Aberdare RLFC
Encyclopedia
Aberdare Rugby League Football Club was a professional rugby league
club based in Aberdare
, Wales
playing in the Welsh League
and Northern Union
. Playing from Ynys Field
(later Aberdare Athletic Ground) in Aberdare, the club was one of the first professional Welsh teams, formed in 1908 but folded after just a single season.
was the sport of choice for most villages and towns. The sport was strictly amateur and players were not expected to receive any monies for taking part in the sport. If players were to be discovered taking payments, they and their club could be permanently suspended. The problem facing Welsh rugby was the rise of the professional Northern Union (later rugby league) in the North of England, where several clubs had split away from the International Rugby Board
and formed their own league where players were paid to play. Many rugby union clubs found their star players poached from them by the new Northern League.
To prevent losing their star players, many rugby union clubs secretly paid their players a small amount of money for each match played. The first challenge of the professional era to face the Welsh Rugby Union
came in 1907 when E.M. Rees, the ex-Secretary of Aberdare RFC
, made claims in the press that his club made player payments. Rees made three claims in total, firstly that all players at his former club were receiving hidden wages, secondly that Aberdare had received a payment of £15 from rivals Treorchy to throw a crucial League match, and finally that Merthyr Alexandria had demanded a payment of £7 5s to bring his team to play Aberdare. The most notable player caught up in these allegations was Dai "Tarw" Jones, an internationally capped player for Wales
and hero of the 1905 encounter with New Zealand. Jones was originally a player for Treherbert
, but had switched to Aberdare, and he and his fellow players were being paid 10s
a match. When Aberdare came into financial problems, they cut the illegal payments to 5s, and Jones promptly switched back to Treherbert.
The WRU held an investigation into all the allegations, and the sub-committees final report, published in September 1907 found Aberdare and Treorchy guilt of professionalism and permanently suspended the entire Aberdare and Treorchy committees, and then permanent suspended eight players from the sport of rugby union, including Dai Jones. These events gave the impetus for clubs sympathetic to the Northern Union the chance to split from the WRU and become professional. It seemed likely that Aberdare and E.M. Rees would be the first to form a league team, but they failed to obtain financial backing or the use of a pitch, and instead Ebbw Vale
and Merthyr Tydfil
were the first to form teams in 1907.
The catalyst for the formation of a Northern Union team in Aberdare occurred on 1 January 1908, when the Northern Union hired Ynys Park in Aberdare to host the first true international rugby league match, contested between Wales
and New Zealand
. A crowd of 15000 attended with gate receipts of £560. The commercial potential was realised by a group of 'tradesman and sportsmen', who met in Aberdare in March 1908 and guaranteed a sum of £150 to form a Northern Union club. The prime mover in the formation of the club was Llewellyn Deere, a former Mountain Ash
union player who turned professional with Huddersfield
in 1900. In 1908 Deere became the Landlord of the Locomotive Inn in Aberdare, and it was he who set about forming the club. A limited company was formed with a share capital of £500 and Deere was made company secretary, while Ted Ruther became chairman. On 21 July 1908, Deere attended a Northern Rugby League Committee meeting, and Aberdare, along with Barry
were admitted.
travelled to Ynys Park. A crowd of 3000 paid to watch the game. Wigan was ruthless, and it was reported that Aberdare 'evidenced a decided weakness in their application of the rules', as they lost the game 56-0, Wigan running in 12 tries
without reply. A visit to St Helens two weeks later saw Aberdare score their first League points, but still lost 13-36. Worse was to come when they lost to fellow newly formed Welsh team Treherbert
away from home, then in the return match the very next week they lost again in front of fewer than 300 spectators. The arrival of Wakefield Trinity
drew a better crowd on 17 October, but the 26-0 loss brought Aberdare's losing streak to six games. This was followed by another loss to Merthyr Tydfil before the team recorded their first win in a Welsh League match against Treherbert.
The 9 November 1908 saw the arrival of the second international team at Ynys Park, the first touring Australian team
. The tour match against Aberdare drew a crowd of 5000 on a Monday afternoon, and the tourists ran out 37-10 winners. The very next match gave Aberdare their first and only win in the Northern Rugby League a massive 43-5 win over fellow strugglers Barry, though Barry had revenge on 12 December when they knocked Aberdare out of the Challenge Cup
in the first round.
Aberdare's season did not improve after the Barry victory in the League, and they went on to lose ten of their remaining 12 games. Of the games they won, both were in the Welsh League, and these were against Treherbert and Barry. After crowd numbers failed to improve, Aberdare even tried switching grounds, playing their home encounter with St Helens at Merthyr's College Field. Though there was very little interest in the game and numbers remained poor. Towards the end of the season, Aberdare were expected to travel to West Yorkshire to face Wakefield, but the Wakefield committee failed to meet Aberdare's request for an advance of £15 to cover travelling costs. Wakefield believing the gate receipts would be so low, they wouldn't cover the expenses, and the game never took place.
