Leicester Tigers facts for kids
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| Full name | Leicester Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Tigers | ||
| Founded | 3 August 1880 | ||
| Location | Leicester, England | ||
| Ground(s) | Mattioli Woods Welford Road (Capacity: 25,849) | ||
| Chairman | Peter Tom | ||
| CEO | Andrea Pinchen | ||
| Coach(es) | Michael Cheika | ||
| Captain(s) | Julián Montoya | ||
| Most appearances | David Matthews (502) | ||
| Top scorer | Dusty Hare (4,507) | ||
| Most tries | Percy Lawrie (206) | ||
| League(s) | Premiership Rugby | ||
| 2023–24 | 8th | ||
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| First match | |||
| 28 October 1880 0 – 0 v Moseley |
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| Largest win | |||
| 100-0 v Liverpool St Helens, 11 April 1992 | |||
| Largest defeat | |||
| 10-85 v Barbarians, 4 June 2000 | |||
| Official website | |||
The Leicester Tigers are a professional rugby union club from Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, which is England's top rugby league.
The club started in 1880. Since 1892, they have played their home games at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. People have called them the Tigers since at least 1885. In the 2023–24 season, the Tigers finished 8th. This means they can play in the 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup. The team's head coach is Michael Cheika, who joined in June 2024.
Leicester Tigers have won 21 big titles. They won the European Champions Cup twice in a row, in 2001 and 2002. They have also won a record 11 English Championships. Plus, they won five RFU Knockout Cups and three Anglo-Welsh Cups. Their most recent win was the Premiership Rugby title in the 2022 season. They also reached a record nine Premiership finals in a row, from 2005 to 2013. Leicester is one of only three teams that have never been moved down to a lower league. They have played in five European finals, winning two and losing three. In 2021, they played in the European Rugby Challenge Cup final.
Six Leicester Tigers players were part of the England team that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final. This included their captain, Martin Johnson.
Contents
Club History
How the Tigers Started (1880–1928)
Leicester Football Club was created on August 3, 1880. It was formed by combining three smaller teams. The club's first game was a tie (0-0) against Moseley on October 23. On September 10, 1892, Leicester played their first game at their home stadium, Welford Road.
Tom Crumbie became the club's secretary in 1895. He helped the club become famous across the country. He focused on having only the best players on the main team. The Tigers won their first trophy, the Midlands Counties Cup, in 1898. They won this cup every year from 1898 to 1905. They then stopped playing in it for a while to give other teams a chance. When they returned in 1909, they won the cup again.
In 1903, Jack Miles was the first player from Leicester to play for the England international team. In 1905, 20,000 fans watched Leicester play against The Original All Blacks. Leicester lost that game. In December 1909, the Tigers played the Barbarians for the first time. This game became a very popular event for many years. Before World War I, the Tigers won the Midlands Counties Cup three more times. This made them the best team in the Midlands. In 1924, a record 35,000 people watched the Tigers play against the "Invincible All Blacks" at Welford Road.
New Leaders and Changes (1928–1971)
In 1930, Leicester's captain, Doug Prentice, led the 1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia. The first time a Tigers game was on BBC radio was in 1930. Bernard Gadney became the first Leicester player to captain the England team in 1934. He also led the British Lions on their tour to Argentina. The 1936-37 season was a tough one for the club, with fewer wins than usual.
The Tigers' first televised game was in 1951. In 1956-57, the club changed how it was organized. They started having more than just one main team, adding "Extra First XV" and "Colts XV" teams. In 1963-64, David Matthews set a record for playing 109 games in a row for the club. He later became captain and led the team to a record 33 wins in 1966-67. Chalkie White became coach in 1968. He helped the players adapt to new rules that made the game more open.
New Competitions Begin (1971–1978)
The 1971-72 season brought big changes to rugby. The RFU started a national Knockout Cup. On November 16, 1971, the Tigers played their first cup match since 1914. This season also saw the start of the Tigers' first "Youth" team for 14 and 15-year-olds. Just six years later, Paul Dodge from this youth team played for the national team.
The annual game against the Barbarians became very popular in this time. Crowds grew from a few hundred to over 20,000 fans. In 1976-77, the RFU introduced "Merit Tables," which was a step towards creating full leagues. In 1977-78, Leicester reached their first final at Twickenham, but lost to Gloucester. This success helped the club's membership grow a lot.
