Halifax Panthers
Club information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Halifax Panthers Rugby League Football Club | ||
Nickname(s) | Fax Panthers | ||
Colours | Blue and White | ||
Founded | 1873 | ||
Website | halifaxpanthers.co.uk | ||
Current details | |||
Ground(s) |
| ||
Coach | Liam Finn | ||
Competition | Championship | ||
2023 season | 8th | ||
Current season | |||
Uniforms | |||
| |||
Records | |||
Championships | 4(1903,1907,1965,1986) | ||
Challenge Cups | 5(1903,1904,1931,1939,1987) | ||
Other top-tier honours | 14 |
TheHalifax Panthersare a professionalrugby leagueclub inHalifax, West Yorkshire,[1][2]England.They play home games atThe Shayand compete in theChampionship,the second tier ofBritish rugby league.
Halifax Panthers have won theLeague Championshipfour times theChallenge Cupfive times.
They have rivalries with neighboursBradfordof the Championship,Huddersfieldof Super League, and also fellow Championship sideFeatherstone Roversand Pennines rivalsRochdale.clubs traditional home colours are blue and white hoops, white shorts and blue and white socks.
History
[edit]1873–1939: early years
[edit]The club was founded asHalifaxin 1873 when a group of young men from the Halifax Rifle Volunteers put an advert in the local press to invite anyone interested in "football" to a meeting at the Upper George Hotel.[3]
A year later, Halifax played their first inter-club rugby football game when they played Leeds Athletic Club in a match held at Woodhouse Moor in Leeds on the 21st of November 1874. This first game resulted in a draw. The first home game was played a month later against Wakefield Trinity on a cricket field in King Cross Street, which again resulted in a draw. In these early years, matches were played at Ovenden, Savile Park and Hanson Lane.[3]
After winning the firstYorkshire Cupin 1878 beating York in the final at Leeds, they went on to win it on another four occasions. Several players were picked for the Yorkshire County side in these years, and five were for theEngland rugby union team.In 1886, the club moved toThrum Hall,which would be their home ground for the next 112 years. The first game there was played on 18 September 1886 againstHull F.C.and drew 8,000 spectators.
After the 1890-91 season, Halifax along with other Yorkshire Senior clubs Batley, Bradford, Brighouse, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Hull, Hunslet, Leeds, Liversedge, Manningham and Wakefield decided that they wanted their own county league starting in 1891 along the lines of a similar competition that had been played in Lancashire. The clubs wanted full control of the league but the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union would not sanction the competition as it meant giving up control of rugby football to the senior clubs.
Halifax were founding members of the breakawayNorthern Rugby Football Unionin 1895 when leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire left theRugby Football Unionover issues related to leglising payments to players and playing in competitive leagues. In 1896, Halifax lost out on winning the first everRugby Football League Championshipby a single point, withManninghambecoming the inaugural champions. In 1902–03, they achieved the 'double' by winning theChallenge Cupand finishing top of Division One. They won the cup again the following season, and were the first ever Championship play-off winners in 1906–07.
Halifax won their firstWembleyChallenge Cup final in 1931, beatingYork F.C.22–8. An estimated 100,000 people lined the route to a civic reception at the town hall.
Towards the end of the 1937 season,Streatham and Mitchamfolded after just one full season in the league. The club had made a number of high-profile signings from theNew ZealandAll Blacks,includingGeorge NēpiaandCharles Smith,and these players now joined Halifax.
In 1938, Halifax reached the semi-final of the Challenge Cup, after winning three replays in a row, before they were knocked out byBarrowatFartown,Huddersfieldin the dying seconds of the game.
In 1939, Halifax became the last team to win the Challenge Cup final before the war. FavouritesSalfordwere beaten 20–3 in front of a record 55,453 spectators.
During the Second World War, Halifax reached the Challenge cup finals in 1941 and 1942, but lost both times to Leeds in matches held at Odsal.
