About The Project
Project Activities
1. Launch Event (May 2012) and Celebration Event (November 2014)
2. Collecting, Recording, Conserving and Archiving Memorabilia
3. Recording Oral Histories
4. Exhibitions
5. Project Website (www.huddersfeldrlheritage.co.uk)
6. Local History Scheme of Work for Primary Schools
7. Rugby League Heritage Book
8. Huddersfield in World War I Book
9. Heritage Walks: Huddersfield in World War I Trail; Harold Wagstaff Trail of Holmfirth
10. Trail of Gillette Rugby League Heritage Centre
11. Heritage Evenings
12. International Conference
13. Reminiscence Boxes for Care Homes
14. Index everything Huddersfield-related in Rugby League Archive
15. Heritage Shirt/Game
16. Heritage Collectors' Cards: Huddersfield Greats set; Fartown Giants set
17. Reinstatement of the 'St John's Stone'
18. DVD Production
19. Children's Writing Competition
20. Children's Art Competition
Introduction
In 2014 Huddersfield Giants RLFC celebrates:
• its 150th anniversary
• the centenary of the club's 'Team Of All Talents', one of only three teams ever to win all four available trophies in one season, 1914-15
• Albert Rosenfeld's all time record of 80 tries in a season, 1913-14
• the centenary of the start of World War I.
Aspirations
To commemorate these anniversaries, Huddersfield Giants is embarking on a heritage programme. Aspirations for the programme are:
• to devise an inspirational project that engages the local community in recognising Huddersfield's important role in the development of rugby league and to preserve this sporting heritage of club and town
• to promote community identity, pride and passion for heritage
• to work in partnerships that strengthen existing relationships between the club and community groups and develop new ones.
Aims and Activities
Aims
1. Learning:
to help people of Huddersfield to learn about the heritage of rugby league in Huddersfield.
2. Conservation:
to collect, record, conserve and display artefacts, images and memories about the heritage of rugby league in Huddersfield, providing a lasting, sustainable legacy.
3. Participation:
to empower people to be active in recording, collecting, conserving and displaying the heritage of rugby league in Huddersfield.
Activities
1. (Aims 1 and 3)
The project's launch event was held at the Galpharm (now John Smith's) stadium on 31 May 2012, and was attended by 140 people. As well as many individuals, over 30 organisations were represented.
On 9 October 2012 the project partnered the Rugby League World Cup 2013 Projects Committee, Kirklees MBC and Scholes J & I School in the launch of the World Cup Trophy Tour, organising children from Scholes in re-enacting the meeting that gave birth to rugby league in the building where that meeting took place, the George Hotel.
There will be other launch events of parts of the project, such as the Tolson Museum Exhibition, planned for October 2013, and the schools' scheme of work in 2014.
The project will culminate in a World War I-themed celebration event, held at the George Hotel in Huddersfield in November 2014. All the participants involved including: supporters; past players; school children; local community groups and other volunteers will be invited to celebrate the project.
2. (Aims 1, 2 and 3) - Collecting, Recording, Conserving and Archiving Memorabilia
Training by West Yorkshire Archive Service was given to 12 volunteers, including members of the Steering Group and university students, in September 2012.
Memorabilia loaned and donated to the project is being formally archived and recorded according to methods learned. Memorabilia will be displayed at exhibitions and much of it can also be viewed on the project's website.
3. (Aims 1, 2 and 3) - Recording Oral Histories
Training in the techniques and technologies of recording interviews was given to 18 volunteers, including members of the Steering Group and university students, by the Vox Pops training company in August 2012.
Vox Pops is also training 70 local school children.
Interviews about memories of rugby league in Huddersfield are now being recorded and transcribed. Extracts will be available on the project website, via Ipods at exhibitions, and as transcriptions in the project's rugby league book.
4. (Aims 1, 2 and 3) - Exhibitions
The project's main exhibition will open at the Tolson Museum in October 2013 to coincide with the Rugby League World Cup 2013. It will showcase: historical artefacts; extracts from oral history recordings; memorabilia, including kit, images and documents; DVD; banners; information boards and the heritage website.