Winning Trophies (1979–1988)
Leicester won their first national trophy, the 1978–79 John Player Cup, in 1979. They won it again in 1979–80 and 1980–81. In 1980, to celebrate 100 years of the club, the Tigers went on a tour to Australia and Fiji. This was the first time an English club toured the southern hemisphere. On April 25, 1981, Leicester's Dusty Hare broke the world record for points scored in first-class games.
New players like Dean Richards, John Wells, and Rory Underwood joined the team in the early 1980s. In 1987-88, England's first official rugby league, the 1987–88 Courage League, began. The Tigers lost only one match that season and became England's first champions. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, important players like Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Graham Rowntree, Richard Cockerill, and Darren Garforth joined the team.
Professional Rugby and European Wins (1993–2003)
From 1993 to 2002, Leicester won nine trophies in ten years. This amazing run started with the 1993 Pilkington Cup. In 1994-95, Leicester won the Courage League.
In 1995-96, rugby union became a professional sport, and the Heineken cup (European club competition) began. Leicester reached the Heineken Cup final in their first try, but lost. They won the 1997 Pilkington Cup Final. That summer, Martin Johnson was chosen to be captain for the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa. In 1998, Dean Richards became the Director of Rugby.
Under Dean Richards, Leicester had a "golden age." They won four Premiership Rugby titles in a row from 1999 to 2002. They also won the Heineken Cup twice in a row in 2001 and 2002. In the 2001 Heineken Cup final, the Tigers won their first European title. They also won the Premiership playoffs that year, achieving a rare "treble" (three major wins in one season). Martin Johnson became the first person to captain two British & Irish Lions tours.
Leicester was the first team to win a European title two years in a row, beating Munster in the 2002 Heineken Cup Final. They also won their fourth Premiership title in a row in 2002. During this time, Leicester went 57 games unbeaten at home. They won 52 games in a row at home. In these four seasons, they lost only 14 out of 92 games.
In the 2003-04 season, Leicester's performance dropped. Dean Richards left the club. His assistant, John Wells, took over. In Martin Johnson and Neil Back's last game for Leicester, they lost the Premiership Final.
More Premiership Success (2004–2013)
Pat Howard became the new Head Coach. In his second season, Leicester won their first trophy in five years, the Anglo-Welsh Cup. They also won the Premiership final, achieving a domestic league and cup double. However, they lost the Heineken Cup Final. Pat Howard then left the club.
Marcelo Loffreda became the coach for one season. He led Leicester to two finals, but they lost both. After this, Richard Cockerill took over as coach. Cockerill led Leicester to two Premiership titles in a row. They won the 2009 Premiership final and kept their title in 2010. Leicester lost the 2009 Heineken Cup Final in a very close game.
In November 2009, Leicester played against the world champion Springboks and won. The Tigers continued to reach Premiership finals, losing in 2011 and 2012. They won the 2012 LV Cup. In 2013, the Tigers won their 10th English title, a record, by beating their rivals Northampton Saints.
Tougher Times (2013–2020)
The next few years were harder for the Tigers. They lost in the Premiership semi-finals several times. In January 2017, Richard Cockerill left his role as Director of Rugby. Aaron Mauger took temporary charge and won the 2017 Anglo-Welsh Cup. Matt O'Connor became the new head coach. In 2017-18, the Tigers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005. After a big loss in 2018, Matt O'Connor left the club. Geordan Murphy took over, first temporarily, then permanently. The team finished 11th in the Premiership, their lowest ever finish.
In 2020, Steve Borthwick was announced as the new head coach. The 2019-20 Premiership Rugby season was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The club faced financial difficulties. Some players left the club during this time. The Tigers finished 11th again, but avoided being moved down a league because another team had points taken away. In November 2020, Geordan Murphy left his role.
Return to Success (2020–2022)
With Steve Borthwick as the new head coach, Leicester started winning again. In his first season, Borthwick led Leicester to the 2020-21 European Rugby Challenge Cup final. They also finished 6th in the league, which meant they could play in the Champions Cup again.
The next season, the Tigers had a fantastic start, winning their first five league games. They were unbeaten for 15 games in all competitions. In Europe, they reached the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
At home, they secured a semi-final playoff game. In the semi-final, they beat their rivals Northampton Saints. In the final, Leicester played against Saracens. The game was tied, but Freddie Burns scored a drop goal in the last minute to win Leicester their 11th English title. This was a huge achievement, especially after finishing 11th just two seasons before.
Steve Borthwick later became the head coach for the England national team. Richard Wigglesworth took over temporarily, and then Dan McKellar became the full-time head coach in 2023.
