Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club

Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club is delighted to congratulate Steve Thompson, stalwart of our Minis and Juniors section, on the award of a British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

Steve was awarded the honour for services to Rugby Union Football and to the community in Crosby and it couldn’t be more deserved.

For the last 28 years Steve has given up his Sunday mornings (September to May) to spend at least three hours each week introducing young children (both boys and girls) to the sport of Rugby Union.

Each season he takes responsibility for coaching the very youngest children aged 5 to 8, gradually introducing them to different aspects of the game through age-relevant training. He is calm, patient and above all fiercely passionate about the sport.

Every season his enthusiasm for rugby is transferred to the children under his guidance. In terms of the breadth of his impact, over those 28 years he has introduced many hundreds of children to the game, many of whom have carried on playing rugby into adulthood. Two England Women’s internationals - Sarah Beckett and Holly Aitchison who were first coached by Steve Thompson at Firwood Waterloo RFC.

Just last month, Steve was awarded our annual Tony Pugh Award, which recognises above and beyond contribution to the life of the club, and he has also received a ‘Lifetime of Coaching Award’ from the club and been made an Honorary life member.

Well done Steve – well deserved! 👏🏽

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🏉 PREMIERSHIP RUGBY SEMI-FINALS LIVE AT FWFC! 🏉

The road to Twickenham goes through this weekend, and we'll be showing both semi-finals live on the big screens!

📅 Friday
😇 Northampton 🆚 Leicester 🐯
🕢 Kick-off: 19:45

📅 Saturday
🛀 Bath 🆚 Exeter Chiefs 👑
🕒 Kick-off: 15:00

🍻 Bar opens early on Saturday from 14:30, so grab a drink, get comfy and soak up the atmosphere before kick-off.

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At a special ceremony at Twickenham yesterday two former Waterloo players were finally awarded England caps by the RFU.

Dave Carfoot and Peter Buckton were awarded caps retrospectively for significant representative England fixtures they played in 1977 and 1986 respectively, now recognised as full internationals.

David was a dynamic scrum half during the 1970s and 1980s and a great servant of the Club. Peter has been a fixture here as both player, captain, coach and brilliant supporter of rugby at the Club.

Congratulations again to both - the honour is hugely deserved and we couldn't be more proud of you.

We are planning to be open every weekend throughout the off season ☀️ 🍻

Our core opening hours will be:
📅 Fridays from 5.30 to 9.30pm
📅 Saturday from 4 to 10pm
📅 Sunday 2 to 6pm

We are also looking to open for sporting events such as the Rugby Nations Cup 🏉 and the FIFA World Cup ⚽️

We will post details of those openings and any other changes on our social media accounts / website.

We will also continue running the monthly quiz on the second Thursday of the month. The next one will be Thursday 11th June - come down and join in, it starts at 8pm 🧠📝

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Another Celebration of Life at Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club.

Yesterday we were honoured to be hosting another celebration of life for a local Evertonian here at Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club 💙

At difficult times, having the right venue can make all the difference. As one of the largest function venues in the local area, we can comfortably accommodate a large number of guests. With the added benefit of free, secure on-site parking for family and friends.

We understand that every celebration of life is personal and unique. Our experienced team will work with you to create a thoughtful, dignified and classy event, tailored to your individual requirements. From room layout and refreshments to catering and hospitality, we are here to support you every step of the way.

Whether you are planning a celebration of life, family gathering, birthday, anniversary or any special occasion. We can cater for your needs to help make the occasion as stress-free and memorable as possible.

At Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club, we are a welcoming venue for life’s important moments.

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Building on the recent first and second team tour to la belle France, Richard Bell’s Mighty Green Machine spent last weekend further strengthening the entente cordiale with a weekend tour to Avignon.

Boasting a touring party of no fewer than 34 (mainly) English yeomen, bolstered by a smattering of our Celtic cousins, la Puissante Machine Verte was there to play in a veterans’ tournament, hosted by Le Rugby Club Pauloussie.

Having travelled and prepared with an early night on Friday, the merry band, led by coach and grand fromage Dave Raywood, turned up for the tournament at the ungodly hour of 9am, early starts being de rigueur in those parts due to the extreme heat.

As well as the boys in green, the tournament involved eight French teams and FC Barcelona. It soon became clear that the MGM’s cunning plan to ensure that its 25 playing members included ten props wasn’t perhaps ideal for a game with non-contested scrums and very limited line-outs due to a non-kicking rule.

Anyway, playing five games between 9.30 am and about 1.30pm, in increasingly hot conditions, while not troubling the trophy presentation, the MGM did not disgrace itself.

The tournament was hard fought and the third half, as our continental friends call the after-match festivities, was in the finest rugby traditions. Lots of singing, lots of silly games, and plenty of cold beer. The experience of singing “Swing Low” with a group of Frenchmen was certainly a first for your correspondent.

The Machine’s hosts did them proud, providing an enormous post-match lunch of white wine and mussels in a creamy, mustard sauce – our touring chef Tony Bonner was seen taking notes – before later providing lifts to a “Garden party en blanc”, a white-themed party at the Chateau St Maurice.

A fantastic time was had by all and, after a day of cultural sightseeing on Sunday, followed by a meal and a final sing-song in the main square in Avignon, the tour party returned home, largely unscathed on Monday morning.

This was a tour in the finest rugby traditions, featuring no fewer than seven tour virgins in a party which represented the club impeccably while having boatloads of fun and creating memories that will last forever. Chapeau to all involved in organising and to our gracious hosts – merci mes freres.

Vive la Machine.

We are planning to be open every weekend throughout the off season.

Our core opening hours will be Fridays from 5.30 to 9.30pm, on Saturday from 4 to 10pm and on Sunday 2 to 6 pm.

We are also looking to open for sporting events such as the Rugby Nations Cup and the Football World Cup – we’ll post details of those openings, and any other changes, on here.

We will also continue running the monthly quiz on the second Thursday of the month. The next one will be Thursday 11th June - come down and join in, it starts at 8pm.

🚫 Please Keep Off the Pitch 🚫

The 1st XV pitch has had its close-season renovation works commence this morning. As a result, the pitch is now out of bounds until the start of the new season at the end of August.

These essential works will help us prepare the playing surface to the highest possible standard for the upcoming season.

We thank everyone for their cooperation and understanding while the renovations are carried out.

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What an incredible day at the 2nd Jago Ford Memorial 7’s 🏉

We just want to say a massive thank you to every single team that took part and to everyone who came through the door to support. The atmosphere was something truly special from start to finish, full of love, laughter and everything that made Jago who he was.

It meant so much to see so many of his family, friends, and loved ones all back together at his second home. Days like this remind us just how much of an impact he had on so many people and how strong that connection still is 🕊️

This event is more than just rugby, it’s about keeping Jago’s spirit alive, sharing memories and bringing people together the way he always did.

Thank you all for making it so special once again & we hope we did you proud 🫶🏽

We’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year …

❤️JF🤍15💚

📸 John McCabe

Good luck Adam and the rest of the 17’s squad in their game on the weekend 👏🏽 🌹

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U17's LINE-UP | Lancashire v Cumbria
Sunday 24th May at Vale of Lune RUFC, Kick Off 2pm.
Congratulations to all the lads selected to represent their county
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Vale of Lune Rugby Union Club Widnes RUFC Aspull RFC Kirkham Grammar School Preston Grasshoppers RFC Wigan RUFC Rochdale Rugby Union Football Club - rrufc Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club Fylde RFC Liverpool St.Helens Trafford MV Warrington Rugby Union Tarleton Rugby Ormskirk Rugby Club