A Rochdale Athletic Club was formed in 1866 and held its first festival on the cricket ground at
Merefield. Rugby football first took place as an organised game about 1866 or 1867, when
the Rochdale Football Club was formed by a magistrate and numerous business owners and
self-employed men. Within a year they were all playing alongside new members
when working class men were allowed to join as well. Other clubs quickly followed, among
them Rochdale Wasps and Rochdale Juniors.
In 1871, Rochdale Juniors and Rakebank merged to form Rochdale United. On 20 April 1871,
the directors of Rochdale Wasps, Rochdale United and Rochdale Football Club met at the
Roebuck Hotel in the town centre to form a senior team that would represent the town.
Rochdale Wasps. Rochdale Butterflies and Rochdale Grasshoppers were suggested as
names for the new club before Rochdale Hornets was agreed on. The original team colours
were amber and black.
In 1875, Hornets played at Mr R. Kershaw's Athletic Grounds in Vavasour Street, and later at
the Rochdale Cricket Ground. The club very quickly took a leading position in the game
in Lancashire. Hornets had an open door approach to membership and were able to insist on
gate money as they played on an enclosed field.
In June 1879, Rochdale Rovers threw in their lot with the Hornets, and it was in this year that
the club first adopted the white jersey. A ground was taken at Oakenrod for the 1879–1880
season but owing to poor gates, Rochdale Hornets returned to the Rochdale Cricket Club
ground.
In 1881 no fewer than 57 rugby clubs played in Rochdale and district, fielding 80 teams
regularly. By the 1890s, the players were almost all working class.
Rochdale moved to the Athletic Grounds in Milnrow Road, which opened on 9 June 1894.
Their first game at their new home took place in September 1894 against Crompton.
They were founder members of the Northern Union in 1895. Hornets made a poor start under
the new regime and finished bottom of the league table, for a good number of years they lost
many more matches than they won.
Early 20th century
They became tenants of the Athletics Grounds in 1900. Between the 7–9 March 1901, a
three-day bazaar was held at the town hall where around £1,000 was raised to help pay for
the club's debts. Incidents from the game played on 22 March 1901 resulted in the ground
being suspended by the Northern Union.
The players went on strike on 29 March 1902 as empty coffers meant that they went unpaid.
Rochdale Hornets then refused to travel to Dewsbury on 1 October 1904 on account of
a smallpox outbreak, and were subsequently fined £20.
Rochdale purchased the Athletics Grounds in 1913. Hornets won the Lancashire County Cup
in 1911 and 1914. Between 10 October 1914 and 6 March 1915, Hornets played 25 games
without defeat, shortly after this streak was broken by a defeat to Wigan but they would finish
fourth in the table. Hornets beat Broughton Moor 75–13 in a cup-tie on 13 March 1915; it was
their biggest margin of victory since 1871. Twenty-five Rochdale players enlisted for the First
World War, one of whom, Sergeant Twigg, was killed.
Rugby League came back to Rochdale following the Great War on Christmas Day 1918 when
Rochdale played a friendly game. In the half-season of the spring of 1919, Rochdale Hornets
not only won the Lancashire League but also carried off the Lancashire County Cup.
Rochdale's biggest win against a senior club came on 27 March 1920 when Wakefield
Trinity were beaten 64-nil.
The annual Law Cup, then known as the Infirmaries' Cup, was first contested against
neighbours Oldham on 7 May 1921. Hornets played six games in a fortnight before falling to
their biggest ever defeat 79–2 at the hands of Hull. Hornets changed their colours from green
and black to red, white and blue as the green and black strip was deteriorating in the wash.
The club's record attendance was set at 26,664 in 1922 when Oldham were the visitors for a
third round Challenge Cup match. Hornets won the Northern Union Challenge Cup in 1922 by
beating Hull 10–9 at Headingley,Leeds. That was Hornets' one and only Challenge Cup final.
Due to the ferocity of their play, their pack of forwards was known as "the Terrible Six".
Hornets were formed into a limited company on 31 May 1929.
On 4 October 1930, Stanley Baldwin, Hornets' winger was fatally injured during a match
with Oldham.
Owing to a financial crisis in 1931, the Athletic Ground was offered for sale and all the players
put on the transfer list. A fire destroyed the stadium's main stand, dressing rooms and offices
on 18 September 1935. A new stand, built over the ashes of the old, was opened on Saturday
7 March 1936 for the match against Liverpool Stanley. Another financial crisis in 1938 led to
further talks about selling the ground and a further crisis in 1939 resulted in the creation of a
members' club.