Post–Second World War
[edit]In 1947, Halifax'sHudson Irvingdied from a heart attack while playing at Dewsbury.[4]
In 1949, Halifax's David Craven died after breaking his neck playing againstWorkington Town.[4]
The 1949 Challenge Cup final was sold out for the first time as 95,050 spectators sawBradford Northernbeat Halifax.
In the 1950s, Halifax were Championship runners-up three times, beatHull F.C.in Yorkshire Cup finals in 1954 and 1955, and were Yorkshire League winners in 1950, 1953, 1954 and 1956. Halifax were unbeaten at their home ground of Thrum Hall between December 1952 and November 1956. They played in a Wembley final of the1953–54Challenge Cup,featuring in the first ever drawn final againstWarringtonin 1954, losing in the replay atOdsal Stadium,Bradfordin front of what was then a world record rugby league crowd officially given as 102,569, although estimates suggest another 20,000 plus entered unofficially.
After securing a Yorkshire league and cup double in 1955–56, the club was in sight of winning"All Four Cups".Wembley was reached after an 11–10 Challenge Cup semi-final victory overWiganatOdsaland Halifax beatSt. Helens23–8 in the Championship semi-final. However, St Helens ran out 13–2 winners in the Challenge Cup and a week later, Halifax lost in the Championship match against Hull atMaine Road,Manchester,a last minute penalty goal securing a 10–9 victory for Hull.
In 1959, Halifax hosted Wigan before a club record 29,153 people in the third round of the Challenge Cup.
Halifax won their third Championship in 1964-65 after finishing 7th in the league table and progressing through the new 16-team play-offs. They became Champions by beating St Helens 15-7 in the Championship Final held at Station Road, Swinton.Terry Fogertyof Halifax was awarded the Harry Sunderland Trophy for man-of-the-match.
In 1965-66 Halifax again reached the Championship Final through the play-offs, after finishing 10th in the league table. Their opponents were again St Helens who this time ran out comfortable winners by 35-12.
1960–1996: financial difficulties
[edit]Halifax was hit hard by revenue shortfalls during the late 1960s, and 1970s. Fortunes on the pitch suffered as the shortfall was met by selling players. In 1970, a concert was held at Thrum Hall in an attempt to alleviate these financial troubles. Horrific weather conditions meant that only around 3,000 arrived to watch the Halifax Pop and Blues Concert which made a loss of £6,000.[5]
Despite victory in the inauguralRegal TrophyFinal (called the Players No. 6 Trophy for sponsorship purposes) in 1971–72, financial problems continued for the next decade. In 1983, local businessman, David Brook provided much needed investment in the club.[5]
The 1977-78 season saw Halifax hit rock bottom with a losing streak of 24 consecutive defeats, including a game against amateurs Cawoods. Fax won only two matches all season and finished bottom of the rugby league pyramid.
Chris Andersonwas player-coach of Halifax from November 1984 to May 1987, then he retired from playing but remained as coach in 1987–88. He brought over Australian internationals such as Graham Eadie and Tony Anderson. The team climbed out of the Second Division, won the League Championship in 1985–86, the 1986–87Challenge CupagainstSt. Helensand made a second successive appearance in the Challenge Cup final in 1988 when they lost toWigan.Despite this on-field success, Halifax were banned from signing new players by the RFL after complaints of non-payments in November 1988.
In 1989,John Dorahytook up a position as captain-coach of Halifax for the 1989–90 season. Halifax players threatened strike action over unpaid wages in April 1990. The club soldNeil Jamesfor £20,000 to pay wages but were still in financial trouble including an unpaid tax bill of £70,000. Halifax went into the hands of receivers, £760,000 in debt, a take-over bid having failed after the players refused to take a pay cut. The club was re-formed and the assets were purchased by the Marsland/Gartland consortium of local businessmen.
Peter Roewas appointed as head coach at Halifax for 1990–91, during which the team achieved promotion to the First Division along with Salford, who were their opponents in the Second Division Final atOld Trafford.During this season, In October 1990, the set its still current record victory – an 82–8 win overRuncorn Highfieldat Thrum Hall.
