The mens first XV currently play in Regional 2 North, a sixth tier league in the English rugby union system.

[1] When league rugby was introduced in 1987, Durham City was allocated a place in the fourth tier, playing in Area 4 North, ending the first season as runner-up.

[3][4] The club have played at Hollow Drift on Green Lane, Durham, since 1885.

[5] In October 1905, the ground hosted The Original All Blacks tour match against Durham County, the English county champions, with the All Blacks winning 16–3 in front of a crowd of 8,000 but Durham scoring the first try the New Zealanders had conceded on the tour.

It was identified in the university's 2017–2027 masterplan as one of the sites 'for possible strategic investment';[9] as of 2022,[update] the university had raised £500,000 towards a £1.5 million goal to redevelop the ground, including a new 500-seat stand and an artificial grass pitch.