Aberdare finished they first and only season by placing 31st out of 31 clubs in the Rugby Football League, winning one game, drawing none and losing 16. In the Welsh League they fared slightly better coming in fifth out of six, with three wins and no draws from eight matches.
The only consolation form the season was when one of their players, Will Hopkins
was chosen to play for the Wales national rugby league team. His one and only cap was awarded in the encounter with England on the 28 December 1908.
branded the four newly formed Welsh clubs, Aberdare, Mid-Rhondda, Barry and Treherbert as 'ignominious failures". Then, in the mid season break, the Northern Rugby League passed a by-law that stated if clubs were in arrears of any kind, the teams would be named defaulters and banned from further competitions. Barry and Aberdare were both cited of this charge. On 8 July 1909, Aberdare told the League that it expected to come out of arrears and would meet its obligations, but two days later the club reported it had 'unexpected difficulties' and resigned from the League. The club never played league rugby again.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club based in Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
playing in the Welsh League
Welsh League
The Welsh League was the first club rugby league competition in Wales. Its inaugural season was in 1908/09 when four additional teams were formed to join Ebbw Vale RLFC and Merthyr Tydfil RLFC, which allowed a league tournament to take place...
and Northern Union
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
. Playing from Ynys Field
Aberdare Athletic Ground
The Aberdare Athletic Ground was a mixed sports venue in Aberdare, Wales, which was predominantly used for football. For some years it was the home of Aberdare Athletic F.C., who were members of the Football League between 1921 and 1927....
(later Aberdare Athletic Ground) in Aberdare, the club was one of the first professional Welsh teams, formed in 1908 but folded after just a single season.
Formation
At the beginning of the 20th century, rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
was the sport of choice for most villages and towns. The sport was strictly amateur and players were not expected to receive any monies for taking part in the sport. If players were to be discovered taking payments, they and their club could be permanently suspended. The problem facing Welsh rugby was the rise of the professional Northern Union (later rugby league) in the North of England, where several clubs had split away from the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
and formed their own league where players were paid to play. Many rugby union clubs found their star players poached from them by the new Northern League.
To prevent losing their star players, many rugby union clubs secretly paid their players a small amount of money for each match played. The first challenge of the professional era to face the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
came in 1907 when E.M. Rees, the ex-Secretary of Aberdare RFC
Aberdare RFC
Aberdare Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in the town Aberdare in South Wales. Aberdare RFC plays in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Three South East league and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.-Club history:...
, made claims in the press that his club made player payments. Rees made three claims in total, firstly that all players at his former club were receiving hidden wages, secondly that Aberdare had received a payment of £15 from rivals Treorchy to throw a crucial League match, and finally that Merthyr Alexandria had demanded a payment of £7 5s to bring his team to play Aberdare. The most notable player caught up in these allegations was Dai "Tarw" Jones, an internationally capped player for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and hero of the 1905 encounter with New Zealand. Jones was originally a player for Treherbert
Treherbert RFC
Treherbert Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Tynewydd in the Rhondda Valley. Treherbert RFC play home games in red shirts with black shorts and black socks...
, but had switched to Aberdare, and he and his fellow players were being paid 10s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
a match. When Aberdare came into financial problems, they cut the illegal payments to 5s, and Jones promptly switched back to Treherbert.
The WRU held an investigation into all the allegations, and the sub-committees final report, published in September 1907 found Aberdare and Treorchy guilt of professionalism and permanently suspended the entire Aberdare and Treorchy committees, and then permanent suspended eight players from the sport of rugby union, including Dai Jones. These events gave the impetus for clubs sympathetic to the Northern Union the chance to split from the WRU and become professional. It seemed likely that Aberdare and E.M. Rees would be the first to form a league team, but they failed to obtain financial backing or the use of a pitch, and instead Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale RLFC
Ebbw Vale Rugby League Football Club was a professional rugby league club based in Ebbw Vale, Wales playing in the Welsh League and Northern Union. Based at Bridge End Field, Ebbw Vale were one of the first professional Welsh teams, and the last to disband in 1912 after the failure of the Welsh...
and Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil RLFC
Merthyr Tydfil Rugby League Football Club was a professional rugby league club based in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales playing in the Welsh League and Northern Union. Based at College Field, Merthyr Tydfil were one of the first professional Welsh teams, and folded in 1911 after the failure of the Welsh League...
were the first to form teams in 1907.
