331 Years of History at the Morson Group Stadium
This Saturday, we have the distinct privilege of welcoming our oldest friends in the game to Heywood Road.
When Blackheath FC run out onto the pitch, it won’t just be another National League fixture; it will be a meeting of the founding fathers. With Blackheath established in 1858 and Sale FC in 1861, this weekend sees a staggering 331 years of rugby heritage combined on a single field.
We often talk about the history of our great club, but it is rare that we host a side that can claim to be our senior by three years. It is an honour to host the oldest open rugby club in the world.
A Debt of Gratitude
We share more than just antiquity with our visitors; in many ways, we owe the very game we play today to them.
Back in 1863, when the rules of “football” were being debated at the Freemasons’ Tavern in London, it was Blackheath who stood firm. When the newly formed FA tried to ban “hacking” (and running with the ball), Blackheath’s treasurer, Francis Maule Campbell, refused to let the game be diluted. He famously argued that removing the physical confrontation would strip the sport of its “courage and pluck”:
“If you do away with hacking, you will do away with all the courage and pluck of the game, and I will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week’s practice.”
— Francis Maule Campbell
They walked out of that meeting, and in doing so, they ensured that Rugby and Soccer became two entirely different sports. Every time one of our players carries the ball into contact this Saturday, we can tip our caps to Blackheath for ensuring we aren’t just kicking a round ball about a park.
What’s with the FC?
It is this precise heritage that explains the naming convention we share. In the top tiers of English rugby union, several historic clubs still maintain the “FC” (Football Club) designation in their names as a nod to a time when “football” was a generic term for various codes, predating the formal split:
- Blackheath FC (1858) Currently in National 1 (3rd Tier)
- Manchester FC (1860) Currently in Regional 1 NW (5th Tier)
- Sale FC (1861) Currently in National 1 (3rd Tier)
- Richmond FC (1861) Currently in Championship (2nd Tier)
These four were founded before the FA was formed in 1863. Other prominent professional clubs founded shortly after, such as Leicester Tigers (founded 1880 as Leicester FC), Bath Rugby (1865 as Bath FC), Saracens FC (1876), and Harlequins FC (1866 as Hampstead FC), also adhere to this traditional “FC” naming model.
Something in the Air?
However, one cannot look at the history books without noticing a rather amusing coincidence regarding our respective birth years.
Historians will note that 1858, the year Blackheath was founded, is chiefly remembered in London for “The Great Stink.” The smell from the Thames was so atrocious that year that Parliament had to soak their curtains in chloride of lime just to stay in session. It wasn’t until 1861—the very year Sale FC was founded—that the great engineer Joseph Bazalgette began the major work on the massive sewer system that finally cleaned up the capital.
Now, we are strictly impartial hosts. We are certainly not suggesting that Blackheath caused the stink and Sale FC arrived just in time to clear the air. We are simply pointing out that the timeline is… suspicious. We shall let the supporters draw their own conclusions!
When We Began: The World of 1861
Joking aside, to truly understand the magnitude of this fixture, we have to look back to when our own story began. When our founders established Sale Football Club in 1861, we were stepping into a world that is almost unrecognisable today.
We were born in the Victorian era’s complex prime. Queen Victoria was our sovereign, though it was a year of tragedy for the Crown; her husband Prince Albert passed away that December, changing the mood of the nation for a generation.
Globally, maps were being redrawn. In Europe, the Risorgimento came to a head as Italy finally became a unified kingdom under Victor Emmanuel II. Across the Atlantic, the American Civil War had just erupted—a bloody conflict that meant the abolition of slavery was still four hard-fought years away.
It was an era of rapid innovation, too—the year we were born saw the first-ever colour photograph taken and the invention of the lift safety brake, which would eventually give rise to the modern skyscraper.
The Long Road Here
It is remarkable to think that for the first 128 years of our existence, we never met Blackheath in a league fixture. Geography was the great divider.
If our supporters had wanted to travel to Blackheath in 1861, it wouldn’t have been a simple train ride; it would have been an odyssey. You would have faced a seven-hour journey, rattling down to Euston on a steam train before navigating the cobbled streets of London in a horse-drawn hansom cab just to cross the river.
Thankfully, the journey is easier today, even if it took us until 8 April 1989 to finally meet in the Courage Leagues. We made up for lost time quickly, however; many of our longer-standing members will fondly remember our victory over them in the Pilkington Cup just a year later in January 1990.
The Modern Era: A Rivalry Renewed
While our shared history dates back to the Victorian era, the modern rivalry between Sale FC and Blackheath is forged in the heat of National League 1.
Both clubs have firmly established themselves as heavyweights in Tier 3, though our paths to this point have taken slightly different turns. For the Dogs, recent years have been defined by high-level inconsistency. Since our agonisingly close runner-up finish in the 2021-22 season—where we narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship—we have remained a formidable force in the league.
In contrast, our visitors have shown remarkable resilience. The same year we finished second, Blackheath suffered the heartbreak of relegation. However, true to their status as a giant of the game, they didn’t stay down for long; they bounced straight back from National 2 East at the first attempt and have re-established themselves as a dangerous outfit in this league.
When the two sides meet, it is rarely a dull affair. While we held the upper hand in the post-COVID era, Blackheath have had the better of the recent exchanges, doing the “double” over us in the 2024/25 season. Their narrow 31–27 win at Well Hall last November was a particular wrestling match, followed by a tough day at the office for us at home in March.
This season Blackheath are two positions above us in 3rd but only one point separates us!
This Saturday offers the Dogs a perfect opportunity to set the record straight against our oldest rivals.
History in the Making
This Saturday, we aren’t just looking back; we are writing the next chapter.
While the “hacking” of the 1860s is long gone, the spirit of “courage and pluck” that Blackheath fought for—and that Sale FC has embodied for 164 years—remains the heartbeat of the game.
Let’s give the world’s oldest club a proper Northern welcome, and show them that while they may have a three-year head start, nobody plays rugby quite like Sale FC.
COME ON YOU DOGS!