Exhibition themes will include: 'Team of All Talents'; Huddersfield in World War I; Timeline of rugby league in Huddersfield; local amateur clubs.
Activities at the museum will include: a dressing up box; 'design a shirt/badge'; and a prize quiz.
The project is also planning exhibitions at other local venues, including Huddersfield Central Library, the Packhorse Centre and the University of Huddersfield, at district libraries, at the clubhouses of local amateur clubs and at the John Smith's Stadium.
5. (Aims 1, 2 and 3) - Project Website (www.huddersfeldrlheritage.co.uk)
The project's website is being populated with still images, including digitised images of artefacts collected, videos, interviews, articles and documents collected and created by the project.
6. (Aims 1 and 3) - Local History Scheme of Work for Primary Schools (years 5 and 6)
A scheme of work for Primary Schools will be written by Sports Inspire Educational Publishing, covering the history of the rugby league in Huddersfield and at the Huddersfield club, with particular focus on club and town in World War I. Part of the scheme will be researched and written by students from the University of Huddersfield, as part of their work placement.
7. (Aims 1, 2 and 3) - Rugby League Heritage Book
The project will publish a book containing new information unearthed about Huddersfield's unique rugby league heritage. It will include new stories, extracts from oral interviews and many images.
8. (Aims 1, 2 and 3) - Huddersfield in World War I Book
Researched in partnership with the Huddersfield Local History Society and students from the University of Huddersfield as part of their work placement, this will be the first book devoted to this subject. Research will use local history booklets and microfilm of the Huddersfield Examiner, 1914-19. The book will be published to commemorate the centenary of the start of World War I in August 2014.
9. (Aims 1, 2 and 3) - Heritage Walks
The project will produce a 'Wagstaff Trail'. This walk around the home village of Huddersfield's greatest player, Harold Wagstaff, will take in locations of significance to his life, including: his birthplace; where he played informal rugby as a child; Underbank Rangers ARLFC; where he lived; where he signed for Huddersfield; and his grave. In preparation for the trail, Harold's grave will be presented attractively.
The project will also produce a World War I trail of Huddersfield, covering locations with significance to the town in World War I. The Local History Society has supplied information from which this can be prepared, which will be supplemented by information from research from microfilm of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner 1914-19 by work-placement students from the University of Huddersfield.
This trail guide will be part of the collection of guides produced by the Discover Huddersfield town centre partnership of local organisations. The trail will also be publicised and distributed by the partnership.
The guides will be available to download from the heritage website and will be available at local outlets such as Tourist Information Centre, newsagents and the central and district Libraries.
10. (Aims 1 and 3) - Trail of Gillette Rugby League Heritage Centre
A structured questionnaire trail of the Rugby League Heritage Centre at the George Hotel will be included in the Primary School Scheme of Work to encourage visits in curriculum time. It will also be adapted as a separate booklet for children on non-school visits, and into a trail for adults.
Like the World War I Trail, this guide will be part of the collection of guides produced by the Discover Huddersfield town centre partnership of local organisations. The trail will also be publicised and distributed by the partnership.
The guides will be available to download from the heritage website and will be available at local outlets such as Tourist Information Centre, newsagents and the central and district Libraries.
11. (Aims 1 and 3 - Heritage Evenings
Heritage evenings, featuring memorabilia and guest speakers, will be held in partnership with existing organisations, with guest speakers. Such evenings have so far been shared with the Huddersfield Local History and Civic societies, and presentations have been made as part of events at the Huddersfield Giants' Senior Supporters' and Supporters' associations. Further evenings are planned with other organsiations.
12. (Aims 1 and 3) - International Conference
This initiative started as a heritage conference, but has evolved, in partnership with the Rugby League World Cup 2103 Projects Group, into the International Conference of the 2013 World Cup. It is planned for Friday 1 November 2013, as part of Huddersfield's World Cup weekend that culminates in the England v Ireland group match on Saturday 2 November.
It will be staged in the Revell Suite (capacity 350) at the John Smith's Stadium. A principle of the event is that it is affordable for everyone. All volunteers, supporters, members of local amateur clubs and the wider rugby league community and the general public will be invited.
