Broadmoor Staff Rugby Club was founded in 1995 following the closure of a neighbouring Psychiatric Hospital, (Brookwood) that a number of Broadmoor employees represented on the rugby field.

Three of these individuals cajoled, persuaded and bribed the hospital employees into turning out in the original black strip. At this time all fixtures were ‘away friendlies’, obtained via a number of bureaus and exchanges. the side travelled the home counties and Southern London each Saturday playing fourth team XV’s and getting beaten up in the occasional fixture with a wily vets XV.

The development of a ‘Home pitch’ situated in the shadows of the hospitals secure perimeter in 1998 encouraged the recruitment of additional players from the local community and allowed the team to consider entry to a local league system.

The Thames Valley Invitation League provided the initial platform for the Hospital side to play competitive rugby but the growth of the team can be reflected in its consistent rise through the league structure up to the ‘A’ division and then into the RFU league structure for the 2005/06 season, where the club was placed at level 9 in the South West Division, Berks Bucks & Oxon League 1 South. The first season saw instant promotion to level 8, Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier. After 3 years the Club progressed further, winning the BBO Premier and gaining promotion again to level 7 in the RFU Southern Counties North Division for the season 2010/2011. This division represented the hardest trial in the clubs short history and retaining the promotion came down to a win on the last game of the season.

The 2011/12 season bought disappointment as the club was unable to maintain its position in the league structure due to the departure of several key players to other local clubs. cRFC then hoped to maintain its position as a local village club by playing non league friendly’s for the remainder of the season.

In 2012/13 there as a rebranding the club to Crowthorne RFC with a view to attracting more local players from the village community. the newly formed Crows performed well in a number of friendly club matches and were able to recruit players ready for the re admittance to the BBO Championship (Level 9) for the 2013/14 season finishing a credible mid table. In the subsequent season the Crows led from the front and battled for the Championship with Buckinghamshire side Risborough which saw both side promoted to the BBO Premiership but the Crows missing out on the championship narrowly due to point’s difference (robbed!)

2014/15 saw the Crows joined by our ladies side (The Thorns) and the growth of the club continued to roll on. Due to a hospital redevelopment plan the club completed playing at their Cricket Field Grove home after near 20 years of tenancy and relocated to Arborfield Garrison to train and to play their home matches while the committee engaged in negotiations on a new club facility. The rugby club continued to operate from its temporary home and at times the vision of a new Crowthorne base looked beyond grasp. until at last in the summer of 2018 when the ground was eventually broken on a new site off Lower Broadmoor Road leading to a Grand opening conducted by GB Silver Medallist and England 7s Coach Simon Amor in August 2019.

With a long term lease and a fantastic new rugby club all of its own CRFC now looks to engage with the local community to provide a sustainable village resource to be used by all whilst also building the rugby playing ethos of the club which is looking to develop a youth section for both boys and girls and continue to encourage outdoor activity for the whole of the Crowthorne Village community.