Greenacres (Home of Rutherford AFC) (Gateshead) | stadium, football - soccer club

 stadium, football - soccer club

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The club was formed in 1878 as Science and Art F. C. involving the masters and pupils of the school, which was later to change it's name to Rutherford after it's founder Dr John Hunter Rutherford. The club became a founder member of the Northumberland Football Association in 1883.

Known at the turn of the century as "The famous amateur club from Newcastle" local leagues competed in were the Northern Alliance, Northern Combination and the Northern Amateur Leagues; all now joined under the auspices of the Wade Associates Northern Football Alliance.

In the early years the club competed in the Northumberland F. A. Senior Cup and reached the semi-final on three occasions, each time losing out the eventual winners, Newcastle United "A".

The club joined the North Eastern Amateur League in the late 1920's and the club remained in this competition until the late 1950's when the Tyneside Amateur League was formed by the then Rutherford chairman Tommy Heslop.

Rutherford rejoined the North Eastern Amateur League in the mid 1980's and won promotion to the Northern Alliance Division Two in 1994. The first eleven gained promotion to the Northern Football Alliance Division One in 1998-99.