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{{Short description|English rugby union club, based in Merseyside}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox rugby team
| teamname = Waterloo
| image = Waterloo rugby.png
| imagesize = 150
| union = [[Lancashire County Rugby Football Union|Lancashire RFU]]
| fullname = Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club
| founded = {{Start date and age|1882}}
| location = [[Blundellsands]], [[Merseyside]], [[England]]
| region =
| ground = St Anthony's Road, Blundellsands (Capacity: 9,000 (200 seated))<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fanzone.co.uk/Team/Waterloo-Rugby-Union-.aspx |title=Waterloo Rugby Union - St Anthony's Road, Blundellsands, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, L23 8TW :: FanZone |access-date=21 July 2014 |archive-date=28 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728210255/http://www.fanzone.co.uk/Team/Waterloo-Rugby-Union-.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| president = Paul Weare
| coach = Sean Fletcher
| url = https://firwoodwaterloorfc.rfu.club/
| league = [[Regional 2 North West]]
| season = 2023–24
| position = 2nd
|pattern_la1=_red_green_white_hoops|pattern_b1=_greenredwhitehoops|pattern_ra1=_red_green_white_hoops|pattern_so1=_hoops_red_white|leftarm1=ffffff|body1=ffffff|rightarm1=ffffff|shorts1=114511|socks1=114511
}}

'''Waterloo Rugby Club''' (known as '''Firwood Waterloo''' for sponsorship reasons) is an [[England|English]] [[Rugby Union]] team based at St Anthony's Road, [[Blundellsands]], [[Merseyside]]. Once a powerhouse of the English rugby union game, the men's 1st XV now play in [[Regional 2 North West]] at the sixth level of [[English rugby union system]], following their relegation from [[North Premier|National League 3 North]] at the end of the 2016–17 season.

== History ==
[[File:Waterloo1.jpg|thumb|Waterloo lineout at Blundellsands]]
Waterloo Football Club celebrated its 125th season in 2007–08, having been founded in 1882 by brothers Sidney and Harry Hall and George Abercrombie. From 1882 until 1884 the club was known as Serpentine after the road near its original ground. In 1884 a dispute prompted a relocation to [[Waterloo, Merseyside|Waterloo]] and so the club's name was changed. The club returned to the Blundellsands area in 1892 and has remained there ever since. The team is currently known as '''Firwood Waterloo''' after its title sponsor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sponsors|url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/waterloo/d/sponsors.html|website=Firwood Waterloo Rugby|publisher=Pitcheroo|access-date=27 November 2014}}</ref>

They play in [[Myrtle (color)|myrtle]] green, white and [[Scarlet (color)|scarlet]] hooped shirts, green shorts and green socks. Their badge features a [[Lancashire|Lancastrian]] red rose with a black [[griffin]] in the centre. Former players include [[Dick Greenwood]], [[Ben Kay]], [[Will Greenwood]], [[Andy Titterrell]], [[Nicola Mazzucato]], [[Watcyn Thomas]], [[Kyran Bracken]], [[Austin Healey]], and [[Paul Grayson (rugby union)|Paul Grayson]].<ref>[http://www.waterloorugby.com/theclub.asp Club Details section of Waterloo's website]</ref>

== Notes ==
[[File:Waterloo RFC 2.jpg|thumb|Waterloo [[Rugby union gameplay#Ruck|ruck]] Blundellsands.]]
*In 1977 they were the runner-up in the [[Powergen Cup|John Player Cup]].
*In 1986 they won the [[Glengarth Sevens]] at [[Stockport RUFC]]
*They competed in the [[Guinness Premiership|top division]] of [[List of English rugby union teams|English rugby]] for the first two seasons after the league structure was introduced but were relegated in 1989.
*In Season 2003–04 the 1st XV gained promotion to [[English Rugby Union teams|National League Division 2]], reached the final of the [[EDF Energy Trophy|Powergen Shield]] at [[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]] and was Rugby World Magazine 'Team of the Year'.
*In 2005–06 they secured promotion to [[National Division One|National League Division 1]].
*In 2005 club president and former England women's rugby union international [[Gill Burns]] received an [[Member of the Order of the British Empire|M.B.E.]] for services to sport.
*In 2008 the club won the Lancashire Cup for the 7th time.

== Honours ==
*[[Lancashire Cup Rugby Union|Lancashire Cup]] winners (7 times): 1974, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1993, 1994, 2008
*[[Lancashire Cup Rugby Union|Lancashire Cup]] runner-up: 2006, 2023
*[[Powergen Cup|John Player Cup]] runner-up: 1977
*[[Glengarth Sevens]] winners: 1986
*Merit Table B champions: 1986–87
*[[National League 2 North|National Division 3 North]] champions: [[2003–04 National Division Three North|2003–04]]
*[[EDF Energy Trophy|Powergen Shield]] runner-up: 2003–04

== Ground move ==
At the 2008 AGM the prospect of selling their Blundellsands ground and relocation to a new purpose-built facility was discussed.<ref>[http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/0350rugbyunion/tm_headline=waterloo-8217-s-fazey-finding-support-in-favour-of-move&method=full&objectid=20707149&siteid=50061-name_page.html Waterloo discuss ground move]</ref>

== MyWaterlooRugby.com ==
In mid-2009 in an attempt to create extra interest and revenue Waterloo embarked on an internet based fan management scheme allowing rugby enthusiasts to contribute to the running of the club by subscribing to a website and voted on club decisions.<ref>[http://www.mywaterloorugby.com/aboutus46.aspx MyWaterlooRugby.com]</ref>

== Women's rugby==
{{further|Waterloo Ladies}}
The women's first team currently play in Tyrells Premier 15s and the Development Team play in the Tyrells Premier 15's Development League. They are currently captained by Rachael Thomas, the section has produced numerous International players throughout their 30-year history and currently have Mhairi Greave (Scotland), Lisa Neumann (Wales), Lauren Delaney (Ireland) and Sarah Beckett (England), playing at International level.

