Birmingham City Officials RFC 1926 - 1997
Birmingham City Officials RFC was formed in 1926 and, as the name implies, the club originally existed for the benefit of Birmingham City Council employees. Its playing base for most of its history was Sedgemere Road, Yardley, which hosted a number of sporting activities. Over a period of time an "open membership" came about, not restriced to employees of the Council, and players were then mostly drawn from the surrounding districts. This allowed a youth team to be developed, relying on intake from local schools, primarily Sheldon Heath and Cockshut Hill, which led to a successful period for the club. The years passed amiably, games were won and lost, characters (occasionally bizarre) joined and departed, (too) much alcohol was consumed by (too) many people, but the future, as often happens, held a surprise.
In the late 1980's Birmingham City Council decided to sell the sports ground at Sedgemere Road and evict all of the sports teams based there. There then followed a number of years when the club was nomadic, playing from rented pitches and operating out of pubs in the absence of a clubhouse. This was actually more enjoyable than it may sound, as the membership remained intact, and the club thrived during this period. However, suffering like most clubs in the region, the absence of sports in schools gradually started to have an impact, and the average age of the members began to move steadly upwards, with few young players entering the game or joining the club. A solution had to be found.
A meeting was held between the committees of Birmingham Welsh RFC and Birmingham City Officials RFC, and it was agreed that a true merger of the two clubs would take place, with one new club resulting. There would be a new name, new club colours and players would be selected strictly on merit. The members of both clubs gave unanimous backing to this proposal. Hence the motto of Exiles - Forward in Unity. The result ..... the club we have today, Birmingham Exiles RFC, now steadily building its own unique history and acquiring its own (occasionally bizarre?) new members.
George Armstrong, 2009