13. (Aims 1 and 3) - Reminiscence Boxes
Portable community learning boxes will be compiled and loaned free of charge across the local area, including hospitals, community health groups, care homes and heritage/history groups. Their purpose will be to stimulate memories and conversation. The boxes will include spoken word recordings about rugby league, recordings of music, kit, and written memorabilia such as match programmes, images, match tickets, testimonial brochures and newspaper articles. They will also include non-rugby league memorabilia that is evocative of the period from the 1940s to the 1970s.
14. (Aims 1, 2 and 3) - Index everything Huddersfield-related in Rugby League Archive
The Rugby League Archive is housed at the University of Huddersfield, whose Chief Archivist has agreed to project members creating a user-friendly index of Huddersfield-related memorabilia and information.
The project would also identify memorabilia and information that can be borrowed for exhibitions and digitally recorded for the project website. The outcome would be to make this information, which is currently only accessed by academics with the time to search extensively, more accessible to everyone.
15. (Aims 1 and 3) - Heritage Shirt/Game
An aspiration of the project is to design a retro Huddersfield 'heritage' shirt for supporters to buy and for the team to wear at a designated heritage game in 2014, to which all former players are invited.
It will be important that such as shirt and event does not detract from the regular commercial activity of the club, and will be pursued in partnership with the club.
16. (Aims 1 and 3) - Heritage Collectors' Cards: Huddersfield Great set; Fartown Giants set
The project will produce two sets of 50 Heritage Collectors' Cards. They are:
Set 1, Huddersfield Greats, of players covering the history of the Huddersfield club;
Set 2, Fartown Giants, a set mainly comprised professional players who began their careers at amateur clubs in Huddersfield, aiming to inspire local children.
17. (Aim 2) - Reinstatement of the 'St John's Stone'
The St John's Stone is the only surviving architectural remains of the gymnasium from Huddersfield's old St John's Gymnasium headquarters. Dated 1874, the stone is the apex of the building and includes a carved figure and an inscription.
18. (Aims 1 and 2) - DVD Production
The project has purchased from British Pathe archive film of Huddersfield in action and, in partnership with KGB Productions, produced three films, one of the Rugby League World Cup 2013 Trophy Tour Launch, and two of interviews and images related to Huddersfield's signing of George Boak in 1893, a pivotal event in the Birth of Rugby League.
The project films will be made available on the website, at the Tolson Museum exhibition and on the project DVD which will be available in 2014.
19. (Aim 3) - Children's writing competition
The project will organise a children's writing competition, with prizes. The writing will be about rugby league from a perspective, in a style and about a subject of the child's choice. For example, it could be: from the perspective of a player, coach, supporter, or referee; a report, descriptive, instructional, explanatory, poetry or rap lyrics; about a match, 'match day' or about a player.
The competition will be publicised in the Huddersfield Examiner and in match day programmes.
20. (Aim 3) - Children's art competition
The project will organise a children's art competition, with prizes. The artwork will be on a rugby league subject and produced in a medium and style of the child's choice. For example, the subject could be a player, a ground/stadium, spectators, match action, historical or contemporary, created in the medium of pencil, crayon, paint, collage, printing, digital media or model/sculpture, in a style that is realistic, or in one that is in some way abstract.
The competition will be publicised in the Huddersfield Examiner and in match day programmes.
Further Initiatives Since Start of Project
1. Drama
The project is exploring the possibility of local amateur playwrights writing and producing a children's drama about the life of Douglas Clark, whose 1917 diary, written on the Western Front, has been transcribed for the first time by the project.
2. CD
The quality of oral interviews recorded suggests that a CD of extracts would be a valuable addition to project productions.
3. Sporting Memories Match
Following contact with the Sporting Memories Network, a match in 2013 to promote awareness of Parkinson's Disease, at which the history of rugby league in Huddersfield is celebrated and memorabilia and oral memories are collected. This initiative would be in partnership with the Sporting Memories Network, Huddersfield Giants, and possibly with the opposition club.