Hornets dropped out of the wartime Lancashire League, their last match a 12–4 defeat
against Salford at the Athletic Grounds on 11 May 1940.
Post war
An appeal went out to supporters in July 1945 for help in renovating the ground, pitch and
premises so that rugby league could restart at the Athletic Grounds after the war. On 25
August 1945, Hornets resumed with an away game at Craven Park, Barrow which they lost
5–14. The first Infirmaries' Cup game since 1938 was played at the Athletic Grounds on 24
August 1946, in which Hornets were beaten by Oldham.
On 29 March 1947, Hornets ended a run of 14 consecutive defeats with a 3–0 home win
over Halifax. Hornets played in green and black for the first time in 26 years on 13 December
1947 in a match against Wigan. Thereafter they used the colours as a change strip in the
event of a colour clash.
In 1947 and 1958, Rochdale Hornets made it to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, but
both times Wigan ended their hopes of a Wembley final.
On 24 October 1953, Hornets' second row Ralph Slater was fatally injured in an A-team game
at the Athletic Grounds against Oldham A.
Rochdale's highest attendance in a league match was set on Saturday, 16 October 1954
when Hornets lost 4–18 to local rivals Oldham in front of 19,654 spectators. Hornets played
their first game at Spotland in 1954 when a one-off game against Keighley was played there.
Rochdale Hornets brought in a Fijian contingent in the early 1960s, with Orisi Dawai, Joe
Levula and Liatia Ravouvou being the first pioneers. Appi Toga was regarded as the jewel
in the Fijian Crown of the South Sea Islanders who came to Hornets.
The link between Hornets and Fiji carries on to this day with Fijian International Ryan
Millard being the latest to wear the red, white and blue.
In 1965, Hornets appeared in the final of the Lancashire Cup when a 19,000 crowd saw them
lose to Warrington at Knowsley Road, St Helens.
Frank Myler arrived at Hornets in May 1971 to take up the position of player-coach with the
Rochdale Hornets from May 1971. They reached a Players No 6 Final in 1974. Myler left
Hornets in October 1974.
Kel Coslett was coach between 1976 and 1979.
1980s and early 1990s
In the 1980s, things took a turn for the worse with the crowds virtually disappearing.
Eric Hughes coached Rochdale for the 1987/88 season. In 1987 both Rochdale Hornets
and Rochdale A.F.C. were in financial trouble. Hornets were banned from signing players in
November after failing to pay a transfer fee. Deep in debt, Rochdale
accepted Morrisons £2.7m offer for the Athletic Grounds and following the sale of the land,
moved to Rochdale A.F.C.'s stadium in the Spotland area of the town at the end of the 1988
season. The stadium became jointly owned by Hornets, Rochdale Council and Rochdale
A.F.C..
In 1989, Hornets were promoted from the Second Division to the top tier. The club's record
attendance at Spotland was set at 8,150 when Hornets played Oldham on Boxing Day 1989.
In September 1990, Neil Holding briefly coached Hornets.
In 1991, Hornets appeared in the final of the Lancashire Cup.
Summer era
In the summer era Hornets had a succession of coaches with varying degrees of success.
In October 1998, Karl Marriott died following a training session and a couple of months
later Roy Powell died in similar circumstances. Hornets struggled early in the campaign when
they occupied bottom spot for a couple of weeks. They recovered slightly and had moved up
to 15th position, fourth bottom, by late June.
On 13 January 2009, shareholders voted to put Rochdale Hornets into administration after
debts ordered by HM Revenue and Customs accumulated £55,000.[3]
The Hornets supporters’ rallied together and an Industrial and Provident Society (a cooperative) was created and recognised by the Rugby Football League, and the Hornets were
re-founded. The co-operative was initially created around a core of loyal fans, and
membership is open to all. The co-op operates on a one-member, one-vote principle and now
has over 200 Members.
Just 4 short years after the club was re-born Hornets lifted their first piece of silverware in 91
years when they won the Kingstone Press Championship 1 Play-off Grand Final defeating
near neighbours and rivals Oldham at Leigh.
Winning the Grand Final also saw Hornets promoted into the ultra competitive Championship
playing against the best teams outside of Super League.