Although there has been controversy over the actual year of foundation, Blackheath is recognized by the chroniclers as the oldest of all independent rugby football clubs.
In 1860 the old boys would attempt to form an Old Boys side called Old Blackheathens.
But due to a lack of numbers non school members would be required to make up the team.
Blackheath would be thus different and having open membership would mean they were known as ‘the club’ to differentiate it from the other institutions which they played against.
The Associations
Until 1863 the game of football had been a single undivided sport.
Although, there was no standard set of rules and captains would agree on which rules to abide by before the start of each match.
A meeting took place in which 11 clubs discussed rules and regulations for the sport. Blackheath attended the meeting and once laws were agreed, Francis Maule Campbell, who represented Blackheath in the meeting, was named Treasurer of the newly formed Football Association.
International Rugby
Blackheath were also at the forefront of international rugby. The England rugby side played in Blackheath’s ground before they moved to there now home of Twickenham.
Blackheath have also hosted Australia and New Zealand Maoris and in 1871 they hosted the first international meeting between England and Scotland.
Blackheath’s ground would also host the first encounter between England and Wales which took place in 1881.
The first ever England captain, Fredrick Stokes also played for Blackheath, alongside three other Blackheath Rugby Club players.
The Dream
After an open meeting for club members on the 25th March 2006 Blackheath endorsed a proposal to fix the clubs constitution to form a more professional outfit. This was confirmed at the clubs A.G.M. in June later that year.
The first captain of the professional Blackheath Football Club was John Gallagher for the start of the 1996/1997 season. John was born in Lewisham and played fourty one times for New Zealand.
Financially the club would come on hard times, the professional era did not have the intended outcome Blackheath had hoped in the early years. Blackheath would look to New Zealand club the Auckland Blues in the aim of striking up a partnership that would mean an agreement to have a joint venture where trading players would be allowed and also setting up matches between the two clubs to boost both clubs finances and profiles in the southern and northern hemisphere respectively.
Both clubs had agreed to start a pilot run of the partnership but the RFU would block the move citing that other clubs had voiced there concerns on how the joint venture could stifle the production of English talent, the Auckland Blues would then withdraw from the proposal.
Blackheath would then immediately introduce a share issue to raise £1m which was the minimum level of funding required to keep the clubs finances in a healthy position. This would fail by the smallest of margins due to the fact they ran out of time.
The club who previously had financial support from ‘Big Frank’ Mccarthy also known as ‘Frank the Bank’ would pass away in 1999. Frank was an ex-player and chairman of Blackheath F.C.
After the harrowing experiences of financial troubles and the death of there chairman in January 2000 at an E.G.M club members agreed that the club would return to being a one-club Club.
This would mean that the club would run a model now seen in a lot of football clubs to be underpinned by sustainable financial development. In the hope that this model would return the club to playing at the highest level possible with those constraints.
Home
In the winter of 1882/83 Richardson’s field was sold meaning Blackheath had to look for a new home ground. Through associations with the local church in Charlton they managed to reach an agreement to play at Rectory in Charlton Road.
Blackheath now play their home games at Well Hall after moving from Rectory Field in 2016 after 158 years.
- Gallery images courtesy of Blackheath Rugby Club, taken from Milestones From 150 Years of History of the Oldest Independent Rugby Club In The World.
