Yorkshire Rugby

Or are they...


2 March 2026
Beverley RUFC
Dear Members of the Committee,

We write to you as a collective of concerned current and former players, members, and supporters to express our strong opposition to the proposed merger involving our club. We do so respectfully, but with deep conviction and a profound sense of responsibility to protect the identity, heritage, and future of the club we have dedicated so much of our lives to.

For many of us, this is not simply a sporting matter. It is personal. As lifelong members, and in some cases with families who have represented the club for over 60 years, our connection runs through generations. The club is more than a team; it is a community institution built on loyalty, development, and shared purpose. To contemplate merging with another side, particularly one so structurally and culturally different from our own, raises serious and legitimate concerns that cannot be overlooked.

Our club has been built on strong foundations: a thriving junior section, a second team that provides vital development pathways, and a first team composed largely of players who have progressed through the ranks and carry a genuine affinity for the Beverley badge they represent. This structure ensures sustainability, continuity, and pride. It fosters players who are invested not just in results, but in the long-term health and identity of the club.

By contrast, the proposed partner club does not operate a second team, nor does it maintain a comparable junior structure. Its first team appears to be made up largely of externally recruited players, including former professionals and short-term signings with little long-standing connection to the club itself. While ambition and investment are not inherently negative, a model driven by wealthy external backers and short-term success presents a fundamentally different philosophy to our own. We fear that such a merger would not be a partnership of equals, but rather a gradual absorption.

A central concern is the potential impact on our development pathway. The risk is that decades of carefully cultivated structure and culture could be undone in pursuit of short-term gain.

It is extremely difficult to see how this proposal serves the best interests of our club. We struggle to identify any long-term advantage that outweighs the very real risks to our culture, autonomy, and development model.

We respectfully but firmly oppose this merger as it currently stands. We do not raise these concerns out of hostility or resistance to progress, but out of loyalty and a deep desire to see Beverley RUFC continue to flourish on its own strong foundations for generations to come.

Yours sincerely,

Beverley Players, Ex-Players and Supporters

WoW.....

I know.....big wow.

You have to say, who at Beverley thought that any part of that was/is a good idea???

Time for an EGM!

What is the actual proposition? A merger could mean many different scenarios. Obviously enough to upset Beverley whatever it is.

I'm told basically Hull buy Beverley and move to Hull. Leaving the ground to be developed by ? any homebuilders involved??

Quote from: backrowbandit on Mar 04, 2026, 11:13 PMI'm told basically Hull buy Beverley and move to Hull. Leaving the ground to be developed by ? any homebuilders involved??

I can see the obvious upside for Hull, buying 2 adult teams and a junior section. Unless Beverley are in financial ruin though I can't see how this move benefits them in any way shape or form. And what happens to Beverley 1st team?

It's madness....

Dont think anyone saw that coming. Members could be in for an unexpected windfall. personally if Hull are relegated this year I could see them disbanding if the money dries up. A club with relatively (I think) little or no tangible assets. Looks like a disaster for all concerned at Beverley, imho.
No Hull posters on here, maybe someone from Beverley can enlighten us.
Very concerning to any clubs struggling at the moment. Hope its not the way the game is going. 

Id say follow the money and therefore follow the sponsors.

Clubs need to take great care with their governance or these or unsavoury things can creep up.

Having said that, we have no details at all of what is being proposed or why. We only have a membership campaign against "it".

It will be useful to know what "it" is.

On the bare bones of "it"... "it" sounds horrific.

Hull had been seeking to merge with Ionians, but again other then a couple of financial backers, Hull don't bring a great deal to the table. I cant see why the Beverley committee would even entertain it.

It isn't an attractive proposition for any club.

They are in a sorry state, and whilst relegation for some clubs can be a blessing, I think it will be the end for Hull.

If it is the end of Hull I wonder what that will do to the leagues ...?

Would surely just mean the loser of the relegation play off game actually plays R1NE regardless of the outcome.

Yes probably..

Seems a bit of a pointless move, why would anyone at Beverley want to move to a club 30mins away. Bev haven't had a good season by their standards but putting out two men's teams and a decent junior section they'll bounce back sooner or later and hull look like they are in the final throes.

Apparently this was the result of a drunken conversation in a Beverley bar that the Hull players turned up at.

And then it got legs.....