(taken from the official “History of the Club” written by David Destefano)

Old Alleynians Rugby Football Club is a diverse, inclusive community rugby club based in Dulwich, South East London. The club was founded as a team for the former pupils of Dulwich College, themselves known as Old Alleynians. 

Dulwich College had been playing football using Rugby School rules since 1859 and is listed in the Football Annual of 1869. In March 1898 former pupil W.R.M. Leake (an Old Alleynian, England International & an assistant master at the College) wrote to the school magazine (The Alleynian) bemoaning the fact that despite the school having an old boy representative "in almost all the first-class football clubs" the fact that it did not have an old schoolboy team, "such as Old Merchant Taylors, Old Leysians, Old Carthusians, Marlborough Nomads", meant that it was missing out on "the greater athletic reputation it would otherwise have obtained.”

In June 1898 R.M. Everett, a member of the school's first XV, joined forces with W.R.M. Leake to promote the formation of the club. In September 1898, the club played its first match, drawing with Croydon 3rd XV (Croydon FC being the name by which Old Whitgitians were known at the time). On October 8, 1898, the club was officially founded as the Old Alleynian Rugby Football Club. The word “Rugby” was later dropped more by convention than a specific rule change.

McCulloch Christison MBE joined the club after leaving school in December 1898. He therefore just missed out on being a founder member, but was to become one of the most active members for the next 74 years; for this reason he was awarded the nickname “Slacker”.

In May the following year the final decisions were taken regarding club colours and the design of the shirts. Games were played at the Norwood Club, South Norwood Park. The pitches were hired and facilities weren’t great: one of the best ways to get a wash was to swim in the lake, even if this meant breaking the ice first. 1901-02 was the first full season with a full fixture list with games against several top clubs. Honours caps were introduced, but there was considerable dissatisfaction with the terms and conditions at Norwood. For the next three seasons the club played at Elm Grove, Sydenham (1902-03), Cavendish Road, Merton (1903-04) & Horn Park Farm, Lee (1904-05).

The club was now running five sides on a regular basis and at Easter 1905 the club travelled to Frankfurt for it’s first overseas tour. Also in this year, the Estates Governors granted the club a lease for our present ground in Dulwich, six and a half acres next to Potash Farm (the farm buildings were located close to where the Trevor Bailey Pavillion is currently). This move began our continual issues with London Clay. Efforts were continuously made to level and drain the area, nothing changes, and Dulwich soon became renowned in rugby circles for wet pitches and clinging mud. In 1906 the original changing rooms were built (no longer in place), there was also a small room where soft drinks and refreshments could be served. The playing conditions were never good, however it wasn’t until 1912 that a formal attempt was made to institute a Ground Improvement Fund.

In 1913 five players played in the Varsity Match for Cambridge, this was also the first year of our annual Boxing day game against Old Whitgiftians. By this time the club had been accepted as an established top club. It continued its overseas tours with two more to Frankfurt in 1906 & 1910 and one to the South of France in 1912. The club was virtually disbanded during the 1914-18 war, losing no fewer than 76 of it’s members to the conflict.

In 1919, through the efforts of R.M Everett and Slacker Christison the club was revived and fielded three sides, that year also saw the Varsity match at Twickenham with both teams captained by former club members, J.E. Greenwood (Cambridge) and E.G. Loudoun-Shand (Oxford). By 1921 the club was back to running five sides, amidst this success there was discussion about building a stand, however at the same time a move to new grounds at Beckenham was being considered. Between 1924 and 1939 various other grounds were considered from time to time, including Streatham, Norbury, Richmond, Teddington & Thames Ditton, but the club had insufficient funds to move or for better drainage, so remained in Dulwich.

The Second World War took a heavy toll on the members, with 49 losing their lives. The club was so weakened that it merged with its oldest of rivals, Old Whitgiftians, for a year in 1945. A modest resurgence took place at the turn of the decade, with Ian Coutts gaining his Scottish caps, and the likes of London Irish, London Welsh and Wasps being beaten by the club. However, by the late 1960s the club started played strong local opposition rather than "1st class" clubs. In the 1980s the club continued to be strong, arguably the strongest of all Old Boys clubs in London, topping the Combined London Old Boys Merit Table in 1988. 

In 1987 the league system introduction led to the club being placed in the Courage League London South 2. In 1989 the club was promoted to London One, won the Surrey Cup, topped the Combined London Old Boys Merit Table once again and qualified for the Middlesex Sevens Finals. A second Surrey Cup win in 1992 was unfortunately followed by a three year slide seeing the club drop three divisions and in 1995 the Old Alleynians became fully open. 

The most recent success came in 2003, when Old Alleynians beat Shipston upon Stour 16 -10 in the final of the Powergen Junior Vase, held at Twickenham.

Three years previously, in 2000, Ditch Boultbee, a former pupil established the club’s Age Grade section with a number of other keen dads, which reignited the growth of the club as it forged a new identity as a true Community Rugby Club. As England Rugby developed its strategy to promote the game through young people and build a structure to support mass participation the club rose to the challenge. Over the last 20 years, despite the still troublesome London Clay, the club’s membership has grown massively as more and more young people enjoy playing the game on a Sunday morning.

Once again the club is running five adult teams, including a Development Squad, that supports the transition of young players from Age Grade to Adult rugby. In addition it has over 700 Age Grade players, including over 100 girls, supported by a volunteer team of more than 200 willing parents. It also runs an Touch Rugby offer, which is year round and has developed a Schools Community Outreach Programme “Give it a try!" that supports local state schools to develop the game as well as helping young people transition from school to club rugby.

In the 2015-2016 season the club overhauled its operation, with a focus on developing and enhancing its governance and in May 2016 it became a CASC (Community Amateur Sports Club), with the objective of establishing and delivering on a 5 Year Club Development Plan. The Plan focused on three core objectives: 1). Playing, 2). Infrastructure & 3). Community.

During the 2018-2019 season the club also welcomed London South Bank University in to its family. They now train and play their home games at the club adding to our rugby offer and providing additional players for our adult teams, as well as supporting club improvement work days and getting involved with our Touch Rugby offer.

The club is also having success in terms of Age Grade representative rugby, with a number of boys and girls playing for County teams (Surrey & Kent) as well as training with both Harlequins & Saracens Academies. One of our Age Grade Girls, Fiona McIntosh is now playing for Saracens Women’s team and has also been selected for the England U20s. Beno Obano follows Nick Easter, Andrew Sheridan & David Flatman in to the England team, winning his first cap on the 6th February 2021 against Scotland.

On Saturday 23rd August 2025, history was made when Old Alleynians RFC fielded its first senior women+ side against Belsize Park Women. The women+ 1st XV competes in Championship South East 2 (Women’s Level 3), while the 2nd XV plays in NC3 South East (East). The continued growth in women’s rugby participation - driven in part by the success and visibility of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 - means the club is on track to introduce a third women+ team in September 2026. With a strong and expanding Women+ section, Old Alleynians RFC now offers a clear player pathway for girls progressing from Age Grade rugby into the senior game, reinforcing its commitment to development, inclusivity and long-term participation in rugby for all.

THE OLD ALLEYNIAN ASSOCIATION AND OTHER OA SPORTS CLUBS AND SOCIETIES