GHK
Full nameGlasgow High / Kelvinside Rugby Football Club
UnionScottish Rugby Union
Nickname(s)GHK
Founded1982 (1982)
LocationGlasgow, Scotland
Ground(s)Old Anniesland
League(s)Scottish National League Division One
2021–22Scottish National League Division Two, 1st of 12
Team kit
Official website
ghkrfc.com

Glasgow High Kelvinside , often abbreviated to GHK, is an amateur rugby union club in Glasgow, Scotland. They currently play in Scottish National League Division One.

History

Glasgow High Kelvinside was formed in 1982 by the merger of Kelvinside Academy and High School of Glasgow rugby clubs; Kelvinside Academicals and Glasgow HSFP.[1] Both Glasgow High FP and Kelvinside Accies were struggling clubs at the time: Glasgow High in the Third Division; Kelvinside Academicals in the Fifth Division.[2]

Impact of professionalism

When professionalism was finally allowed by the International Rugby Football Board in 1995, Scotland took a while to adapt. The SRU decided to make Scotland's four district teams professional in 1996. Glasgow's district team became the professional rugby union team now known as Glasgow Warriors.

However it was recognised that the amateur Glasgow clubs might provide a better pathway to professionalism for their players if some of the amateur Glasgow area clubs merged.[3][4] The clubs considered for merger were Glasgow High Kelvinside, Glasgow Academicals and West of Scotland. Taking an initial letter each from High, Academicals, West and Kelvinside it was proposed the new side would be called the Glasgow Hawks.[5]

The Milngavie-based club West of Scotland pulled out of the planned merger. Nevertheless, Glasgow Academicals and Glasgow High Kelvinside did merge in 1997. The name Hawks was kept for the merged team.[5]

Glasgow Hawks

The merger of the two sides was not without its detractors and a few on each side of the GHK - Academical fence were concerned about losing their history in the new side. Glasgow Academicals continued as a league side the following year in 1998 but they had to start again at the bottom rung of the league structure.

Glasgow High Kelvinside reborn

Following the Academicals example of starting again, Glasgow High Kelvinside also started again in the bottom rung of the league structure.[6] However they remain associated with the Glasgow Hawks.[7]

In June 2014, former Glasgow Warriors and GHK player Cameron Little was announced as the head coach at the club for the 2015–16 season.[8] The club won promotion to Scottish National League Division Three after winning all 18 league matches in the 2014–15 season.[9] It followed that up by winning the Scottish National League Division Three title in the 2015–16 season and gaining promotion to the Scottish National League Division Two in the 2016–17 season. In 2020 Peter Wright "The Teapot" was named as head coach. In the 2021/2022 season, they won promotion to Scottish National League Division One.

Sevens

The club once ran the Glasgow High Kelvinside Sevens tournament. Kelvinside Academicals had a history with Sevens - running their own tournament in 1922 and then from 1974 to 1981, with teams playing for the Minerva Cup. Glasgow HSFP ran theirs on just one occasion in 1929. (Glasgow HSFP won the 1922 Kelvinside Academicals Sevens, Dunfermline won the Glasgow HSFP Sevens of 1929.) When the sides merged as Glasgow High Kelvinside the Glasgow High Kelvinside Sevens tournament still offered the Minerva Cup for its winners from 1982 until it folded in 1989.[10]

Honours

Notable former players

Scotland internationalists

The following former Glasgow High Kelvinside players have represented Scotland at full international level.

Glasgow Warriors

The following former Glasgow High Kelvinside players have represented Glasgow Warriors at professional level.

References

  1. ↑ McMurtrie, Bill (16 March 1982). "Glasgow rugby merger". Glasgow Herald. p. 26. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  3. ↑ "City RFC is the Glasgow answer". HeraldScotland. 10 June 1996.
  4. ↑ "Working towards Glasgow United". Herald Scotland. 10 April 1997.
  5. 1 2 "Glasgow Hawks RFC - Club History & Archive". glasgowhawks.com.
  6. ↑ "GHK survive slippery conditions to make most of capital collapse". The Herald. 1 May 1999. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Bitter blow in the title race". Clydebank Post. 28 January 2009.
  8. ↑ "Little agrees to go back to where it all began". Herald Scotland. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "GHK rugby club - GHK RUGBY REPORT AGM 2015 This season... - Facebook". facebook.com.
  10. ↑ "Glasgow High Kelvinside Sevens". 26 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Langholm Sevens". 7 June 2019.
  12. ↑ "Clarkston Sevens". 7 June 2019.
  13. ↑ "Greenock Sevens". 7 June 2019.
  14. ↑ "Ayr Sevens". 7 June 2019.
  15. ↑ "Allan Glen's Sevens". 7 June 2019.
  16. ↑ "Hillhead Jordanhill Sevens". 7 June 2019.
  17. ↑ "Hillhead HSFP Sevens". 9 June 2019.
  18. ↑ "Bearsden Sevens". 7 June 2019.
  19. ↑ "Glasgow University Sevens". 7 June 2019.
  20. ↑ "Helensburgh Sevens". 10 June 2019.
  21. ↑ "Lochaber Sevens". 11 June 2019.
  22. ↑ "Cambuslang Sevens". 10 June 2019.
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