Eight years ago today, Blackheath Rugby played its first National One game at Well Hall, marking the start of a new chapter in the history of The Club.
Looking back at that first game, Graham Cox’s match report notes a drizzly, windy day but, importantly, it was a 13-6 win against Esher in the first ever home game at Well Hall. To see the full match report against Esher, click here.
Fast forward to 2024, Well Hall has been renamed The Utilita, and this weekend (7 September), marked the official opening of our newly acquired ground — an immense feat, realising the vision of many, and one that could only be achieved with the hard work and commitment of a key group of people. Russell Ticehurst, MD, and Des Diamond, Past President, worked tirelessly on the initial move to The Utilita, and were joined by James Fleming, Chairman, and Nick Probert, COO, in the subsequent years, which allowed the club to realise the full ownership of the ground. A special mention also goes to Doug Hursey, President of Kent Rugby, and Clive Efford MP, who have been strong supporters and friends of Blackheath Rugby throughout this time and, of course, none of this would have been possible without the Community Ownership Fund.
We were delighted that Barry Nealon, past President, past Chairman, and current Patron of Blackheath Rugby, cut the ribbon of our ground after delivering a speech of thanks to all involved in every part of the process. You can watch the speech, and enjoy a few memories from 2016 in this video
Barry says “Congratulations to James and Nick for successfully negotiating the freehold purchase of our ground, and thanks to all the members who gave their financial support.”
Russell Ticehurst, Managing Director of Blackheath Rugby, was instrumental in the move. “I first asked Greenwich University Vice Chancellor, if he would consider selling Well Hall in 2012, he said “not at the moment”. I asked again in 2016 and this time he said “we might do” and finally in 2018 the new Vice Chancellor said “Yes”. Here we are today cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the Memorial Gates, to signify how memorable and significant this occasion is, in our long and rich history. The team involved, especially James Fleming and Nicholas Probert have been truly amazing throughout this lengthy period and have had to re visit the wording and the details many times, in order to get it right. Our current President Rory O’Sullivan has also maintained a close working relationship with our previous landlords in order to ensure dialogue continued at difficult times. So here we are in 2024 the proud owners of Well Hall and a ground in the heart of South East London, which has been Blackheath FC (Rugby) home since 1858 and we are now here to stay. A bright and exciting future awaits us.”
James Fleming, Chairman of Blackheath Rugby is equally happy and reflects on the past few years “It’s hard to believe that 8 years have passed since we played our first National One League game at Well Hall, now known, of course, as The Utilita. The Club has grown and developed significantly since that time. Having recently acquired the freehold of The Utilita, we are delighted that we are now playing our matches from a home ground that we fully own! Here’s to the future!!”
Of course, this couldn’t have been done without our members, supporters and sponsors. So a final thank you goes to each and every one of you.
LATEST NEWS
