A Brief History

Ruskin Park RFC was formed in 1954, under the name of St Helens Recs, by a group of Rugby enthusiasts at Pilkington Glass, and membership of the club was initially limited to employees of the company. This was soon rescinded, and the club welcomed all players to its ranks, which resulted in the club being very successful both on the field and off it.

The first two presidents of the club were Lord Pilkington and Lord Cozens Hardy which was quite an auspicious beginning for a small club.

The club changed its name to Ruskin Park in the 1970's to avoid confusion the many other sides in the region with a similar name but continued to attract other players from the area.

The introduction of league rugby brought further success to the club with five league titles and a Lancashire Cup success spanning almost 20 years.

Ruskin is a club which prides itself on its amateur status and like a lot of other amateur clubs has had some ups and downs in recent years with some quality players moving to pastures new for payment. The club wishes these players well and will make strides to continue to recruit the best players to the club.

In 2019 the club came very close to folding. A concerted effort from its members ensured its survival. The club battled through adversity for several years which culminated in winning the Halbro Division 4 West title in the 2022/2023.

Ruskin currently has one side but will try and raise this to two in future years. Every year the club faces a mighty challenge with two strong Rugby Union sides in the town and around 18 Rugby League sides, however, the committee and members will continue as best they can to uphold the traditions and values of the club hopefully for many years to come.

Honours
Cheshire/Lancs South Winners: 1993, 1996
North-West West 1 Runners-Up: 1991
South Lancs/Cheshire 2 Winners: 2007, 2012
North-West West 2 Runners-Up: 1988
South Lancs/Cheshire 3 Winners: 2003
NOWIRUL Division 4 West Winners: 2023
NOWIRUL Division 4 West Runners-Up: 2018
Merseyside (West) Runners-Up: 2016

Lancashire Plate Winners: 2007
Lancashire Plate Runners-Up: 2003, 2004
NOWIRUL Shield Winners: 2018