Frustrated village rugby club handed 4,500-mile travel schedule

Lymm Rugby Football Club have been handed a 4,500-mile travel schedule – the equivalent of flying to mid-America – after being moved into a different league by the RFU for the 2025/26 season.

Founded in 1960, Lymm enjoyed its best-ever finish in the English league system in the season just gone, finishing third in National 2 North, making it one of the top 50 clubs in the country.

At one point, the club, which lies to the east of Warrington, was pushing for the title and promotion to the third tier of the game. A run of 11 straight wins at the start of the season, including victories against former Premiership outfit Leeds Tykes and Sheffield, the teams that ended up above them, had everyone at the village club dreaming, but a run of three straight defeats in February ended those hopes.

Everyone at the club was resigned to playing in National 2 North again next season, until the RFU moved them into National 2 West due to an imbalance of clubs on that side of the country. Now the team, which is largely drawn from the local population of 12,000, faces daunting trips to Devon and Cornwall, to play the likes of Barnstaple and Camborne. Nearby Chester have suffered the same fate.

The RFU’s strategy of clustering clubs based on a mapping tool tries to minimise travel as much as possible, but as they recognise themselves, there are some outliers in this structure, and much to their dismay, Lymm are one of them.

A Lymm RFC club statement reads:

“Dear Members, Supporters, and Friends of Lymm RFC,

“As many of you will now be aware, Lymm RFC has been placed in National 2 West for the upcoming 2025/26 season. This news has come as a huge disappointment to everyone involved with the club, particularly due to the lack of clear communication from the RFU throughout the process.

“For a village club like ours – run by volunteers, supported by generous sponsors, and powered by players who give their all for the love of the game – this represents one of the biggest logistical and financial challenges in our club’s history.

“We’ve always taken great pride in being one of the highest-ranked amateur clubs in the country, a true reflection of our community. This decision now means our round-trip travel for the season will exceed 4,500 miles – a tough ask for any club, let alone one of our size.

“We feel let down by the RFU, and we will continue to raise our concerns in the hope of securing additional support and fairer treatment for clubs like ours in the future.

“That said, we remain incredibly proud of last season’s record-breaking performance, finishing 3rd in National 2 North, and we’re determined to face this new challenge head-on. We also look forward to visiting new clubs, forming new friendships, and flying the flag for Lymm with the same determination and spirit that’s always been our hallmark.

“Thank you for standing with us – your continued support means more now than ever.”