Women's Team
Leicester Tigers started a women's team on July 15, 2021. They created this team in partnership with Lichfield Ladies.
Honours
Leicester Tigers hold many records in English rugby. They have won the most Premiership titles (11). They also have the record for playing in the most Premiership Finals in a row (9). They were the first team to win a Premiership semi-final playoff game away from home.
Major Trophies (1st Team)
- Premiership Rugby
- Champions (11 times): 1988, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2022
- European Cup
- Champions (2 times): 2001, 2002
- RFU Knockout Cup
- Champions (5 times): 1979, 1980, 1981, 1993, 1997
- Anglo-Welsh Cup
- Champions (3 times): 2007, 2012, 2017
- Midland Counties Cup
- Champions (12 times): 1897–98 to 1904–05, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1911–12, 1912–13
Team Name and Colours
Nickname: The Tigers
The club's official name is Leicester Football Club. But everyone knows them as the "Tigers." The first time the name "Tigers" was used was in 1885. It probably came from the team's old chocolate and yellow playing kit. It might also be linked to the Leicestershire Regiment, who were called 'Tigers' after serving in India.
In their early days, they were also known as "The Death or Glory Boys" because of their black shirts.
Player Numbers and Letters
In 1926, Leicester started using letters (like A-G) to identify their forwards. By 1931, they used letters for the whole team. This tradition lasted until 1998. Then, new league rules made them use numbers instead. The Tigers first wore numbers on September 5, 1998.
Today, Leicester only uses letters for friendly games, not for official competitions. On their current uniform, the letters are shown in a small size on the front.
Team Colours
The very first Leicester Tigers kit was black with white shorts and black socks. From 1884 to 1887, they wore chocolate and yellow shirts, which likely gave them their "Tigers" nickname. They then tried claret and French grey stripes for a few years.
The famous scarlet, green, and white colours were first used on October 3, 1891. At first, they were vertical stripes. But in 1895, the well-known horizontal stripes were introduced. They wore black shorts and socks until 1906. Then, they briefly wore white shirts with navy shorts. From 1909 to 1947, they returned to the striped jersey with navy shorts. In 1947, the navy shorts were changed to white.
The Tigers' kit stayed mostly the same from 1947 to 1999. Only small changes were made, like adding a manufacturer's logo or a sponsor. In 1999, the Tigers started using a darker green colour. Since then, they have used different kit designs.
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Kit Sponsors
| Seasons | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1991–1992 | Cotton Oxford |
None |
| 1992–1993 | Ansells | |
| 1993–1995 | Tetley Bitter | |
| 1995–1996 | GoldStar | |
| 1996–1997 | Cotton Traders |
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| 1997–1999 | Next | |
| 1999–2002 | Vauxhall | |
| 2002–2008 | Bradstone | |
| 2008–2012 | Caterpillar | |
| 2012–2015 | Canterbury | |
| 2015–2016 | KooGa | |
| 2016–2017 | Holland and Barrett | |
| 2017–2020 | Kukri Sports | |
| 2020–Present | Samurai | Topps Tiles |
Stadium: Welford Road
The Leicester Tigers play their home games at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. The stadium opened in 1892 and could hold 3,000 fans at first. Over the years, more stands were built. In 1995, a new stand was added. The stadium can now hold 25,849 people after upgrades in 2008 and 2015.
Before the 2008 upgrades, the club thought about sharing a stadium with the city's main football club, Leicester City. But after talks, they decided not to.
In 2007, the club announced plans to make Welford Road bigger. They wanted to increase the capacity to 25,000 by 2011. In 2008, they got permission for a big £60 million project. The first part was building a new 10,000-seat North Stand. This increased the total capacity to 24,000. The new North Stand was finished for the first home game of the 2009-10 season.
In 2015, the Tigers announced plans to continue improving Welford Road. They replaced the old clubhouse and a temporary stand with a new building that could hold 3,100 more people. This work was completed by January 2016.
In 2020, Mattioli Woods extended their naming rights deal. The stadium became known as Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Current Players
Senior Squad
Here are the players in the Leicester Tigers senior squad for the 2024–25 season:
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
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Senior Academy Squad
Leicester Tigers' Academy squad is:
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
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Famous Former Players
Record Holders
David Matthews has played the most games for Leicester Tigers, with 502 appearances. Percy Lawrie is the only player to score over 200 tries for the club, with a record 206 tries. Dusty Hare is the club's highest ever points scorer, with 4,507 points.
