User:SimplyLouis27/Gloucester Rugby

Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.

The club was formed in 1873 and since 1891 has played its home matches at Kingsholm Stadium in the north of the city. In the 2022–23 Premiership Rugby season, Gloucester finished 10th which earned them a space in the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup. The current director of rugby (DOR) is George Skivington who took the role of head coach in the summer of 2020 before being promoted to DOR in the Autumn of 2023.

Gloucester have won 8 major titles; four RFU Knockout Cup's in 1971–72, 1977–78, 1981–82 and 2002–03, one Anglo-Welsh Cup win in 2010–11, and one Premiership Rugby Cup win in 2023–24. The Premiership Rugby Cup win in 2024 meant they became the first club to win all three iterations of the English domestic cup competition. Outside of England, Gloucester has also seen success in Europe's second-tier completion having won the EPCR Challenge Cup twice: in 2005–06 and 2014–15. Despite never winning a league title, Gloucester have finished runners-up on four occasions; 1988–89, 1989–90, 2002–03, and most recently in 2006–07.

The club has no official nickname but is referred to as the Cherry and Whites by supporters and the media in reference to the Cherry and white hooped shirts worn by the team. Matches with local rivals Bath and Bristol Bears are referred to as West Country derbies.

Formation and early years
The club was formed in 1873 following a meeting held at a city hotel, as announced in the Gloucester Journal: ''"A football club has been formed in this city – the season's operations begin at the Spa on the first Tuesday in next month." '' a team was then organised to play The College School, now part of The King's School. The team's first captain was Frank Hartley who helped with the formation of the club.

The club left the Spa after an argument with the cricket club that they were ground sharing with. During the winter, the Rugby Club used 80 tons of salt to thaw the pitch resulting in the death of the grass. The pitch was described as having "the appearance of a newly ploughed piece of arable land" because of this, the rugby club were given their notice to leave the spa. They then acquired lands from the Castle Grim Estate for £4,000 in 1891 & have played home fixtures at this site ever since, in the area known as Kingsholm.

Women's team
In 2014, Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury College came together to found Gloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club. They are run under the jurisdiction of Gloucester Rugby. The CEO is former Gloucester player James Forrester. Gloucester-Hartpury have won the 2016–17 season of the Women's Championship Midlands 2	as well as the 2022–23 season of the Premier 15s, with the latter being the highest level of women's rugby union in England.

Stadium
Gloucester Rugby relocated to Kingsholm Stadium from the Spa Ground in 1891 after purchasing land from the Castle Grim Estate for £4,000. The initial structure, later known as the Shed, opened as the "Sixpenny" stand. The stadium's capacity grew to 20,000 in 1926 with the addition of a grandstand, but it was destroyed by fire six years later. Plans to expand seating to 7,000 were considered, favoring terracing due to cost constraints.

The Shed, named for its resemblance to a cow shed, became renowned for its passionate atmosphere. 'Project Kingsholm' aimed to modernize the stadium, akin to developments at other clubs. Despite fundraising efforts, the project was ultimately shelved.

In 2006, renovations increased capacity to 16,500 to meet league requirements. Plans to convert the Shed into an all-seater section sparked a 'Save Our Shed' campaign, opposing the loss of terracing. Plans for redevelopment, including hospitality units, were discussed but not implemented.

Proposals for a new 20,000-seater stadium were considered to accommodate both Gloucester Rugby and Gloucester City A.F.C. Additionally, Kingsholm's use as a temporary home for Gloucester City A.F.C. was explored, particularly after their stadium, Meadow Park, was rendered unusable due to flooding.

In 2017, Gloucester Rugby announced plans to upgrade Kingsholm Stadium, including a megastore and museum. Apart from small modifications, the main plans did not come to fruition.

Season records & summaries
Gold background denotes champions Silver background denotes runners-up Pink background denotes relegated

* After dropping into the competition from the Champions Cup/Heineken Cup

Current coaches
Source:
 * George Skivington — Director of Rugby
 * Dominic Waldouck – Rugby Strategy & Defence Coach
 * Trevor Woodman – Scrum & Assistant Forwards Coach
 * James Lightfoot Brown — Attack Coach
 * Tim Taylor – Skills & Backs Transition Coach
 * T. Rhys Thomas – Forwards Transition Coach

Past coaches
Notes
 * Excludes pre-season and cancelled fixtures.
 * Excludes results from Gloucester United (2nd XV)