The KEMPSEY RUGBY UNION CLUB was first formed in 1877, the same year as Newcastle and Maitland. It was a member of the Southern Rugby Football Union, the founding predecessor of the NSWRU (1874).
In 1892, the SRFU changed its name to NSWRU and the Union decided to devolve its organisational structure by creating Branch Unions. This was a result of the rapid growth of the game throughout Country NSW and the difficulty of communication.