Preston Grasshoppers R.F.C.
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| Full name | Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club |
|---|---|
| Union | RFU |
| Nickname(s) | Hoppers |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Ground(s) | Lightfoot Green (Capacity: 5,000) |
| Chairman | George Erdozain |
| President | Malcom Alden |
| Captain(s) | Dominic Moon |
| Top scorer | Sean Taylor |
| League(s) | National League 2 North |
| 2016–17 | 16th (relegated to National League 3 North) |
| Official website | |
| www |
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Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team from Preston, Lancashire.
The club was founded on 28 September 1869 at a meeting held at the Bull Hotel, Preston, making it one of the oldest 'northern' rugby union teams.
Grasshoppers' players who have progressed to bigger stages include A.N. Hornby, the first man to captain both the English national rugby and cricket sides, Dick Greenwood and his son Will Greenwood, later to play outside centre for Harlequins and England, second row star Steve Borthwick, captaining Bath and playing a key role in the England international side, Wade Dooley, who won 55 caps in the second row for England, and Paul Grayson, who went on to play a number of games at fly half for England. Other past players gaining England caps include Pat & Alex Sanderson, Don Rutherford and Iain Balshaw.
Norwich City striker James Vaughan also played rugby union for the side, before switching more permanently to football.
When the national league structure was introduced in the mid nineties, Hoppers remained in National League 3 (North) until their promotion in the 1998-1999 season. This was achieved with the help of Australian Michael Lough and winger Ian Bruce who, between them, racked up over 50 tries.
In 2013 Preston Grasshoppers 2nd Team won the Preston Sports Awards Team Performance of the Year. At the End of the 2015/16 Season Preston Grasshoppers chose to accept an offer from the RFU. The offer was to replace the grass surface at Lightfoot Green Lane with an artificial 3G pitch. The terms of the agreement mean that the RFU have exclusive use of the pitch for the next 30 years.
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