International Players
Over 170 players from 15 different countries have played for their national team while being a Leicester Tigers player. The first was Jack Miles for England in 1903. The first non-British or Irish player was Canada's Dave Lougheed in 1998.
Lions Tourists
These players represented the Lions while playing for Leicester:
3 tours:
- Martin Johnson (1993, 1997, 2001)
- Neil Back (1997, 2001, 2005)
2 tours:
- Dan Cole (2013, 2017)
- Tom Croft (2009, 2013)
- Martin Corry (2001, 2005)
- Graham Rowntree (1997, 2005)
- Austin Healey (1997, 2001)
- Dean Richards (1989, 1993)
- Rory Underwood (1989, 1993)
- Clive Woodward (1980, 1983)
- Peter Wheeler (1977, 1980)
1 tour
- 2013: Ben Youngs†, Tom Youngs, Manu Tuilagi, Geoff Parling
- 2009: Harry Ellis
- 2005: Julian White, Ben Kay, Lewis Moody, Geordan Murphy, Ollie Smith
- 2001: Dorian West
- 1997: Eric Miller
- 1983: Dusty Hare
- 1980: Paul Dodge
- 1974: Alan Old
- 1959: Phil Horrocks-Taylor
- 1936: Bernard Gadney, Alexander Obolensky, Charles Beamish
- 1930: Doug Prentice, George Beamish, Joe Kendrew
- 1910: Ken Wood
- 1908: F.S. Jackson, John Jackett, Tom Smith
- 1903: Alfred Hind
†Ben Youngs was chosen for a second tour in 2017, but he decided not to go for family reasons.
Rugby World Cup Players
These players represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup while playing for Leicester:
| Tournament | Players selected | England players | Other national team players |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 2 | Dean Richards, Rory Underwood | |
| 1991 | 2 | Dean Richards, Rory Underwood | |
| 1995 | 6 | Neil Back, Martin Johnson, Dean Richards, Graham Rowntree, Rory Underwood, Tony Underwood | |
| 1999 | 11 | Neil Back, Richard Cockerill, Martin Corry, Darren Garforth, Will Greenwood, Austin Healey, Martin Johnson, Leon Lloyd, Graham Rowntree, | Dave Lougheed  , Fritz van Heerden  |
| 2003 | 8 | Neil Back, Martin Corry, Martin Johnson, Ben Kay, Lewis Moody, Julian White, Dorian West, | Dan Lyle  |
| 2007 | 11 | George Chuter, Martin Corry, Dan Hipkiss, Ben Kay, Lewis Moody, | Marcos Ayerza  , Seru Rabeni  , Geordan Murphy  , Martin Castrogiovanni  , Alesana Tuilagi  , Jim Hamilton  |
| 2011 | 12 | Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Louis Deacon, Toby Flood, Manu Tuilagi, Thomas Waldrom, Ben Youngs, | Marcos Ayerza , Horacio Agulla , Geordan Murphy , Martin Castrogiovanni , Alesana Tuilagi |
| 2015 | 8 | Dan Cole, Ben Youngs, Tom Youngs, | Marcos Ayerza , Vereniki Goneva , Leonardo Ghiraldini , Michele Rizzo , Opeti Fonua  |
| 2019 | 8 | Dan Cole, George Ford, Ellis Genge, Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Ben Youngs | Sione Kalamafoni , Telusa Veainu |
| 2023 | 10 | Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, George Martin, Freddie Steward, Ben Youngs | Julián Montoya , Jasper Wiese Tommy Reffell  , Solomone Kata , Handré Pollard |
International Captains
These players have been captains for their national teams while playing for Leicester:
- Wavell Wakefield (England, 1924)
- Doug Prentice (Lions, 1930)
- George Beamish (Ireland, 1932)
- Bernard Gadney (England, 1934–36; Lions, 1936)
- Douglas Kendrew (England, 1935)
- Peter Wheeler (England, 1983–84)
- Paul Dodge (England, 1985)
- Martin Johnson (England, 1998–2003; Lions, 1997 & 2001)
- Neil Back (England, 2001)
- Dorian West (England, 2003)
- Martin Corry (England, 2005–07)
- Lewis Moody (England, 2010)
- Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy, 2012)
- Leonardo Ghiraldini (Italy, 2015)
- George Ford (England, 2017–19)