Roe was removed from office 24-hours after the 1991 Final, when he refused to a demand that he re-apply for his own job; the Halifax board had told him that he did not have the required experience for a club in the top division, and would have to stand against other new applicants.Roger Millwardtook the coaching job at Halifax, but was only there 17 months before resigning.Mal Reillybecame the coach in 1992. In August 1993, in financial trouble again, Halifax put seven players on the transfer list for a total of £170,000.
1996–2002: summer era
[edit]In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inauguralSuper Leagueseason and changed from a winter to a summer season.[6]In the lead-up, the Halifax President, Tony Gartland, and former Chairman, Peter Marsland, left the board over plans to merge with rivalsBradford Northernand join the proposed Super League as single club.[7]
Halifax joined the Super League in 1996, the local newspaper did a poll of suggested nicknames for the club with Halifax Bombers topping the list. But the Board upon the recommendation of Chief executive Nigel Wood choseHalifax Blue Sox.However, this proved to be unpopular with most supporters who continued to refer to them as 'Fax'. Halifax finished third in Super League in 1998 underJohn Pendlebury.
Halifax soldThrum Hallfor £1.5 million toAsdafor a supermarket development in 1998, and moved across town to their present home,the Shaystadium, which they share with the town's football clubHalifax Town.The proceeds from the sale were supposed to enable Halifax RLFC to make a contribution to the costs of a redevelopment of the Shay stadium, but the money was swallowed up by debts.
Under Chief Executive Nigel Wood, Halifax went toJacksonville University,Florida,in 2000 to help develop American rugby league, along withSalford.
Steve Linnanejoined the club as assistant coach fromRochdale Hornetsand took full charge afterGary Mercer's resignation.[8]With the club threatened again by financial problems and the danger of relegation Halifax sacked coach Steve Linnane in August 2002, the morning after a 64–0 loss to St. Helens, which came after nine losses from ten games which put the club at risk of relegation. Replacement Tony Anderson signed a deal that covered the four remaining matches of this season.[9]
2003–2008: relegation and financial difficulties
[edit]The club returned to their traditional Halifax RLFC name at the start of 2003. At the end of the 2003 season they were relegated fromSuper LeaguetoNational LeagueOne. Halifax's financial troubles meant they were unable to retain a full-time team and they struggled in the new league. In 2004 having been saved from insolvency by their new chairman Howard Posner they narrowly avoided a second relegation to National League 2, with a last-gasp victory in a play-off withYork City Knights.
Anthony Farrellwas asked to become temporary coach until the end of the year following the sacking of Tony Anderson. After saving the club from relegation the following season and taking the club within a whisker of a place in the grand final, they lost out toCastleford.The year after was less successful and after a poor series of results including a club record loss toHull Kingston Rovers,Farrell lost his job.Martin Halltook over the role of head coach in June 2006.[10]
In August 2006, Halifax was on the verge of going bust. The club announced that it needed to raise £90,000 or it would go into liquidation. Rugby league fans nationwide rallied behind 'Fax', and through visits to the ground during home fixtures and other fund-raising events, were able to raise £55,000. Howard Posner then came forward and announced that he would loan the club the remaining £35,000 in order to keep Halifax alive, repayment of the loan was waived. Posner and the new board of directors subsequently invested further sums to ensure the club could survive and that Halifax would be playing in National League One during 2007.[11]Howard Posner, again became club Chairman andMartin Halltook up the post of director of football in October 2006. Assistant coachMatt Callandwas then named the new head coach of Halifax.
2009–present: rebuilding and championship success
[edit]In the2009 Challenge CupHalifax came within moments of reaching the quarter-finals, losing by one point in extra time to Castleford. They also lost the final of the Co-Operative Championship toBarrow26-18. However, Barrow were later stripped of the title due to salary cap breaches. In April 2010, with the club on a sound financial footing, Howard Posner stepped down as chairman and was replaced by long time supporter and director Michael Steele. In 2010, Halifax won the Co-Operative Championship, beatingFeatherstone Rovers23–22 in the final after extra time. It was the first trophy Halifax had won in 23 years. But the club were not promoted back to Super League as promotion to super league was on a franchise basis at that time.
