ABOUT CHARLTON PARK RFC – A POTTED HISTORY

Despite the existence of a Charlton Football Club playing rugby in the 1860s, Charlton Park dates officially from 1893.

We ran five sides throughout the 1920’s and provided several players to the county, but when the park was sold to Greenwich Borough, we lost our ground. The club was kept afloat by a few dedicated officers, but during the Second World War, the pavilion was hit by a bomb and prefabs were built on the pitches.

Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’, we struggled to raise more than one team. An influx of players at the beginning of the seventies from Avery Hill College put the club back on the map, and in 1974 we moved to Pippenhall, building the clubhouse two years later and securing the freehold.

In the first year of the leagues, we won Kent League Division One, and consolidated our position in London South East Three before winning it in 1991-92. In 1996, we gained promotion to National Division Four South. This was just as the rest of the clubs turned professional. We were relegated at the end of the season and tumbled down the leagues.

In August 1999 we moved to Broad Walk, where we own the freehold. We have developed our facilities and our community links. Prior to the Covid pandemic, the club was used by local schools most days of the week. We now boast two floodlit pitches, thanks to a very generous grant from the RFU.

We currently play our rugby in Counties 1 Kent which is Level 7 in the RFU playing pyramid.