Founded in 1958 as a factory side, Vickers Armstrong, by one determined employee Norbert (Bob) Little. Bob was the driving force and sole reason that the club got off the ground despite the resistance from the Vickers Armstrong management.

At the outset all of the initial fixtures had to be played away, as the Vickers Armstrong management would not grant anywhere to play, and certainly nowhere near the clubhouse. Eventually, having been badgered by Bob every week they condescended to allow pitches on the airfield, about ½ mile along Highworth Road. Even then things were not straight forward as the management believed that the posts would attract birds, so they had to be taken down after every game.

In 1966 Vickers dropped the Armstrong and became Vickers (Swindon) Ltd. It was decided the rugby club would omit Swindon from its name as it could have aligned us to another club in the town.

1980 started a total shift in the fate of the club, Vickers Properties sold the airfield to Honda UK, and started negotiations to sell the factory site.

As Vickers were no longer going to have a presence in the town, the club were told that they needed to change the name and Supermarine was born after the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire which was produced during WW2 at the Highworth Road Factory.

1982 saw the start of the mini and junior section. From humble beginnings of around a dozen kids and a few enterprising dads, it now boasts 300 plus kids, from six years old and upwards, and an army of RFU qualified coaches.

1985 Honda started production on the site and Supermarine became nomadic again as far as pitches were concerned. For 2 years games were played on a patch of land outside the Honda perimeter fence, affectionately known as “the rockery”. A major drawback of playing on the rockery was that if the ball went over the fence the team had to wait for the security patrol to come along and retrieve it.

1988 and the club secured a new home on Supermarine Road, which is where we still are today. As with the rest of our past it was not straight forward, during construction of the clubhouse the builders managed to break all the drainage channels which meant the pitches flooded at the slightest hint of rain. With heavy rain there was a serious risk of drowning, it was a far cry from the manicured surfaces we enjoy today.

In 1990 a group of hockey players put an article in the local paper looking to try rugby, the ladies were invited to come and join the club and the Ladies section was born. The main protagonists were 3 sisters, the Jellymans. One got more than she bargained for when she married a long-standing member of the club, a certain Mr Steve Bartlett.

The club continues to flourish both on and off the pitch and Bob Littles vision of rugby for all continues through the Mens Senior team, Ladies team, Mini & Youth and the Girls sections. We are a family friendly club, who play with passion and sportsmanship at every level.

#Bluefamily.