In 2011, Halifax reached theNorthern Rail CupFinal atBloomfield Road,Blackpool,losing narrowly toLeighin the last minute. They were also unable to defend their Championship title, losing heavily toSheffield Eaglesin the play-offs.Karl Harrisontook over as head coach at the end of the season.
The following season, Halifax made it to the final of the Northern Rail Cup but this time were victorious over favourites Featherstone Rovers beating them 21–12 in a match watched by over 7,000 spectators. In 2015 Halifax finished the regular season in the top four of the Championship, earning them a place in the qualifiers. Despite being the lowest ranked team in the competition, and part-time, they beat promotion favouritesLeighand Sheffield Eagles to finish 6th out of 8, and secured improved central funding for 2016.
After a disappointing 6th place finish in 2016, the club again reached the qualifiers in 2017 and 2018 finishing 3rd and 4th respectively. This made the club the most successful part-time team in the RFL.[12]Long serving director and chairman Michael Steele stepped down from the Board at the end of 2017.
In December 2020, Halifax RLFC adopted the nameHalifax Panthers.[13] In the 2021 Championship season, Halifax Panthers finished in third place and qualified for the play-offs. After defeating Whitehaven in the first week, Halifax travelled to Featherstone with the winner to playToulouse Olympiquein theMillion Pound Game.Halifax would lose the match 42-10 which ended their season. It was also the final game for the retiringScott Grix.[14] In the2022 RFL Championshipseason, Halifax finished third and qualified for the play-offs. However, they would be eliminated in the first week of the play-offs byYork Citylosing 26-24.[15]
In September 2024, the club was threatened with closure due to an outstanding bill toHMRC.[16] On 11 September 2024, the club managed to stave off liquidation after paying their outstanding debt to the HMRC.[17]
Stadiums
[edit]1886–1998: Thrum Hall
[edit]Shortly after they were founded in 1873, Halifax bought some land in Halifax from a farmer with the aim to build a multipurpose sports venue. Thrum Hall hosted rugby league finals and test matches as well asspeedway.[18]Halifax played at Thrum Hall for 112 years, until they sold the land for £1.5 million toASDAto move to a new stadium in theSuper Leagueera.
Thrum Hall was notable for its distinctive slope. As it was built on the side of a hill, the ground had a four yard slope from the main grandstand side to the outer wing.
Thrum Hall had a spectator capacity of 9,832 when it closed as a sports venue.
1999–present: the MBi Shay
[edit]Halifax first played at the Shay in the 1998 Super League season and ground shared with association football teamHalifax Town.The Shay has a current capacity of 14,061 (5,830 seated).
The Shay hosted games during the2013 Rugby League World Cup.
Colours and badge
[edit]Colours
[edit]Halifax have traditionally played in blue and white. Their home jersey is blue and hoops and their away colours have been in recent seasons a combination of red, black and white, replacing their traditional red and white hoops.
Badge
[edit]Since its formation in 1873, Halifax used the town's coat of arms as a crest as many other clubs did until the advent ofSuper League,Halifax and many other clubs, changed their names and badge thus becoming known as theHalifax Blue Soxfrom the 1996 season. This however was unpopular with fans and the name was reverted to 'Halifax' and the town coat of arms was reintroduced with Halifax under it.
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
[edit]Years | Kit Manufacturer | Main Shirt Sponsor |
---|---|---|
1986 | 5D Togs | FKI |
1987–1990 | Websters Yorkshire Bitter | |
1990–1992 | Ellgren | |
1993–1995 | Stag | Marshalls |
1996 | Computacenter | |
1997–1999 | Avec | |
2000–2001 | Mizuno | |
2002–2003 | Gilbert | Evening Courier |
2004–2006 | Halbro | Halifax |
2007 | Canterbury | |
2008–2010 | Surridge | |
2011 | Xblades | Probiz |
2012 | Reactiv | |
2013–2014 | 1HX Sports | |
2015 | EV2 Sportswear | |
2016 | MBI Consulting | |
2017 | Northern Powerhouse Developments | |
2018 | Errea | |
2019 | Samurai | |
2020- | Ellgren |
In 2022, a consortium named PK 2022 Ltd took control of the club.
2024 squad
[edit]First team squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Head coach
Updated: 25 December 2023 |
2023 transfers
[edit]Gains
Player | Club | Contract | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Will Maher | Hull Kingston Rovers | 2 Years | October 2022[19] |
Tom Inman | York Knights | 2 Years | October 2022[20] |
Losses
Player | Club | Contract | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Cory Aston | October 2022[21] |
Players
[edit]Staff
[edit]Coaching team
[edit]Nationality | Name | Position |
---|---|---|
Liam Finn[22] | Head Coach | |
Martin Gonzalez | Player Performance Manager and Under 23's Head Coach |
Past coaches
[edit]Also seeCategory:Halifax R.L.F.C. coaches.
- Arthur Atkinson1948-49
- Albert Fearnley1964-65
- Jack Scroby197?
- Les Pearce197?-80
- Maurice Bamford1978-80
- Ken Roberts1982
- Colin Dixon1982–84
- Chris Anderson1984–88
- Ross Strudwick1988–89
- John Dorahy1989–90
- Peter Roe1991–92
- Roger Millward1992
- Mal Reilly1993–94
- Steve Simms1994–96
- John Pendlebury1997–98
- Gary Mercer1999-00
- Steve Linnane2001
- Tony Anderson 2002-04
- Anthony Farrell2004-06
- Martin Hall2006
- Matt Calland2008–11
- Karl Harrison2012-14
- Richard Marshall2015-19
- Simon Grix2019–23
Youth and community development
[edit]Activities:
Blue Base Study Support Centre was a community sporting initiative sponsored by Halifax, and part of the national Playing For Success educational scheme launched for school pupils to interact with professional sports teams, to help provide motivation to young people. Locally, Blue Base was working with an initiative established by theDfES,inpartnershipwith Calderdale Children and Young People's Services and Halifax. The funding ceased in March 2011, when the Blue Base Centre closed.
The centre existed to supportCalderdaleschools in their drive to raise attainment levels with their pupils. This is achieved by developing young peoples' levels of motivation, self-esteem and helping them to have a more positive attitude towards learning by concentrating particularly upon literacy, numeracy and the use of ICT.
Retired player,Frank Watene,leads Calderdale Community Coaching Trust which is the club's Foundation providing a wide range of educational programmes designed to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles amongst people of all ages in the Calderdale area. Activities include Touch Rugby League, healthy heart circuit training and an 'Over 50s Club which plays Kurling at the Shay stadium.
Mascots
[edit]Original Mascot: (100 years ago) Smut the Cat[23]
Previous Mascots: Billy & Bluey, Fat Cat (fl. 2001),[24]Halicat (2006–2020)[23][25]
Present Mascots: Paddy and Pippa Panther (2023–)[26]
Seasons
[edit]Super League era
[edit]Season | League | Play-offs | Challenge Cup | Other competitions | Name | Tries | Name | Points | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Top try scorer | Top point scorer | |||||||
1996 | Super League | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 667 | 576 | 21 | 6th | QF | |||||||
1997 | Super League | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 524 | 549 | 18 | 7th | R5 | |||||||
1998 | Super League | 23 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 658 | 390 | 36 | 3rd | Lost in Semi Final | R5 | ||||||
1999 | Super League | 30 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 573 | 792 | 22 | 9th | R5 | |||||||
2000 | Super League | 28 | 11 | 1 | 16 | 664 | 703 | 23 | 8th | QF | |||||||
2001 | Super League | 28 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 630 | 819 | 18 | 9th | R5 | |||||||
2002 | Super League | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 558 | 856 | 16 | 9th | QF | |||||||
2003 | Super League | 28 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 372 | 1227 | 0 | 12th | R4 | |||||||
2004 | National League One | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 426 | 492 | 14 | 9th | R4 | |||||||
2005 | National League One | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 604 | 467 | 20 | 4th | Lost in Preliminary Final | R5 | ||||||
2006 | National League One | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 461 | 508 | 14 | 7th | R4 | |||||||
2007 | National League One | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 616 | 421 | 38 | 3rd | R4 | |||||||
2008 | National League One | 18 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 634 | 514 | 38 | 3rd | R4 | |||||||
2009 | Championship | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 714 | 476 | 43 | 2nd | Lost in Final | R5 | ||||||
2010 | Championship | 20 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 684 | 509 | 50 | 2nd | Won in Final | DQ | ||||||
2011 | Championship | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 569 | 543 | 36 | 6th | Lost in Semi Final | R4 | Championship Cup | RU | ||||
2012 | Championship | 18 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 597 | 377 | 44 | 3rd | Lost in Semi Final | R5 | Championship Cup | W | ||||
2013 | Championship | 26 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 817 | 476 | 62 | 3rd | Lost in Semi Final | R5 | ||||||
2014 | Championship | 26 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 714 | 504 | 58 | 3rd | R4 | |||||||
2015 | Championship | 23 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 646 | 377 | 32 | 4th | R5 | |||||||
The Qualifiers | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 162 | 186 | 4 | 6th | |||||||||
2016 | Championship | 23 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 615 | 484 | 27 | 6th | Lost in Shield Semi Final | R6 | ||||||
Championship Shield | 30 | 16 | 1 | 13 | 775 | 656 | 33 | 2nd | |||||||||
2017 | Championship | 23 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 567 | 357 | 32 | 4th | R6 | |||||||
The Qualifiers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 82 | 210 | 0 | 8th | |||||||||
2018 | Championship | 23 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 643 | 416 | 33 | 4th | R4 | |||||||
The Qualifiers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 68 | 225 | 0 | 8th | |||||||||
2019 | Championship | 27 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 602 | 685 | 21 | 8th | SF | 1895 Cup | R2 | |||||
2020 | Championship[a] | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 82 | 73 | 4 | 8th | R4 | |||||||
2021 | Championship | 21 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 528 | 354 | 26 | 3rd | Lost in Semi Final | R3[b] | 1895 Cup | R1 | ||||
2022 | Championship | 27 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 837 | 442 | 40 | 3rd | Lost in Elimination Playoffs | R4 | ||||||
2023 | Championship | 27 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 690 | 572 | 29 | 8th | R6 |
Honours
[edit]Major titles
Competition | Wins | Years won |
---|---|---|
RFL Championship / Super League | 4 | 1902–03, 1906–07, 1964–65, 1985–86 |
Challenge Cup | 5 | 1902–03, 1903–04, 1930–31, 1938–39, 1986–87 |
Other titles
Competition | Wins | Years won |
---|---|---|
League Cup | 1 | 1971–72 |
RFL Yorkshire League | 6 | 1908–09, 1920–21, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1957–58 |
RFL Yorkshire Cup | 5 | 1908–09, 1944–45, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1963–64 |
RFU Yorkshire Cup | 5 | 1878, 1886, 1888, 1893, 1894 |
Charity Shield | 1 | 1986–87 |
Championship Cup | 1 | 2012 |
RFL 1895 Cup | 1 | 2023 |
All-time statistics
[edit]Match
[edit]- Goals: 14,Bruce Burtonat Hunslet, 27 August 1972
- Tries: 8,Keith Williamsv Dewsbury, 9 November 1957
- Points: 34,Joe Keyes,v Workington 17 July 2022
Season
[edit]- Goals: 156Graham Holroyd2008
- Tries: 48,Johnny Freeman1956–57
- Points: 362,John Schuster1994–95
Career
[edit]- Goals: 1,028,Ronnie James1960–72
- Tries: 290,Johnny Freeman1954–67
- Points: 2,191,Ronnie James1960–72
Halifax appearances
[edit]- Career:Stan Kielty482 (1946–58)
- Season:John Thorley48 (1956–57)
- Consecutive: Dick Davies 108 (1925–28)
Representative appearances
[edit]- Great Britain:Karl Harrison11
- Great Britain:Ken Roberts10
- Great Britain:Charlie Renilson8
- England:Alvin Ackerley6
- Wales:Arthur Daniels13
- Yorkshire:Archie Rigg14
- Lancashire:Ken Roberts4
- Cumberland:Alvin Ackerley13
Highest score
[edit]- 94–4 v Myton Warriors (Challenge Cup) 25 March 2012
Biggest loss
[edit]- 6–88 v Hull KR (Northern Rail Cup) 23 April 2006
Record crowd
[edit]- Thrum Hall:29,153 vsWigan(Challenge Cup), 21 March 1959
- The Shay:9,827 vsBradford Bulls(Challenge Cup), 12 March 2000
- All-time: 102,569 vsWarrington,5 May 1954 atOdsal Stadium– 1954Challenge Cup FinalReplay
- vs International touring team: 18,773 vsAustralia,20 September 1952 –1952–53Kangaroo Tour
All club statistics are courtesy of Andrew Hardcastle (Official Club Historian)(amendments required)
Notes
[edit]- ^The2020 Championshipwas abandoned due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.Statistics shown are those at time of abandonment and are not official.
