Finsbury Park RFC have launched a new club crest, created and voted for by the club’s players as they head into their 10th season.
The new crest, designed by club committee members and locals Rory Sheppard and Aengus Ryan, features both a new, updated look, whilst also harking back to the club’s inaugural logo.
It features a tree to represent the famous North London park, an arrow symbolising the area’s hunting-ground history, and the green and gold of the Finsbury Park RFC strip – all captured within the shape of a rugby ball.
Finsbury Park RFC has come a long way since its inception in November 2012 when it was started by current club president Sean Burke and long-standing player Stephen Morse in an Islington pub.
The first 10 years have seen a meteoric rise through the London leagues making it the fastest growing North London rugby club.
For Burke, who also works locally in the Access To Sport project, the main aim was to provide rugby to the young people in the Finsbury Park, Islington and Haringey areas as it was fairly football-dominated.
“People always congratulate me, but the credit goes to all club players over the years who have either donned the jersey or volunteered their time to sit on the committee, help at events or even just pass a friendly word along about the club while in the pub,” Burke said.
“This season, the 1st XV placed fifth in London Three North West, 11 whole leagues higher than where they first started years ago.
“2020 marks the first year that the club’s two senior XVs have not earned a promotion slot since the club’s inception, so all focus is on upping the performance level across the board once again.
“My long-term vision for the club is to develop a new clubhouse and start providing youth and women’s rugby for the community. Given the break, we are now looking at fast-tracking those programmes.
“The club has also become a genuine social hub for the area, working closely with partners in the form of North London’s iconic rugby pub The Faltering Fullback, Haringey’s The Salisbury Hotel and local Young’s pub The Naturalist, amongst others.”
First-team captain Evan Gwilliam added: “Finsbury Park is a fantastic rugby club to be a part of, it is a great place to make new friends and enjoy a good social life and that is nearly a bigger success for the club than the results we have had over the years.”
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