Harlequins FC is an English professional Rugby Football Union club that currently plays in the Aviva Premiership, the top tier of professional rugby in England.

The club was founded as the Hampstead Football Club back in 1866 and played its first ever recorded game the following year. However, by the year 1970, the membership of the club had grown a lot and was not limited to the nearby Hampstead region and as a result, the club officials had to find a new name to incorporate more and more people to associate with the club. However, it was also mandatory for the club to maintain its “HFC” moniker and as a result, the officials decided to rename the club to Harlequins Rugby Football Cub.

The club officials found the term ‘Harlequin’ in the dictionary and Harlequins FC is one of the very few clubs to have its name given in such a way. However, the name change also caused a split in the club and those who did not support the new club severed all ties with it and went on to form what is now known as the London Wasps, which also plays in the Aviva Premiership and shares a heated rivalry with The Quins.

The club was travelling a lot during its first 40 years of existence and did not have a proper home venue, playing in 15 different venues during this time. However, in 1963, Harlequins FC acquired a 14 acre athletics ground just a few yards from the Twickenham ground, which went on to become the club’s training pitch and the club has stayed at the venue ever since then, with the occasional change of venue when their own is undergoing repairs and renovations. It shares Twickenham with the England national rugby union and rugby league teams.