There are rugby league clubs, and then there is Featherstone Rovers — a team whose identity is inseparable from the town that built it. For more than a century, Rovers have stood as a symbol of working‑class pride, resilience, and togetherness. In an era when sport can feel distant and commercial, Featherstone remains defiantly local and authentic.
That spirit is brought to life in Our Last Stand, the new book by Rovers legend Paul Coventry. His story is a tribute to the group of men who came together for the love of their club – The Stand Gang.
The Stand Gang was comprised of a group of men who were retired but not yet ready for the pipe and slippers. They all felt they had something left to offer. Some brought skills acquired in their working life, others learned new ones on the job. Guided by former player and ex-Chairman of the club, Paul Coventry, they stuck together through thick and thin, battled on through atrocious weather conditions and miraculously, somehow, succeeded where many thought they couldn’t possibly.
Our Last Stand tells the story of how they succeeded in the almost unimaginable task of salvaging two stands from the derelict Scarborough FC stadium, dismantling them piece by piece, transferring them to Post Office Road and re-erecting them. All of this was done on a shoe-string budget, saving the club hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Featherstone Rovers has never relied on glamour or grand budgets. What it has — and has always had — is heart. The club grew out of a mining town where hard work was the way of life. The terraces at Post Office Road were filled with men and women who knew what real graft looked like, and they expected nothing less from the players wearing the blue and white.
That bond between pitch and pit, between team and town, forged something rare: a club that belongs to its people. Generations have passed through the turnstiles, each adding their own stories. From Challenge Cup triumphs to relegation, strikes and financial battles, Rovers supporters have stood shoulder to shoulder, through every high and every heartbreak.
In Our Last Stand, Paul Coventry captures this world with honesty, humour and affection. His book is filled with the kind of stories that only come from someone who has lived the game from the inside — the camaraderie, the toughness, the laughter, the sacrifices, and the unspoken understanding that playing for Featherstone means representing far more than yourself. His story mirrors his own beliefs, it is a story about belonging — to a club, to a town, to a tradition. These are the values that make us better people, with better lives. Values that are under threat.
This is a story that reminds us why rugby league is special. It is a sport built on community, on loyalty, on people who look after each other. Featherstone embodies that better than anywhere.
Paul Coventry’s book arrives at exactly the right moment — and serves as a reminder of what should never be lost. Featherstone Rovers is currently in a critical condition, fighting for its very survival. This story reminds us why it’s vital that battle must be won. Why Featherstone Rovers must remain as a symbol for everything the game represents.
Our Last Stand celebrates:
- the working‑class roots that shaped the sport
- the pride of small towns punching above their weight
- the volunteers who keep clubs alive
- the supporters who treat matchdays like family gatherings
- the belief that rugby league belongs to the people
In telling his own story, Paul Coventry tells Featherstone’s story — and rugby league’s story too. Every club talks about community. Featherstone Rovers lives it. Our Last Stand is a love letter to all who play their part. It honours the miners who built the club’s foundations and the generations who filled the stands with pride and passion. It is a reminder of who we are, where we come from, and why this club means so much to so many.
For supporters, it is a must‑read. For the wider rugby league world, it is a lesson in what the sport can be at its very best. For Featherstone, it is a celebration of everything that makes the town special.
Our Last Stand is available now. Signed first edition hardbacks can be ordered here.
A video of the book launch event, which features Paul Coventry, the surviving members of The Stand Gang and some Featherstone Rovers veterans can be found here.
