About Us
A community rugby club at the heart of the Ribble Valley
Nearly 50 years on, Clitheroe RUFC has grown from a single men's team into one of the most active and inclusive sports clubs in the area — with teams competing at every level from minis to senior rugby.
What we're about
One club, three jobs
Clitheroe Rugby Club began in 1977 with a few lads answering an advert to start a team. Nearly fifty years on it's a not-for-profit club, run by volunteers, that does three things, and each depends on the other two.
Rugby
Rugby for the Ribble Valley
Teams from the under 7s to senior men's and women's sides, with touch and walking rugby on the way. We exist to share a sport we love, and everything it gives the people who play it.
Our teams →CRUFC and its community
A club for our community
A not-for-profit club run by volunteers, with a clubhouse in use all week, a 3G pitch the town shares, and a seat on the East Lancashire Community Foundation. The good we do goes well beyond the pitch.
Our community →Commercial partnerships
Partners who make it possible
Sponsors, the Business Club and clubhouse and pitch hire pay for the rugby and the community work. Backing the club is good business, and it's how the sport grows.
Partner with us →
Who we are
Club at a glance
- Established
- Nearly 50 years
- Ground
- Silcock Park, Clitheroe
- Affiliations
- RFU, Lancashire RFU
- Club colours
- Maroon & gold
- Crest motto
- Stabit Saxum, Fluet Amnis
- Registered players
- 200+ across all sections
Our vision
To be a thriving, inclusive, and successful rugby club at the heart of the community where players of all ages and abilities can enjoy, develop, and excel in the game, and where our growth inspires pride and unity across Clitheroe and beyond.
Our mission
Provide outstanding rugby experiences for juniors, seniors, and women's teams by fostering a welcoming environment built on teamwork, respect and passion for the sport. Strengthen the club's future through community engagement, sustainable partnerships and player development at every level.
Minis to seniors
Our sections
Four playing sections span the full rugby journey, from minis taking their first steps in the game to our senior men's and women's sides, with a Colts squad being rebuilt.
Minis (U6–U11)
Sunday morning rugby for our youngest players — boys and girls — focused on fun, fundamentals, and friendships.
Juniors (U12–U16)
Contact rugby through the age grades for boys and girls. Squads train midweek and play Sundays.
Colts (U17–U18): coming back
We don't run a Colts squad this season. Rebuilding the pathway from juniors to senior rugby is a club priority, so if you're 16 to 18 and want to play, get in touch.
Senior Men
1st XV and 2nd XV competing across the Lancashire and North-West leagues, plus an occasional Vets side and social 7s.
Valley Vixens (Women)
Our senior women's side, the Valley Vixens, are into their second season of full-contact rugby — welcoming new players of all experience levels, training Wednesday evenings.
Every age, every level
View all teams
Community hub
Our reach in the Ribble Valley
Rugby at Clitheroe is far more than what happens on the pitch. The club serves as a genuine community hub, a place where families, businesses, and volunteers from across the Ribble Valley come together week in, week out.
- 30+
- Home fixtures per season
- 2+
- Games every weekend
- 4,390
- Social media followers
- 82,987
- Average monthly reach
September to May
Across all teams
Facebook, Instagram & X
Across all channels
Part of something bigger
Growing rugby across East Lancashire
We're a partner club in the East Lancashire Community Foundation, a charity set up in 2026 with Blackburn, Burnley, Colne & Nelson and Rossendale rugby clubs to take the game into schools and communities across the region, from pre-school to the over-50s.
It's about growing rugby in our area together with the clubs around us, rather than each of us on our own. The Foundation is independent of any one club, with its own trustees and governance, and delivery began across all five areas in September 2026.
Our past chairman and president Andrew Thornber sits on the board as a trustee.
“I've never accepted that rugby should depend on where you live or what your family can afford. That's the gap this Foundation exists to close.”
What the Foundation runs
Rugratz
Rugby-based play for three- to five-year-olds.
School rugby
Tag rugby in primary schools, and secondary and post-16 sessions.
SEND provision
Sessions for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Holiday camps
Affordable camps in each of the five club areas.
Rugby Pathways
Funded kit and travel so cost never keeps a young player out of the game.
Walking rugby
A gentler version of the game for the over-50s.
Schools can book programmes, businesses can sponsor them, and anyone can volunteer or donate, all through the Foundation's website.
Sport saves lives
Mental health & belonging
Sport saves lives. At Clitheroe RUFC we believe that sincerely, and we've built a club that actively tries to live up to it. We run open mental health forums within the men's group — a structured, safe space where players can talk honestly about how they are doing. This is rare in community rugby.
For many members — particularly younger men, women new to the game, and those who have recently moved to the area — Clitheroe RUFC is not just a place to play rugby. It's a community that keeps them connected, active, and supported.
Find us
Silcock Park, Littlemoor Road
Our ground at Silcock Park is on Littlemoor Road, a short drive from Clitheroe town centre and a few minutes from the A59. There is on-site parking for around 20 vehicles on matchdays.
Clitheroe RUFC · Silcock Park, Littlemoor Road · Clitheroe, Lancashire · BB7 1ER