History


The idea for the Club was discussed over a few beers in the Bar of the Nags Head Bourne by Ian Johnson and Alan Lock early in 1987 who arranged for a meeting on April 1st 1987 when 35 people turned out and with this nucleus of support Bourne Rugby Union Football Club was born.

The Rugby Football Union and in particular the Notts Lincs & Derby RFU were contacted and Bourne was accepted as a constituent member of the RFU and accepted into the Courage Leagues (NLD Division 3) within its first playing season.

With the headquarters at the Nags Head Public House the Club had then to find a ground and Andrew Cooke a local landowner & farmer provided us with a field to use on the outskirts of the town. Club members set out to mark out 2 pitches and erect posts together with altering to some outbuildings at the back of the Nags Head to form changing rooms and showers facilities. The Club can boast that in the RFU handbook in those years it was the Club with the largest spectator capacity reading “seating ‘nil’ ” “standing ‘unlimited’ ”

By the end of the first season Bourne were fielding 2 senior sides on occasions and through dedicated training and determination on the field of a somewhat inexperienced side did not finish bottom of the League.

Over the next few years the Club grew to field 2 senior teams on a weekly basis and on occasions 3 teams. By the end of the 4th season the Club was promoted to NLD division 2. The Club was also fortunate to receive some coaching from the Nottingham and England International Gary Rees.

Fund Raising began in earnest to enable the Club to purchase its own ground and after losing two parcels of land at Auctions eventually secured 5 Acres of Land at Milking Nook Drove early in 1990. This land had to be levelled and seeded and was ready for playing on in September of that year.

Early in 1991 the Club secured the purchase of a sectional timber Building which was re-erected and completed by January 1992. The Clubhouse still remains in use up until today due to the tireless effort of Club members in repairing and maintaining it.

In addition, Parker Builders have leased an additional 5 acres of land adjacent to the site at Milking Nook Drove for additional playing areas.

The Club has maintained its membership of senior players throughout its existence and has always looked towards the youth of the community to ensure its continuing existence.

The senior section has a very close relationship with the Lincolnshire Poachers Regiment and plays against them on an annual basis, both at home and in Germany, in memory of some of their players who have been killed in action in Iraq & Afghanistan.

As early as 1992 the Club set up a junior section and actually won the Lincolnshire Colts Cup in 1993 with the help of pupils from Stamford School. The Club still runs a very successful Minis and Junior section with teams from the age of under 7’s to under 16’s with approximately 100 members.

In 2006 the Club joined together with Bourne Town Junior Football Club to form Bourne Sports Club and although both Clubs utilise the facilities at Milking Nook Drove we are looking to find alternative larger facilities to allow both clubs to grow and include other sports clubs in the area to develop.