Club History
Like many post-war clubs, The Vee’s beginnings were humble.
Back in 1948 the club was formed by a nucleus of ex-Verulam School pupils, running a single XV team playing on the school playing fields. The School’s Headmaster, R.F. Bradshaw was the founding president of the club, a position he held for 35 years.
In the formative years the club, like so many others, gradually built up its player base and by the 1960’s was regularly fielding 4 full sides. However, with no club house or its own pitches, it relied on the benevolence of the school for its ground and frequented many local pubs for its HQ including The Crown, The Jolly Sailor and The Wellington (which was situated where St Christopher’s Place is now).
11 years after the club’s formation, in 1959, several club members started to build on the idea of having its own clubhouse and grounds. With the assistance of A.B. Hobbs, the then Deputy Mayor, F. Lavery and G. Gerrard, Old Verulamians RFC acquired the lease for our current home at Cotlandswick, London Colney.
Over the years, with the vision, passion and drive of many people, the clubs has grown to be one of the leading clubs in Hertfordshire.
Establishing Roots
The first clubhouse was a wooden structure designed by Geoff Brookfield and Brian “the Admiral” Davies.
Through the hard work and support of many club members, the clubhouse was finally opened on 7th September 1963 by the sitting President of the RFU, Sir Augustus Walker. On that day, we also defeated local rivals Old Albanians 6 -3 and OV’s established itself as a major force in the county.
The club went from strength to strength during the 1960’s, expanding not only its player base but also its reputation and experience, eventually spreading its wings for the club’s first European Tour to Brussels in 1966.
Up until then, OVs played in a white kit - it was the only colour they could afford! Our current Chairman, Ian ‘Shanks’ Graham, designed the new kit which incorporated the blue and gold of St. Albans into the design and heralded the transition of the club from an Old Boy’s Club to the Community Club it is today.
Growing the OV’s Family
In 2005, Rob Lines had vision of forming a Mini & Junior section with the club to help grow our presence in Hertfordshire and extend the opportunity for young people to be part of the sport.
From that original vision, the Minis & Juniors has blossomed into a section with over 250 Players, and teams representing each age group from U6s all the way through to Colts (17s & 18s), led by a dedicated team of coaches with a focus on ensuring the children and youth at the club enjoy the sport in a safe environment.
A key principle of our club culture is the transition of our youth players into the senior set up when they age out of the Junior set up after 18. This transition looks to assure the players that there is always a place for them at the club whenever they return. This has meant that at Senior level, the club now boasts 2 Men’s VXs, and a Vets team, providing plenty of opportunity for players to get involved.
In the summer of 2022, as the world started to re-open following the Covid-19 pandemic, Colin Gentleman – the then Chair of the Mini’s – decided to try and open the club further and provide the opportunity for the ladies in the club to play rugby. What started as a 6-week summer program, linked with the RFU ‘Inner Warriors’ touch rugby initiative, has expanded to the rebranded ‘Verulamian Warriors’ becoming an integrated part of the Vees Set Up. On 8th May 2024, the Warriors played the first ever ladies match at Verulamians against Stockwood Park Ladies.
The Peoples’ Club of St Albans…
In recent years, the decision was made to drop the ‘Old’ from the club’s name, reflecting the fact that Verulamians RFC is no longer exclusively tied to the Boys School.
The vision of the club is to hold the mantle as ‘The Peoples’ Club of St Albans’, a community club, and a club that welcomes and encourages people of all abilities to play competitive rugby, to have fun and to treat those within its ranks as family.
At a time when participation in club sports is on the decline, particularly in Rugby, VRFC has stood against this trend with playing numbers on the rise year on year. The club has a proud history, and it is up to those in the club today to write the next chapter and pay it forward to the next generation to enable this club to continue to thrive.
We would love for you to take the opportunity to get involved in the Peoples’ Club, and be part of the future of the Vees.
Welcome to Verulamians RFC.