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AS the curtain comes down on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, one St Helens sporting squad is kicking off its own right royal 75th anniversary.
West Park rugby club is throwing in an invitation to enjoy a series of big events to mark the occasion including a beer and gin festival, nostalgia night disco, Italian Sunday lunch and rounding off with a gala ball and dinner.
West Park RFC’ was born in August 1947 at a meeting in the Black Bull Hotel. Back then the club was created by former pupils of West Park Grammar School. Over the years players have earned international and county honours.
Back in those formative years the club was limited to ‘Old Boys of West Park School’ and ‘Invited Guests’ following the traditional path for men wishing to play amateur rugby.
READ: Armed Forces Day in Victoria Park – what’s on and when
West Park is named after the area in which the old grammar school once stood, ironically a stone’s throw from legendary Knowsley Road, Saints’ former home.
Initially, games were played on the school pitch then during the following decade the club acquired land for its present home at Red Rocks off Prescot Road.
Fast forward to 2022 and the club has evolved from those traditional times including the emergence of professionalism in the mid-1990s. Perhaps the most seismic change has been the new vision of rugby as an inclusive family-orientated sport, welcoming women players and young people.
West Park also recognises its key role in developing rugby for the local community by encouraging participation in sport.
This is particularly relevant given deprivation statistics for much of the club’s catchment area and West Park’s mission is to continue offering sporting and social opportunities to all members of the community on a free from bias basis.
West Park operates as a truly amateur club and has more than 600 members in various roles including management committee, senior and junior players, and coaches.
It includes: open age male teams, under 18 male teams, a senior female team, boys’ and girls’ teams for all ages, a walking rugby and mixed ability cohort, coaching staff, a safeguarding officer, and schools/community development coach.
The club fosters a safe environment and medical staff care for children and adult players. The club arranges first aid courses for all teams, so each team has someone trained to provide support in case of injury. In addition, the club owns six defibrillator units, to ensure every group at home or away has access if required.
West Park operates its own schools programme including special educational needs run by both male and female internal volunteer coaches. The club funds its own external community coaches to spend blocks of 20 to 30 weeks in schools.
With an obvious nod to its proud history, the club today operates in a contemporary and modern environment and embraces its future as a trailblazing community rugby club.
The club has recently appointed Laura Latham as club chair, the first female in its history to hold this particular position.
The West Park ‘family’ looks forward to many more years of success and will maintain its family friendly and diversity ethos. New recruits will always be welcome to share in these future successes.
A summer of events
TO celebrate its 75th anniversary the club is inviting you to a series of special events .
These include
Friday, June 24 – Beer and Gin Festival
Sunday, July 3 – Nostalgic Sunday Night Disco
Sunday, June 26 – Italian Sunday Lunch with Tenor Martin Toal (Recently performed at Buckingham Palace)
Saturday, July 2 – 75th Gala Ball and Dinner
These events are open to all and tickets can be purchased via this link:
