We are our history
We are our history. The history of Exeter Athletic is steeped in social fun rugby for players, non-players and supporters - all with like minds enjoying the fellowship and culture that the great game brings to us.
The name Exeter Athletic was actually the name of the Exeter second XV with the name of the first XV being the Exeter Chiefs. This is your clue about how we have come to be…........…but its not quite as easy as you think.
Exeter Athletic has had two paths of development that has led us here today.
Our Story
First the senior XV pathway.
In the early 1990s with the advent of competitive league rugby and the prospect of professional rugby on the horizon, it became clear that matching the objectives of professional league rugby did not sit easily with the objectives of a more relaxed and socially focused approach to the game. So the decision was taken for those socially focused Exeter Rugby sides to plough their own furrow and set up a new club that better satisfied the needs of the players and administrators. In 1995 Wessex RFC was established with essentially the social teams of Exeter Rugby.
Because of the improving standard of play at Exeter in the league structure, likewise, Wessex rugby was talented and quickly established itself within Devon rugby and then progressed quickly in the Devon, Cornwall and Western Counties league structure collecting silverware along the way. Players from Wessex played for their county of Devon and also progressed into the Premiership. Wessex played at Flowerpot Lane next to the flowing River Exe.
Although without a Youth Section, Wessex was notable in that it quickly established a women’s team for a period which was still not that common at the time.
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Turning to the Youth Section, Exeter Rugby had a successful Colts side from the 1970’s and then established a complete portfolio of age grade rugby in the 1990’s.
This continued to play under the overall Chiefs banner until 2005 when it separated as an entity into a stand-alone youth club. In that time, the Exeter Youth produced county champion teams at Under 14 all the way through to Colts. Likewise individual players have played county age grade rugby for Devon, Somerset, Gloucester, England U16, 18 and 20, the English Premiership and Championship.
In 2015 the Exeter Youth moved to Oil Mill Lane where it was then joined by Wessex, whereby the club became one in 2018. After many years of fund raising and some worrying times in Covid with false starts and disappointments, the club managed to build its own four changing room club facility with small kitchen and social area. There was not enough money for anything larger. This was completed in 2023 off grid and we managed to connect to the mains in 2024 after additional funds were raised again.
To achieve this, we must thank our sponsor Andy Halpin at Smart Build Supplies
and our many partners that have helped us get the club house up, running and connected
to the electricity. Sport England, the Exeter Foundation, Exeter College,
the Exeter Chiefs Supporters Club and
the Valencia Communities Fund.
We still have ambitions to expand our social facilities so we can move on from our reliance on our quaint marquee. Likewise we would like to have a proper tarmac car park than can double as a playing surface for other team sports like netball and wheel chair rugby perhaps.
The beating heart of Exeter Athletic is its youth section that contributes so much to the atmosphere and culture at Bravelands. At all clubs at our community level, we rely so much on youth volunteer coaches, team managers and parents to provide the best rugby experience and memories for the kids in the future. All the teams are backed up by selfless people that are often not mentioned or thanked enough like safeguarding officers, first aiders, fixtures secretaries, club house and kitchen staffing, GMS and kit managers, social media and web gurus, groundsmen and club safety officers - the list goes on. There is not enough room to mention everyone by name, but our thanks must be noted for all.
As we close on the record of our history, then our readers will ask “so when was Exeter Athletic formed”. Given the folklore of our roots, then our consensus is that the official birthday is 1st September 1995. This coincides with the senior XV changes at Exeter and Wessex, against the back drop of the wider revolution from professional and social rugby - triggered by the changes after the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa.
Thank you