The catalyst for the formation of a Northern Union team in Aberdare occurred on 1 January 1908, when the Northern Union hired Ynys Park in Aberdare to host the first true international rugby league match, contested between Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
and New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
. A crowd of 15000 attended with gate receipts of £560. The commercial potential was realised by a group of 'tradesman and sportsmen', who met in Aberdare in March 1908 and guaranteed a sum of £150 to form a Northern Union club. The prime mover in the formation of the club was Llewellyn Deere, a former Mountain Ash
Mountain Ash RFC
Mountain Ash RFC is a Welsh rugby union team from the town of Mountain Ash, in the Cynon Valley, South Wales. Mountain Ash RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.-Early history:...
union player who turned professional with Huddersfield
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
in 1900. In 1908 Deere became the Landlord of the Locomotive Inn in Aberdare, and it was he who set about forming the club. A limited company was formed with a share capital of £500 and Deere was made company secretary, while Ted Ruther became chairman. On 21 July 1908, Deere attended a Northern Rugby League Committee meeting, and Aberdare, along with Barry
Barry RLFC
Barry Rugby League Football Club was a professional rugby league club based in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales playing in the Welsh League and Northern Union...
were admitted.
1908/1909 season
Aberdare's first match was played on 5 September 1908, when WiganWigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
travelled to Ynys Park. A crowd of 3000 paid to watch the game. Wigan was ruthless, and it was reported that Aberdare 'evidenced a decided weakness in their application of the rules', as they lost the game 56-0, Wigan running in 12 tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
without reply. A visit to St Helens two weeks later saw Aberdare score their first League points, but still lost 13-36. Worse was to come when they lost to fellow newly formed Welsh team Treherbert
Treherbert RLFC
Treherbert Rugby League Football Club was a professional rugby league club based in Treherbert, Wales playing in the Welsh League and Northern Union. Based at the Athletic Ground, Treherbert were one of the first professional Welsh teams, formed in 1908 but folding after just two seasons...
away from home, then in the return match the very next week they lost again in front of fewer than 300 spectators. The arrival of Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
drew a better crowd on 17 October, but the 26-0 loss brought Aberdare's losing streak to six games. This was followed by another loss to Merthyr Tydfil before the team recorded their first win in a Welsh League match against Treherbert.
The 9 November 1908 saw the arrival of the second international team at Ynys Park, the first touring Australian team
1908/09 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain
A Kangaroo tour is a rugby league tour of Great Britain and France by an Australia representative squad. Traditionally Kangaroo tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
. The tour match against Aberdare drew a crowd of 5000 on a Monday afternoon, and the tourists ran out 37-10 winners. The very next match gave Aberdare their first and only win in the Northern Rugby League a massive 43-5 win over fellow strugglers Barry, though Barry had revenge on 12 December when they knocked Aberdare out of the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
in the first round.
Aberdare's season did not improve after the Barry victory in the League, and they went on to lose ten of their remaining 12 games. Of the games they won, both were in the Welsh League, and these were against Treherbert and Barry. After crowd numbers failed to improve, Aberdare even tried switching grounds, playing their home encounter with St Helens at Merthyr's College Field. Though there was very little interest in the game and numbers remained poor. Towards the end of the season, Aberdare were expected to travel to West Yorkshire to face Wakefield, but the Wakefield committee failed to meet Aberdare's request for an advance of £15 to cover travelling costs. Wakefield believing the gate receipts would be so low, they wouldn't cover the expenses, and the game never took place.
Aberdare finished they first and only season by placing 31st out of 31 clubs in the Rugby Football League, winning one game, drawing none and losing 16. In the Welsh League they fared slightly better coming in fifth out of six, with three wins and no draws from eight matches.
The only consolation form the season was when one of their players, Will Hopkins
Will Hopkins
Will Hopkins was a Welsh professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s who at representative level played for Wales, and at club level for Aberdare.-International honours:...
was chosen to play for the Wales national rugby league team. His one and only cap was awarded in the encounter with England on the 28 December 1908.
Club demise
At the end of the season Athletic NewsAthletic News
The Athletic News was a Manchester-based newspaper formed in 1875. Its sole purpose was to report sporting news.In 1931 it merged with Sporting Chronicle, part of Bell's Life in London....
branded the four newly formed Welsh clubs, Aberdare, Mid-Rhondda, Barry and Treherbert as 'ignominious failures". Then, in the mid season break, the Northern Rugby League passed a by-law that stated if clubs were in arrears of any kind, the teams would be named defaulters and banned from further competitions. Barry and Aberdare were both cited of this charge. On 8 July 1909, Aberdare told the League that it expected to come out of arrears and would meet its obligations, but two days later the club reported it had 'unexpected difficulties' and resigned from the League. The club never played league rugby again.
Players of note
Players Earning International Caps While at Aberdare…- Will HopkinsWill HopkinsWill Hopkins was a Welsh professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s who at representative level played for Wales, and at club level for Aberdare.-International honours:...
won one cap for Wales while at Ebbw Vale in 1908 against England