History

Welcome to Supermarine Rugby club. We would like to take this opportunity to give you a brief insight into the history of the club and our hopes for the future.

The Past

Founded in 1958 as a works team from the Vickers Armstrong factory, the club struggled for recognition within the sports and social management. Lack of a pitch meant that all matches had to be played away, until we found some wasteland on a municipal park that was basically no good for any other sport. Realising we were not going to get away, we were eventually given permission for a pitch on the Vickers airfield, even then the posts had to be taken down after each game so as not to attract birds. In the name of progress these pitches were sold off, and are now the site for the Honda motorcar plant. So we became nomadic once again, until settling in our present site, which is situated on the Highworth road in South Marston.

The Present

The club changed its name to Supermarine, and moved to its present location in 1990. The playing facilities include 3 senior rugby pitches, a mini and junior playing section, a floodlit training area, a six a side football pitch, 3 full size football pitches and an all weather surface area. The social club hosts a "Bob Little" player's bar, which was named after our founder member, the Spitfire Bar and Diner and the Flight Deck function room capable of seating up to 450 people. The seniors regularly field 2 teams, with our first XV playing in the Dorset and Wilts 2 North league. Started some fifteen years ago with just a handful of children, our mini and junior sections are considered one of the biggest and best in the county. Many of the current senior players learnt their trade at min and junior levels. We have also produced large numbers who have played representative rugby at county level, and one who has played for England at schools level. One of our junior sides participated in a curtain raiser for one of the home internationals at Twickenham.

The Future

The belief at Supermarine is that the future of sport at all levels must start at the junior informative years. It is with this philosophy that we intend to actively promote mini rugby throughout the Swindon area, by offering our coaches and helpers to primary schools so that their awareness of the sport is increased, and that they will take up the game of Rugby Union. Our intention is that we will have one of the largest and most successful mini and junior sections within the South West. Obviously youngsters need goals to aim at and we aim to give them such standards through playing a good standard of rugby, whether it be playing a good standard of rugby, playing at mini level, by playing Bath, or such standards through the 1st XV. The flagship of the club will increase its status hopefully year on year promotion through the ranks of the RFU league system. The Ladies also have declared their aspirations to joining the likes of Wasps and Richmond in Premiership One. Away from the playing side the intention is to raise the facilities to a standard that will be the envy of all clubs outside the National League. This will include, a floodlit pitch, an all weather training pitch, a fully marked dedicated mini area, revamped changing rooms and shower block and a fully equipped gym. Being part of Supermarine Rugby is like being part of a "Sleeping Giant" which is just beginning to WAKE UP!!!!!!