== Colts ==
Waterloo FC has a history of high success at Colts level. The most successful team, captained by Tom Benbow and featuring long serving veterans Tom White Jr, Matt Daley, Sean Miller, Martin Bell, Andrew Riley and Mike Bates won their league in the 2002–03 season, gaining promotion and then winning the Lancashire Cup the following season. The team has now largely disbanded and the majority of the members have moved from the club. Martin Bell went on to become first team captain.

The Colts currently compete in the Senior B league of the Lancashire Colts section (a division also featuring Liverpool St Helens, Kirkby Lonsdale and Fylde). They are captained by Jack Weare who is deputising for the injury stricken Carl Nolan. The season started well with the team winning 6 out of 6 games leaving them top of the table but shortly after this injuries and player availability contributed to the team losing the majority of their matches within weeks of the season opening.

In 2022 the Senior colts won the Lancashire Cup in a 22–17 win over a Warrington side at Fleetwood RUFC. This side was unbeaten in over four years and coached by former Waterloo men's Captain David Blyth.

== Internationals ==
The full list of Waterloo players to earn international caps is as follows :

'''England : '''
[[Alan Ashcroft]] 1956–59,
[[Jasper Bartlett]] 1951,
[[Reg Bazley]] 1952–55,
[[Norman Bennett]] 1948,
Eric Bole 1946,
[[John Cain (rugby union)|John Cain]] 1950,
[[Roy Foulds]] 1929,
[[Dick Greenwood]] 1966–69,
[[Dickie Guest]] 1939–49,
[[Jack Heaton (rugby)|Jack Heaton]] 1935–47,
[[Chris Jennins]] 1967,
[[Roy Leyland]] 1935,
[[Humphrey Luya]] 1948–49,
[[Graham Meikle]] 1934,
[[Steve Meikle]] 1929,
[[Joe Periton]] 1925–30,
[[Samuel Victor Perry|Sam Perry]] 1948,
[[Gordon Rimmer]] 1949–54,
[[Jim Syddall]] 1982–84,
[[Peter Thompson (rugby union, born 1929)|Peter Thompson]] 1959,
[[Henry Toft|Bert 'HB' Toft]] 1936–39,
[[Dick Uren]] 1948–52,
Harold Uren 1946,
[[Jack Wallens]] 1927,
[[Bob Weighill]] 1947–48,
Gill Burns,
Sonia Harris,
Ross Green 2007

'''Ireland : '''
[[Robin Godfrey]] 1954, Fiona Neary, Joleen Morton

'''Italy : '''
Nicola Mazzucato 2007.

'''Spain : '''
Pablo Feijóo 2007–08, Jaime Nava 2008.

'''Scotland : '''
[[Alastair Fisher]] 1947,
[[Colin Fisher]] 1975–76,
[[John MacArthur (rugby union)|John MacArthur]] 1932,
[[Sammy McQueen]] 1923,
[[Allan Roy]] 1938–39,
[[Jumbo Scott]] 1928–30,
Ally Little 2001.

'''Wales : '''
[[Raymond Bark-Jones]] 1933,
[[Watcyn Thomas]] 1931–33,
Kylie Wilson,
Rachel Brown,
Jennifer Davies.

'''USA : '''
Michael Caulder 1974–75
Chad Erskine 2006

'''Canada : '''
Ander Monro 2006

'''Malta : '''
James O'Brien 2009–present
Tom Holloway 2010–present

'''Luxembourg :'''
Jason Bloomfield 1995
Jason Brittin 1995

'''Kenya :'''
William Murphy 2009–present

== Other ==
* They were affiliated with Liverpool's [[European Capital of Culture|Capital of Culture 2008]] promotions ({{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050728005933/http://www.liverpool08.com/ official website]}}).
* The club has a long tradition of rivalries with some of the sport's most famous clubs. One such tradition, recently revived, is the game against [[Wanderers F.C. (rugby union)|Wanderers]]. The winners of this match get to keep the "Percy the [[Esox|Pike]]" trophy in their clubhouse.<ref>[http://www.waterloorugby.com/news.asp?article=186 Percy The Pike]</ref> The fixture was played once again in April 2017 at St. Anthony's Road. It was indeed won in true "hands will do it" fashion by Wanderers in the last play of the game. The pike will return to Wanderers where it will be played for in a return fixture in 2018.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}

{{English Premiership (rugby union)}}
{{Original Courage League 1 clubs}}
{{National League 2 North}}
{{coord|53.494518|-3.047097|region:GB_type:landmark_scale:5000|display=title}}

[[Category:Premiership Rugby teams]]
[[Category:Rugby union teams in England]]
[[Category:Rugby clubs established in 1882]]
[[Category:Sport in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton]]
[[Category:1882 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Rugby union in Merseyside]]

Waterloo F.C. - Revision history

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