- Julián Montoya (Argentina, 2021–2022)
Club Captains
These players have been appointed club captain for Leicester Tigers:
- B.V.D. Zweth
- A. E. Brice
- A.T. Porter
- L. Young
- J.G.S. Coleman
- W.A. Sheffield
- J. Parsons
- R.S. Snowden
- W.R. Porter
- A. McKechnie
- W.H. Sturges
- A.E. Cooke
- E. Redman
- A.O. Jones
- W.J Foreman
- J.W. Garner
- S. Matthews
- R.F. Russell
- J.R Watson
- P.W. Lawrie
- W.J. Allen
- W.W. Wakefield
- H.L.V. Day
- F.D. Prentice
- H.D. Greenless
- D.J. Norman
- R.A. Buckingham
- B.C. Gadney
- R.J. Barr
- J.T.W. Berry
- H.P. Jerwood
- A.C. Towell
- D. Goves
- W.K.T. Moore
- A.D. Bolesworth
- J.M. Jenkins
- J. Elders
- T. Bleasdale
- J.S. Swan
- C.G. Martin
- M.R. Wade
- M.J. Harrison
- D.J. Matthews
- G.G. Willars
- K.P. Andrews
- J. Allen
- R.V. Grove
- P.J. Wheeler
- R.S. Money
- R.E. Rowell
- B.P. Hall
- S. Johnson
- I.R. Smith
- L. Cusworth
- P.W. Dodge
- J.M. Wells
- D. Richards
- M.O. Johnson
- N.A. Back
- J.A. Kronfeld
- M.E. Corry
- G.E.A. Murphy
- T.G.A.L. Flood
- E.N. Slater
- T.N. Youngs
- E. Genge
- H. Liebenberg
- J.Montoya
World Rugby Hall of Fame
These people connected with the club have been added to the World Rugby Hall of Fame:
- Tony O'Reilly (2009)
- Martin Johnson (2011)
- Clive Woodward (2011)
- Bob Dwyer (2011)
- Waisale Serevi (2013)
- Wavell Wakefield (2015)
Coaches
Current Coaches
Michael Cheika, Head coach
Brett Deacon, Forwards coach- Peter Hewat Attack & backs coach
- Matt Everard, Defence coach
- Matt Parr, Head of physical performance
- Matt Smith, Skills coach & lead academy coach
Past Head Coaches
| Name | Nat. | From | To | P | W | D | L | Win% | Honours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Dwyer |  Australia |
July 1996 | Feb 1998 | 70 | 52 | 1 | 17 | 74.26 | 1997 Pilkington Cup |
| Dean Richards |  England |
Feb 1998 | Feb 2004 | 210 | 138 | 6 | 66 | 65.71 | 4 Premierships, 2 Heineken Cups |
| John Wells | England |
Feb 2004 | May 2005 | 45 | 31 | 5 | 9 | 68.88 | |
| Pat Howard | Australia |
July 2005 | May 2007 | 75 | 49 | 4 | 22 | 65.33 | 2006–07 Premiership, 2006–07 Anglo Welsh Cup |
| Richard Cockerill (Caretaker) | England |
July 2007 | Nov 2007 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 62.50 | |
| Marcelo Loffreda |  Argentina |
Nov 2007 | May 2008 | 28 | 15 | 0 | 13 | 53.57 | |
| Heyneke Meyer |  South Africa |
July 2008 | Jan 2009 | 21 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 61.90 | |
| Richard Cockerill | England |
Feb 2009 | Jan 2017 | 276 | 178 | 11 | 87 | 64.49 | 2 Premierships, 1 Anglo-Welsh Cup |
| Aaron Mauger (Caretaker) |  New Zealand |
Jan 2017 | Mar 2017 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 58.33 | 2016-17 Anglo-Welsh Cup |
| Matt O'Connor | Australia |
Mar 2017 | Sep 2018 | 38 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 50.00 | |
| Geordan Murphy | Ireland |
Sep 2018 | Nov 2020 | 64 | 21 | 1 | 42 | 32.81 | |
| Steve Borthwick | England |
Nov 2020 | Dec 2022 | 78 | 53 | 1 | 24 | 67.94 | 2021–22 Premiership |
| Richard Wigglesworth (Caretaker) | England |
Dec 2022 | May 2023 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 56.25 | |
| Dan McKellar | Australia |
July 2023 | June 2024 | 30 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 53.33 | |
| Michael Cheika | Australia |
June 2024 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 62.50 |
Images for kids
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Leicester Tigers playing in the 2008 Premiership Final against Wasps.
See also
In Spanish: Leicester Tigers para niños
