Widnes Vikings

The Widnes Vikings are an English rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire, who compete in the RFL Championship and play home matches at the DCBL Stadium. The club began as Farnworth and Appleton in 1871 and became Widnes Football Club by 1876. It was one of the twenty-two clubs that founded the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895. Its historic nickname is The Chemics, after the town's chemical industry, while The Vikings is the modern name. Widnes was frequently called a cup side in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, reaching seven Challenge Cup finals in ten years between 1975 and 1984. In 1989, after winning the Rugby League Premiership, it beat the Australian champions Canberra Raiders at Old Trafford to become the first official World Club Champions. Its main local rivalry is with the Warrington Wolves.