St Francis RFC was founded in 1960 by St. Wilfrid's School old boys who attended a youth club attached to the Friary Church of St. Francis and St. Anthony, hence the name St. Francis Rugby Football Club. In its infancy the first president was the parish priest Father Malachy. The central administrator was the late Jack O'Neil who was secretary, chairman and treasurer, later he became the second president of the club and was patron until his death.

The club has had a nomadic existence, having played in Northgate, Ifield, Langley Green, Bewbush, and Broadfield before settling at its current ground at Southgate Playing Field. The club's first clubhouse was the Jet Line Club.

It later moved to Goffs Park Pavilion, where it resided for 25 years. Despite this, the club enjoyed significant success, winning many unofficial trophies and claiming its first official trophy in 1989 with a historic double: the Sussex Plate and the Sussex Walrus Trophy.

At the beginning of the 1998/1999 season, the club joined forces with the Crawley Irish Centre to form the Emerald Sports & Social Club at Southgate Pavilion, and it has been our home since them and from there we have gone from strength to strength.

In the early 2000s, we continued our winning streak by securing the Sussex 3 title and another plate. For the first time in the club’s history, we earned promotion to Sussex 1—a phenomenal achievement for St Francis RFC, especially considering we had no youth setup at the time and were competing against established clubs with robust youth sections. As a result, many top players moved on to play at higher levels elsewhere.

Like many clubs, we faced a setback due to the pandemic, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, St Francis RFC rebounded strongly. In 2022, we achieved a cup double by winning Sussex 4 and the Sussex Plate, and we repeated our success by winning the Sussex Plate again in 2024.

With our foundations firmly set, we are ready to continue breaking down the stereotype that rugby is only for the ‘elite’. In 2024, we launched our development side, the ‘Monks,’ and we have plans to introduce our junior teams: the Friars for boys and the Rhapsody for girls. We also aim to relaunch our women’s team, which was iconic in winning the league in 2011 and 2016.

While other rugby clubs struggle, St Francis RFC is poised to transform the rugby landscape. Get involved with us today!

Club Honours:

Sussex Plate Winners (1989, 2006, 2022, 2024)
Sussex Plate Winners (2006)
Sussex 3 Winners (2004)
Sussex 4 Winners (2022)
Sussex Ladies 3 (2011)
Sussex Ladies NE/South 2 (2016)
Sussex Walrus Trophy (1989, 2013)

Want to get involved with St Francis RFC? We’re always welcoming new players, supporters, and sponsors.

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