Club History

The club was started as a team in 1986 by two soldiers, Sgt Graham (Jai) Taylor and Cpl Andrew (Charlie) Charlesworth, they named the team after their unit C. Company 1 Yorks. After playing a year at inter-company rugby with other army units and the odd friendly game with local Halifax clubs they decided to call the team Halifax Terriers and in 1987 formed it into a club. Still playing from the Drill Hall and playing on the Halifax Infirmary pitch the club entered the Halifax Workshops Competition.

Because C. Company ran the club, its ranks ranged from Sgt major to Pte's and with their commitments to the job couldn't enter into organised league competitions. So for the next three years they played Sunday rugby with local teams and entered into the Halifax Workshops every year. In 1989 and still called Halifax Terriers Rugby Club we entered the Greetland 7s and for the first time won the plate competition. This for the next couple of years was going to be an annual event.

In 1990 the Terriers decided to enter the Pennine League, and with most of the team still in the army we managed to play most of the seasonal games and pick up the 8th division fair play trophy. In season 1991/2 the club had to move out of the Drill Hall because of the I.R.A.'s bombing of the army careers centre and the threat to the hall, so the club moved to the Three Pigeons where we set up a shower and changing rooms in the cellar.1991 saw Graham leave the army and two years later Andy left and by 1993 there was only a handful of player who were still in the army. Also in this season the club was moved in to the 4th division and formed a second team which played in Alliance Division Three. For the next three years the club went from strength to strength gaining more recognition and signing more players. We also moved to our new club base, the Claremount Liberal Club. On our 10th anniversary it was decided to rename the club Boothown Terriers A.R.L.F.C. We also moved into the village of Boothown and took base in Foggy's pub with the landlord's sponsorship for the next two years.

Our home, owned ground at Ellen Royd playing fields is in the heart of Boothtown village. Over the next six years the club became a main part of life in the village. With great team effort and local village help we built changing rooms and shower facilities on the Boothtown Terriers own pitch. At the turn of the millennium the club managed to gain a great sponsorship with the towns largest haulage company, Pennine Parcels. The club benefited greatly from the sponsorship and made Pennine Parcels the main sponsor of the club for the future.

2010 saw the club reach its 25th year and we celebrated in style with an end of season presentation evening, inviting all the members of the 1986 army team. Several coaches have come and gone since the turn of the millenium, all leaving a legacy and mark upon the club. Training changed as new coaching staff built and improved playing abilities within the team. Our main sponsor also went through changes, moving and expanding their business and becoming a well-known name within West Yorkshire; EXPECT DISTRIBUTION. We are pleased to say that they are still one of our club sponsors today. In the time the club has been going over 900 players have pulled on a shirt and over 2500 tries have been scored. Several trophies have been won and the club has moved home over 10 times; The New Inn, the Coach and Horses and the Flying Dutchman, to name but a few. Wherever the club lays its hat our committed committee and coaching staff have pushed the club to greater heights and cemented the name Boothtown Terriers into the walls of amateur rugby league. To this present day several new sponsors have backed the club; Steve and Dale Brown of Shay Motors Ltd. proudly sponsor the club in merchandise and kit, along with Johnny Mason of B-Safe Electrical Contractors and our long-term sponsor Expect Distribution. The New Prospect Inn, which we have frequented several times before, is where the club is based today. They too have their name on the clothing, and their match day hospitality is second to none. Since 2011, and hopefully up to our 30th anniversary, our three club coaches have built up a formidable squad and to this day are still team building and improving on performance. Boothtown are currently in the second division of the Pennine League with a 29-man squad and 20 plus reserves who are at the moment playing friendly games.

Boothtown Terriers A.R.L.F.C. - 1986 to this present day.