York
Real club history, honours, and Grand Final appearances, sourced and cross-checked.
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
York — 0 Super League/British top-flight titles on record.
Club Background
York RLFC is an English rugby league club based in York, North Yorkshire, competing under the "York Knights" team brand. The club traces its roots to York Football Club, which joined the newly formed Northern Union in 1901. Its honours include the 1980-81 Division Two title, third-tier championships in 2005 and 2018, and in 2025 the League Leaders' Shield plus a first-ever Wembley triumph in the RFL 1895 Cup. The club plays home matches at the LNER Community Stadium, opened in February 2021, and after being crowned 2025 League Leaders and winning promotion in November 2025, York competes in Super League for the 2026 season. The name has changed several times: York Wasps was liquidated in March 2002, the club was reformed as York City Knights in 2003, and it rebranded as York RLFC in October 2022.
Club history
York's rugby league lineage dates back to York Football Club, established in the 19th century, which sided with the breakaway Northern Union and was admitted to the new organisation in 1901. The club later became known as York Wasps, enjoying spells of relative success including the 1980-81 Division Two championship, but financial difficulties led to the original York Wasps folding in March 2002, when the RFL accepted the club's resignation.
A supporters' trust moved quickly to fill the void, and the phoenix club was launched in 2003 as York City Knights RLFC, rebuilding the game in the city from the lower tiers of the league system. Under this identity the club won third-tier titles in 2005 and 2018. Ownership changed hands in December 2016 when a consortium led by Jon Flatman took control, and again in January 2022 when Australian businessman Clint Goodchild became chairman.
In February 2021 the club left its long-time Bootham Crescent/Huntington Stadium homes for the newly built LNER Community Stadium (also home to York City FC). In October 2022 the club rebranded from York City Knights to York RLFC, while the men's first team continued to play as the York Knights.
2025 proved the club's most successful modern season: York topped the Championship as League Leaders and then beat Featherstone Rovers 5-4 at Wembley to win the RFL 1895 Cup, the club's first-ever win at the national stadium. In November 2025 York RLFC was confirmed among the clubs promoted into Super League as part of the competition's expansion, meaning the York Knights compete in England's top flight for the 2026 season.
Sourcing caveat: Some granular details (exact 1980-81 divisional title context, precise ground-move dates prior to 2021, and full ownership-transaction terms) are drawn from a combination of the club's Wikipedia summary and news coverage rather than primary club records. The ground's sourced record attendance is 8,402 (10 May 2025, Challenge Cup semi-final double-header); no total games-hosted figure was found.
Sources
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