and that is the crux that the club faces.

Now, after decades of patching things together and making the most of what they have, Skipton RFC is asking its community for help. The club has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for long-overdue repairs and improvements to its facilities — including refurbishing the kitchen, refreshing the clubhouse, and repairing the pitch-side stands.

“It was the right time to launch the campaign after a change in committee members and exhausting all other options,” Olivia explains. “It felt like the right time to reach out to our community for help.”

These aren’t vanity projects. They’re about keeping the club alive and making it even more welcoming — not just for players, but for everyone in Skipton.

“A lick of paint, new carpets and lighting would make our club so much more inviting for more functions,” Olivia says. “We really want the investment to make our clubhouse and spaces more appealing for the community to use.”

A Vision for the Future

Skipton RFC’s crowdfunding effort isn’t just about fixing things — it’s about building for the next 150 years. The goal is to create a space that future generations will be proud of and inspired to maintain.

“We hope this campaign will allow us to make repairs and renovations that make the clubhouse a space for people to be proud of,” says Olivia. “If we can get it to a place people want to be, then it’ll give them the drive to keep it that way and put their own mark on it in future years.”

That’s the real legacy of grassroots rugby: giving people something to care for and to pass on. Skipton RFC continues to plant seeds for trees that they’ll never see fully grown, while tending to the seeds sown over the 150 years of club history. 

Every Pound Makes a Difference

Like so many community clubs, Skipton isn’t asking for much — just for people to believe in what they’re doing.

“The population of Skipton is about 15,000 people,” Olivia says. “If everyone was kind enough to donate just £1, it would give us so much to work with. People may think that a small donation won’t make a difference, but it really does. We have people in the trades willing to help; we just need assistance with materials to cover costs. So please, give what you can.”

In the end, this campaign isn’t just about new carpets or a fresh coat of paint. It’s about pride. It’s about community. It’s about keeping a space alive where people can come together, play rugby, make friends, and feel at home — just as they have for a century and a half.

Because at Skipton RFC, “All Skipton Are We” isn’t just a motto. It’s a way of life.

Final Thoughts and a Challenge

World Rugby has 134 national member federations and more than 8 million people playing worldwide. Beyond that there are more than 500 million fans of the sport. The strength in rugby is its community. There is nothing like it. I know for a fact that there are a lot of generous and loving members of that community out there. With thousands upon thousands of clubs across the world, we have strength in numbers. A club in need is a call to all of us in Clubland. Even the smallest donation, replicated hundreds of times, can make a massive difference. 

We have the ability to lift each other up without impacting any single, one club’s budget negatively. 

I challenge Clubland to step up whenever the opportunity arises. This time it is Skipton, the next time it could be your own club. Pay it forward. Even if it comes in small increments. Follow the link to their Crowdfunding Campaign, drop them a small donation and a kind message of support with the name of your club and where you are from.  

There is just about two weeks left in the club’s crowdfunding campaign and they are short of their goal. If you can’t donate, the next best thing is to share it with others with the same call to action. Every little bit matters. 

This is our chance to rally for a club that has spent 150 years rallying for others.