Selby is a sizeable town on the main route north from the Midlands and is the traditional birthplace of King Henry I, fourth son of William the Conqueror,

Our club badge dates back to the formation of our rugby club in December 1933 and is two coats of arms joined together signifying the merger of two separate organisations.

The top of the badge is the old Drax Grammar school coat of arms. Drax Grammar School was founded in 1667 by shipping magnate Charles Reade and is situated in a village 5 miles south of Selby. The school is now known locally as ‘The Read School’ and it became a fee paying independent school in the early 1960’s. The rugby club, Old Draxonians, was set up so former pupils could continue playing rugby union, their shirts were green and gold hoops.

The bottom of the badge is the coat of arms of Selby Abbey. One of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, Selby Abbey is the birthplace of King Henry I, and, although not a cathedral, is one of the biggest. It was founded by Benedict of Auxerre in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family. The coat of arms originates from when Benedict saw three swans on a lake in Selby, which he took as a sign of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. This vision, as drawn, became the official crest of Selby Abbey – 3 swans with gold feet aggressively advancing. Selby Rugby Club took this crest as their badge, playing in red and gold hooped shirts.

Two rugby clubs in such close proximity was unsustainable and inevitably they merged to become Selby Old Boys RUFC, playing in red, gold and green hooped shirts, with a badge combined from the two old clubs. In due course the name was shortened to Selby RUFC to encourage everyone in the local community to play rugby at the club – an amateur ethic we support today.

It is important to understand the significance of the Gold bar separating the two coats of arms. Merging coats of arms requires the permission of the Herald’s College (College of Arms) and the application from Selby RUFC was accepted with the proviso that the badge would have a clear distinction by way of this gold bar.