What is the Old Boys all About?
The Old Boys website is dedicated to providing a means to ensure that the former members of the University of Sheffield Rugby League Club will forever remain in touch. Every year the ex-players meet for a "friendly" reunion match against the current University team followed by a meal and a night out at Sheffield Univeristy Students' Union.
Actor Colin Welland, of 'Chariots of Fire' fame, once summed up:
"In South-West Lancashire babes don't toddle, they side-step. Queuing women talk of 'nipping round the blind-side'. Rugby League provides our cultural adrenaline. It's a physical manifestation of our rules of life, comradeship, honest endeavour, and a staunch, often ponderous allegiance to fair play." - Colin Welland (1979)
Personally I prefer:
"Anyone who doesn't watch Rugby League is not a real person. He's a cow's hoof, an ethic or comes from Melbourne." - John Singleton, Australian (1981)
Anyone who has had the pleasure of playing Rugby League, at any level, will know that both these statements ring so true.
This site is dedicated to that comradeship and unbroken bond of friendship established in our short careers as players in the University of Sheffield Rugby League club.
The Old Boys Match and Meal
Each year The Old Boys regroup and return to Sheffield to pitch battle against the current University of Sheffield Rugby League team. Following the match there is an afternoon of socialising followed by a full meal in the evening. The meal also serves as an end of year social for the club where the annual awards are presented and the President gives his outgoing address followed by the announcement of the new committee. For the brave, or stupid, the inevitable Pop Tarts puts the finishing touches to the event. Those still not content may eventually find themselves in Balti King, or in the arms of a member of the current women's team.
The success of the Old Boys can only be attributed to the dedication of the ex-players that return to give something back to the club they once knew. The event has been organised by various people over the years and currently generates around £300 for the club each year.
The organisation that is the "SURL Trustees" was originally set up by former president Jon Dickson following successful events organised in previous years. After running the event for four years Dicko handed the responsibilities over to Andy Gwilliam, another former player and social secretary. Dicko had this to say:
"Through all your years at university nothing will create a stronger social bond and sense of brotherhood and camaraderie than being a member of a sports club. This is especially true of the Rugby League club here at Sheffield University. For a sport that demands physical toughness and great determination the club demands little more than a thirst for fun and frolicking, with an added desire to take part in the sport.
"The strength of the social scene at the club is born from its unique situation of having combined mens and women's teams, giving a closer bond both on nights out and on match days. You will not meet a closer group of friends than we have here. I feel privileged to being part of such an alliance. The purpose of the SURL Old Boys was to maintain this alliance as old members graduated and the new players entered the breech, and to ensure that we never lose touch..." - Jon Dickson
Site Information
This site is designed as an information resource to be used by the former players of the University of Sheffield Rugby League Club, but anyone is welcome to explore the pages on offer. Some pages are private and require users to register before the information can be viewed.
From this site registered users can submit their details to a database. Details can be updated by the registered users. In this way we will have your up-to-date address, phone number and email in order for us to contact you in the Spring with information about the next Old Boys meal. Registered users can chose to make their personal details, such as phone number and address, accessible to other users. In a share and share alike fashion if a users chooses not to release his or her personal details then other people's will be hidden from them.
Other features of the site are a Hall of Fame for all you ex-players out there. Here you will find other people's details, along with their photo and other general information about the person.
There are other resources here, such as Old Boys Gossip, for all that important club scandal, and the Discussion Forum to chat to your old adversaries about just about anything.