- ^Officially round 1 due to the competitions temporary restructure in 2021.
References
[edit]- ^"NFU Mutual strengthens support of historic Halifax RLFC".Sports Pro Media. 26 November 2010.Retrieved26 February2017.
- ^"Operational Rules".RFL. Archived fromthe originalon 8 October 2017.Retrieved10 March2017.
- ^ab"150 years: A history and heritage of Halifax RLFC".Halifaxcourier.co.uk.
- ^abBaker, Andrew (20 August 1995)."100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era".Independent, The.London: independent.co.uk.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^ab"Becoming a Director".Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^Dave Hadfield (20 December 1995)."Rugby's pounds 87m deal gives Murdoch transfer veto".The Independent.London.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^Hadfield, Dave (22 April 1995)."British tours will survive the Super League fall-out".The Independent.London.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^"Mercer willing to play on".BBC News.3 April 2001.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^"Halifax give Linnane the boot".The Daily Telegraph.London. 25 August 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^"Hall replaces Farrell at Halifax".BBC News.15 June 2006.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^"Posner secures Halifax survival".BBC News.8 September 2006.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^"League Table | Halifax RLFC".Halifax RLFC.Retrieved7 November2018.
- ^Darbyshire, Drew (2 December 2020)."Halifax announce rebrand as Panthers".LoveRugbyLeague.Retrieved20 February2022.
- ^"Featherstone 42-10 Halifax Panthers: Heavy defeat ends Halifax's hopes of reaching Million Pound Game".Halifaxcourier.co.uk.
- ^"York City Knights upset Halifax in 26-24 play-off victory".Yorkpress.co.uk.18 September 2022.
- ^https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/championship-club-safeguards-immediate-future-after-advanced-rfl-payments-but-further-challenges-ahead
- ^"Halifax stave off liquidation but need Bradford Bulls crowd".www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk.
- ^"Halifax (Thrum Hall)".Defunctspeedway.co.uk.
- ^"Panthers sign Maher on two year deal".Halifax Panthers.Retrieved1 November2022.
- ^O'Reilly, James (31 October 2022)."Tom Inman joins Halifax from York Knights on a two-year deal".The Press.Retrieved1 November2022.
- ^"Aston to move on from Panthers".Halifax Panthers.Retrieved1 November2022.
- ^"Halifax Panthers appoint Liam Finn as new Head Coach from 2024".Rugby-League.com.16 August 2023.Retrieved20 December2023.
- ^ab"100-year-old postcard that inspired the new Halifax RLFC mascot".Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^"Billy, Fat Cat, Bluey".Halifax Blue Sox. Archived fromthe originalon 25 June 2001.
- ^"Smartmove gives a purrfect new role for old Fax mascot Helicat".Halifax Courier.17 June 2021.Retrieved23 June2023– via PressReader.
- ^"Introducing... Paddy and Pippa Panther".Halifax Panthers. 12 April 2023.Retrieved23 June2023.