OXFORD Harlequins have undergone a rebrand as they look to build on an exciting three years.

The club have adapted the traditional Harlequin logo to form a new badge for a ‘new and exciting chapter’.

Quins celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, having been created by the merger of Oxford Old Boys and Oxford Marathons in 1996.

The club moved to Horspath Sports Ground in 2018 and have continued to expand, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the start of 2020, Quins have launched a five-year partnership with Oxford Brookes University, a women’s and girls’ section and school sports programme.

It is only two years since Stuart Wells took over as director of rugby and secretary Jack Pooler explained his impact was clear to see.

He said: “The most pleasing thing is the culture being developed by Stu.

“We’ve got our own internal club values of ‘family, belief and professionalism’.

“When you look out on the pitches you can really see those values exuding out of people’s pores.

“The buy-in Stu has got from the men’s and women’s teams is absolutely amazing.”

Quins are set to add a floodlit grass pitch to their 3G offering next season, allowing more teams to play and train at the Horspath Road site.

There is certainly demand, as a new women’s and girls’ section and continued interest in the men’s, minis and juniors teams has led to the largest intake in the club’s history.

The ladies’ first XV will play in Women’s NC1 South West (East) next season, the fourth tier of women’s rugby, while the girls’ section includes sides from Under 18 to Under 13, with an Under 11 team on the way.

The men’s first XV get under way in South West 1 East on September 4, when they travel to Chippenham.

Elsewhere, the five-year Brookes Quins Rugby Partnership and ‘Inspire’ school sports programme are proving productive, while Quins hosted the first Lord Mayor of Oxford’s Festival of Rugby in May.

The club continue to build relations with companies in the area and any who would like to get involved can contact mathew.lovemore@oxfordharlequins.org or 07495 721189.