The start of the 2026/27 season is not too far away and will mark 50 Years since the foundation of Acklam Rugby Club in 1976.  From very humble beginnings the club has survived financial struggles, fire and a global pandemic yet still provides first class facilities for our senior teams to train and play, as well as opportunities for children from diverse backgrounds, and as young as 6 years of age, to learn and enjoy playing the game.  Talbot Park is a place to play, socialise and develop friendships to last a lifetime.

Our founding fathers played the early years of the decade for the Teesside Polytechnic Team (formerly Constantine College).  Having been informed that they could no longer do so they decided to form their own team and name it Acklam Rugby Club.  This name was selected as the then headmaster of Acklam Hall Grammar School allowed the team to use the school changing facilities, whilst games were played on the nearby Sandy Flatts.

In addition to the name the club also adopted the school badge, the Talbot dog, as its emblem, which eventually also provided the name for our present ground – Talbot Park.

As befit the seventies, the club had a very active social side and this centred around a local public house, The Endeavour.

The club rounded off the decade and started the next by winning its first playing honours, the Yorkshire Silver Trophy in the 1979 / 1980 season.

As the club was growing fast, the members decided that in 1980 they would register as a company limited by guarantee, and Acklam Rugby Club Limited was born.  This brought with it access to grants and funding which, in part, helped the club, in 1981, to buy the land upon which the current clubhouse and pitches are located.  In the following year the club was able to purchase, for the princely sum of £5,000, Wilton Golf Club’s wooden club house.  This was painstakingly dismantled and rebuilt at its new location by the club members.

The club continued to grow and regularly put out 4 and sometimes 5 senior men’s teams during this period, but finances were often tight.  Members from the time have fond memories of having to borrow barrels of beer from a friend of the club and proprietor of the Green Tree Public House in nearby Middlesbrough.

In 1992 disaster struck the club when our club house was targeted by a local arsonist and was burned to the ground.  The club once again found itself without its own facilities and struggled for a time.  Luckily, we were able to use the local Tennis World facilities and bar after games, which allowed the members to stay connected and plan the recovery.

In 1995 The University of Teesside were looking to provide extensive sporting facilities for the University and agreed to lease our pitches for 126 years and also agreed to build a new permanent facility which would be leased back to the club.  It had 13 changing rooms and the function room.  The function room was furnished and is maintained by the club and became our major source of income.

The 2001 / 2002 season saw Acklam play an unbeatable season in the Durham & Northumberland 2 league.  On the way to the title, winning 21 of 22 games with only one draw, we scored 869 points and conceded a paltry 179 points.

2003 / 2004 was another landmark year for the club.  We were one of the first clubs in the country to be awarded the RFU’s Seal of Approval, we were hosts for the World Cup in February and last but not least, with help from the RFU, Teesside University, the Local Community and money raised by the club we were able to erect a perimeter fence around our four pitches and thus were able to provide a first class, safe, secure environment for all our playing members.

2007 / 2008 saw floodlights erected on No. 4 pitch thanks to the RFU, Teesside University, the Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency and the Tees Valley Community Foundation. The club is indebted to all these organisations for their valuable contributions in enabling the club to improve our already impressive facility.

In 2010 / 2011 the club invested in drainage improvements for pitches 1, 2, and 3 allowing us to play games when other teams had to cancel.

Following much effort to raise funds the Club extended the clubhouse facilities in 2016 / 2017. We extended the footprint of the building to allow for all of the changing rooms to be on the ground floor, with additions of two larger changing rooms and separate smaller facilities for referees.  Upstairs we added a commercial kitchen converting the old one to an office, and added a second bar from which to access a viewing balcony to watch the rugby.

The 2017 / 2018 season saw Acklam repeat the feat of playing an unbeatable season in the Durham & Northumberland 2 league.  This time, on the way to the title, winning 25 of 26 games with only one draw, we scored 1,303 points and conceded a miserly 343 points.

In 2019 / 2020 a perimeter fence was added to the Pitch one which not only segregates the playing area from supporters but also provides great advertising opportunities and a new revenue stream for the club.

As with many sporting clubs around the country the Global COVID-19 pandemic hit Acklam hard in 2020.  Not only through loss of earnings but the inability to socialise and play rugby.  However, during this period our leaders within the club arranged online events to keep us connected and as restrictions eased made arrangements to make us compliant and allow us to open again.  The club took a while to return to normal and it also had an impact in terms of our ability to field the three teams that we did pre-pandemic. However, the club is stable and growing again thanks to the efforts of our membership.

Having had fledgling Women’s and Girls’ teams previously, only to see them disband, we now have a thriving women’s section.  The 2023/24 crop of Women is growing their team at great pace, the Acklam Hurricanes’, and they are taking a greater interest in the running of the club than previous incarnations of the team.  So much so that we now have two members of our women’s’ team on the management committee, one through a role created to ensure inclusivity and representation and another through selection in the ballot at the 2024 AGM.  The Hurricanes will compete in a league (NC3) for the first time in 2024 / 2025 and we wish them every success but most of all enjoyment from playing our fantastic game.

The club are always looking to fund improvements to the club and our plan is to install an outside fitness and conditioning gym as well as an outside bar & terrace during the summer of 2024.

Thanks to our ever-improving facility, the club continues to work in conjunction with Middlesbrough schools and colleges to provide the opportunity for young people to be involved in the game of rugby.

This season marks a huge milestone for Acklam Rugby Club — our 50th year! Half a century of mud, teamwork, and unforgettable moments both on and off the pitch.

It’s been a busy summer behind the scenes, with plenty of hard work from so many people. The squad have made great use of the new gym facilities and thrown themselves into pre-season training with one goal in mind — hitting the ground running for the start of the season.

The club itself has had a bit of a facelift over the summer. A huge thank you goes to everyone who has given up their time to help with the refurbishment — from painting walls to laying floors and everything in between. With just a few finishing touches left to complete, we’re sure you’ll agree the place has never looked better.

While we’ve had some exciting developments, we also say a heartfelt goodbye to a few of our teams. Our Ladies, Under-14s, and Girls squads have chosen to move on to new opportunities, and we wish every one of them the very best as they take their next steps in rugby. They’ll always be part of our Acklam family, and their contribution to the club will never be forgotten.

As we celebrate 50 years of rugby at Talbot Park, keep an eye out for the special events and surprises we’ve got planned throughout the season. It’s going to be one to remember — a true celebration of everything that makes our club so special.

Here’s to 50 years of Acklam Rugby