​Ponsonby United Rugby League Club is the oldest and original rugby league club in New Zealand, formed in 1908 in the basement of what is now the Birdcage hotel in Auckland central. We’ve since moved to our current home at Victoria Park, right in the heart of Auckland City. Where we’re proud of our rich history and our deep connection to this community. A pair of pioneers who had recently returned from the historic first Rugby League tour of England decided to form our club.. our founding fathers were Billy Tyler and Charlie Dunning. They were followed by Arthur and James Carlaw, a famous name and the same people who founded Auckland Rugby League, then later had the foresight to purchase Carlaw Park, the home of Rugby League in New Zealand for many years. Still, 113 years later, we play at Victoria Park, the location of our first games in 1908.

Our club has been pioneering since we started, we have sought to spread and grow the game, and we continue in that spirit today.​There is the strange story of Charlie Savoury, who had his lifetime ban overturned by New Zealand Rugby League, and died a hero in Gallipoli.​ We are the only club from outside of the South Island to compete for, and win, the Thacker Shield, the premier trophy in Canterbury for some years.​ We were amongst the first New Zealand Clubs to play foreign competition, famously defeating the NRL Cronulla Sharks in the 1970's with Roger Bailey at the helm.​ In 2014 we welcomed Jaraslav Bzoch to our club, a pioneer in his own right who had travelled from the Czech Republic to better learn our game. He went on to lead his nation, not only in the Rugby League team, but as a member of parliament.​ More recently, we became the first New Zealand club side to play in North America when, in 2017, we played in the Ohana Cup in Hawaii.​ We again set the standard in 2018, when we hosted the Ipswich Jets from the Queensland Cup in Australia, this was the first time a QLD Cup team had played in New Zealand.​