Sale FC Rugby Club is an English professional rugby union club based at Heywood Road in Sale. As well as its first team, the club runs junior teams under the name of Sale Scorpions. Aviva Premiership club Sale Sharks is the professional offshoot of the original Sale FC Rugby Club.
Their 2nd XV, as last season, will ply their trade in the Bateman BMW Premier league.
Their Carrington training facility is the training base for Sale Sharks, and the grounds are owned and serviced by Sale F.C. for the benefit of not just the Sharks but also all of our playing members from mini's to the 1st XV.
With a state of the art gymnasium and four full sized pitches, they believe it to be one of the best training grounds in the country. They have catered for rugby of all ages and the training facility also boasts a dedicated Minis & Junior zone with kitchen/refreshment area, eight changing rooms, showers, integral ice baths, rehab-recovery areas, a medical centre and a media room that can seat up to 50 people.
Founded by a team of enthusiastic football players in 1861, Sale FC is the fifth oldest surviving rugby club and the most prominent in the history of the North West.
In the very early days of the Club, rules were usually deemed unnecessary and those that were enforced were often made up on the spot. As the game began to evolve however, the need for specified regulations became apparent and in 1865 the Minute Book was created stipulating the ten rules to be followed by all players.
Over the years, Sale FC has featured many prominent international and county players. Pat Davies became their first England international in 1927 and the ‘Roaring Thirties’ brought about an international backline; Hal Sever (England wing), Claude Davey and Wilf Wooller (Wales centres) and Ken Fyfe (Scotland wing). Fran Cotton, Steve Smith, Dewi Morris, Richard Trickey and Jason Robinson are just some of the more recent players to have played at Sale.
The success and growth of Sale FC in recent years has enabled them to invest even further into their facilities, purchasing land at Carrington for training purposes. This site is now regarded as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ and is used not only by them but by their professional friends over at Sale Sharks and even a number of international clubs too.
Whilst five star facilities are important for their development and growth, it is the enthusiasm and dedication of the people at Sale FC that really make them such a great club. From players to clubhouse secretaries, supporters to grounds men, everyone has an important role to play.
2011 marks the 150th birthday of Sale FC, and they are proud of what they have achieved so far and look forward to the challenges and successes the next 150 years will bring.
New comers to National League 2 North Sale FC are one of the oldest clubs in the RFU started off their Preseason with an away fixture at National 3 Midlands side Lichfield RFC winning by 5 points 31 -26, they followed this up with a cheshire cup game against Chester RUFC loosing narrowly 29-31. They have lived at their Heywood Road ground for 110 Years so are familiar with the ground. They also have a dedicated training centre with four pitches used on a daily basis by Aviva Premiership side Sale Sharks. Ex Rugby League and Mowden Park 2nd Row Ben Gledhill has returned to Sale FC and announced the move back at the end of April. They have in their ranks Liam McGovern another rugby league convert who spent 4 years at St Helens obtaining Great Britain academy honours who has been with them since 2013.
Sale FC are currently on a promotion path up the RFU leagues with promotions 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2014-2015 so will certainly not be in National League 2 North to make up the numbers.