Formed in 1884 the Lisburn Rugby Club has gone through its fair share of ups and downs during its long history. The club was once a powerhouse, even winning the Senior Challenge Cup, only to then disappear with the cancellation of rugby during WWI. In 1947 a bunch of rugby lovers gathered to form the Wallace Old Boys Rugby Football Club, in the fifties they then expanded to form Lisburn Academicals, who further expended to form the Lisburn Rugby Club we know today.

1975 saw the opening of the Horace Crawford Clubhouse. Lisburn Rugby Club had reached a highpoint during the seventies, opening the clubhouse after years of hard work, and was at one point fielding seven first team sides. The sheer number of members meant that the club had to expand, and in 1982 the clubhouse was extended, with floodlighting, a third pitch and other amenities being added. During this period LRFC won a number of league titles, and this saw them promoted to playing in Section 1 of the Old Junior League. The club then worked on their successes, and in 2000 they won Qualifying 1, thus becoming Ulster’s participant in the Interprovincial Playoffs. Sadly the team did not make it through the playoffs, though a host of other awards, including the Towns Cup, the McCambley Cup and the Harden Cup have been won along the way, and chances are that LRFC will lift these trophies once again.

A decline in the interest of rugby has seen many clubs lose finances and have forced them to close shop, though Lisburn members were farsighted enough to initiate a Mini, Junior and Ladies’ section. This has allowed the number of members to stay high and for more funding to come in. With a strong foundation and enthusiastic member base, the future looks bright for Lisburn Rugby Club.