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Featherstone Rovers Rugby League Football Club
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Featherstone , England
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England
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1906
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Chris Moyles Stadium
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6750
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Paul Coventry
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David Hobbs
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National League 2
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2006
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4th
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are a professional
Rugby League club, based in
Featherstone (near
Pontefract ),
West Yorkshire in
England . To many people they are known as ''Fev'' or "The Colliers", highlighting the close link between the club and the local mining community. The idea that if they were short of a player or two before match time they would trawl the local collieries to make up the numbers is a myth. They currently play at the
Chris Moyles Stadium , traditionally known as
Post Office Road .
Featherstone is a small ex-coal-mining town with a population of around 16,000 and for many years "Fev" have graced the top levels of the game in a manner that belies their smalltown background. Their local rivals are
Castleford and
Wakefield Trinity .
They have won the
Challenge Cup 3 times, in 1967, 1973 and 1983; and in 1977 won the
Championship .
Featherstone Rovers club was formed in the Railway Hotel in 1902 and reformed in 1906. The club were originally made up of local miners and between 1912-3 played at the Featherstone Main Collery Welfare ground.
Featherstone became a professional club on 14 June 1921, beating Bradford Northern in their first game as a senior club. Their first game at Post Office Road attracted 4,000 fans.
Rovers reached the Championship final after just seven seasons, losing 11-0 to
Swinton , and were beaten by Leeds in the following season's Yorkshire Cup decider.
Rovers' first major silverware was won in 1939-40, when they lifted the Yorkshire Cup.
Rovers' first visit to Wembley Stadium was in the 1952 Challenge Cup Final, the first to be televised. They were defeated 18-10 by
Workington Town in front of a crowd of 72,093.
In 1959, the club's record attendence was set at 17,531 for a third round Challenge Cup match against St Helens. This was more than the population of Featherstone.
Rovers' first ever Challenge Cup Final success came in 1967 when despite their lowly league position they defeated Bradford Northern, Wakefield Tinity, Castleford and Leeds to get to Wembley Stadium.
Barrow provided the opposition in the final where a crowd of 77,000 paid a then record £54,435 to watch the game. Rovers won the match 17-12. Only Widnes in 1937 had accomplished the feat from a lower position in the league table.
Rovers repeated the feat seven years later, when Bradford Northern were beaten 33-14.
In 1966/67, Featherstone Rovers reached the final of the Yorkshire Cup but were beaten 25-12 by
Hull Kingston Rovers .
Featherstone Rovers won the
Challenge Cup on
May 7 1983 beating
Hull 14-12 in front of an 84,969 Wembley crowd. Steve Quinn secured their victory with a late penalty goal.
Rovers were crowned Division One champions in 1976-77 and won the Second Division title three years later and again in 1992-93.
When a Rupert Murdoch-funded Super League competition was proposed, part of the deal was that some traditional clubs would merge. Featherstone Rovers were asked to merge with local rivals
Castleford and
Wakefield Trinity to form a new club, ''Calder'', which would compete in the Super League. This was, however, resisted. Rovers missed the cut for Super League and were beaten by a last-gasp Wakefield Trinity try in the 1998 lower division Grand Final.
Peter Roe was in charge of Featherstone from 1999 to October 2001, before leaving to take charge of Wakefield Trinity.
In November 2002, Featherstone went into administration, owing the Inland Revenue £97,000 and with total debts of £403,000.
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In September 2003,
Andy Kelly 's contract was not renewed following their failure to reach the National League One play-offs for the first time in six years.
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In 2005 they were relegated to
National League Two .
In late 2006, the "Friends Of Featherstone" were formed, their main aim being to provide money for contracts for players to ensure that Rovers gained promotion to National League One. The money raised enabled Rovers to sign players such as Paul Handforth, Chris Ross, Tommy Haughey, Jamie Field & Loz Wildbore.
Division One Champions: 1976-77
Championship Runners-Up: 1927-28
Division One Grand Finalists 1998
Division Two Champions: 1979-80, 1992-93
Division Two Premiership Winners: 1992-93
Division Two Premiership Runners-Up: 1987-88
RL Challenge Cup Winners: 1966-67, 1972-73, 1982-83
RL Challenge Cup Runners-Up: 1951-52, 1973-74
Yorkshire Cup Winners: 1939-40, 1959-60
Yorkshire Cup Runners-Up:1928-29, 1963-64, 1966-67, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1989-90
Captain Morgan Trophy Runners-Up: 1973-74
Yorkshire League Runners-Up: 1928,1962
