OLDHAM followers and Rugby League fans with an interest in the sport’s history can check out the development of the professional game in the town at a new two-month exhibition.
It’s 150 years since the formation of the club who went on to become founder members of the Northern Union (later Rugby Football League) in 1895.
Oldham have won three league titles and three Challenge Cups, and the exhibition chronicles what has happened since 1876, including the birth of Rugby League as a new sport.
Gallery Oldham, on Greaves Street in the town centre, is hosting it from Saturday (January 10) until Saturday, March 7.
The exhibition has been organised by the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust, who have built up one of the most comprehensive collections of historic memorabilia in the sport.
On display will be medals, badges, programmes and international shirts and caps from some of Oldham’s greatest players.
Club historian Michael Turner said: “The best of our incredible collection will be on show as the exhibition tells the story of the highs and lows over the past 150 years.
“There have been times when Oldham were among the best teams in the country, lifting cups and winning championships, but there have also been very difficult times, and this exhibition will chart it all.”
It will be in Gallery 4 of the venue, which is open from 10am to 5pm from Tuesdays to Saturdays.
The exhibition will be the first of a series of activities to commemorate the 150th anniversary, with a celebration dinner and a series of past player reunions among the events being planned.
Oldham had a Super League presence for the first two years of the competition (1996 and 1997), and the current team have strong ambitions of getting back there.
The Roughyeds were promoted from League One in 2024 and finished fourth in the old-style Championship last season, and have confirmed a warm-up match at Castleford on Saturday.