The RFU Championship

Leeds Carnegie

Photo: RFU Archive

The name Carnegie comes from the Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie whose Carnegie Trust funded the establishment of a PE teaching training college in 1930s. Carnegie College is now the Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education within Leeds Metropolitan University.

Leeds RUFC was originally formed in 1992 by a merger of Roundhay and Headingley. In turn Leeds RUFC became Leeds Tykes after the club was bought by Paul Caddick and became part of Leeds Rugby Ltd, the world's first dual code rugby partnership which saw one company controlling and running a professional teams in Rugby League (Leeds Rhinos) and Rugby Union (Leeds Tykes).

However, following the Championship winning campaign of 2006-07, it was announced that Leeds Metropolitan University had entered into a joint venture with the club and taken a majority stake in Leeds Tykes, with the club renamed Leeds Carnegie for their return to the Premiership Rugby competition. The change of ownership was seen as a ground breaking arrangement in British sport with an educational institution taking over ownership of a professional sporting organisation.

In May 2009 it was announced that, following promotion back to the Premiership Rugby competition, the club was re-structuring with former Wales and British Lion international Gareth Davies joining a new board of Directors, and Leeds Rugby taking control of the club once again.