150 years of Exeter Rugby Club celebrated at free RAMM exhibition
Published: 28 July 2022
A free exhibition featuring 150 years of Exeter Rugby Club opens at Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum on Friday.
The month-long showcase, 150 Years of Exeter Rugby Club: From Local Heroes to European Champions, runs until 28 August and features an array of Exeter Chiefs memorabilia.
It includes shirts, photographs, trophies and caps and takes visitors on a journey starting in 1872.
Previewing the show, City Council Leader Phil Bialyk said: “I am so proud that we can celebrate 150 years of Exeter Chiefs by bringing this exhibition to the RAMM, which is a great facility.
“The women’s team brought home some silverware last season which is on display here. I want to congratulate both teams and I know that Exeter Chiefs - both the men and women – will do well in the coming season.
“So I would encourage everyone to come to the RAMM and have a look at the exhibition - there is a lot of history here and I do believe that if don’t understand our history we won’t understand our future.”
Some of the objects donated to the exhibition have come from fans, who have sifted through years of memorabilia to find gems to display, illustrating the club’s history from the early days of rugby in the region through to the recent successes at the very top of European rugby.
Visitors will be treated to a display of impressive trophies from the Chiefs’ recent successes, including the Heineken European Champions 2020 Cup and the women’s team’s first trophy, the Allianz Cup.
Other objects on show include team shirts, boots, a ball signed by the All Blacks in 1963, and historic programmes and scrapbooks.
Rugby Club Chief Executive and Chairman Tony Rowe OBE said: “It is a fantastic exhibition. Looking around I know most of these items, but to see it all here is really fantastic, and it is great that the City Council have allowed us to put on the exhibition here at the RAMM.
“For supporters of our club, this really is a rare chance to unearth more about the history of Exeter Rugby Club and we hope as many of you as possible take the opportunity to visit the exhibition.”
The exhibition from Friday 29 July to Sunday 28 August. More information is available at rammuseum.org.uk/rugby