Forget everything you think you know about rugby.
Banish the stereotypes of Neanderthals and brutality disguised as sport. That is not the reality of the Highland Rugby Club, an organization built on the foundations of fair play, skill, and respect for the game, each other and the reputation of the club.
It’s that dedication to the promotion of rugby that is putting this young club – and by association, the town of Fergus – on the international map.
The concept for the Highland Rugby Club began over a few pints at one of Fergus’ traditional pubs, when a group of young rugby players got together. The men were part of a revered provincial team, whose academic career in rugby had just ended, but their desire to play had not. They shared a desire to keep their sport going.
From that conversation, the Highland Rugby Club was born, and this summer marks the 20th anniversary of the club, which is still growing strong.
What started as a group of junior teams quickly gained momentum once word spread through the surrounding community that Highland Rugby was actively participating in provincial league play.
Registration grew and the club gained in popularity. Today the club boasts more than 270 members from all over southern Ontario.
Joe Bowley, president of Highland Rugby, could not be prouder.
“We are considered a ‘country’ club, given that we are outside major urban centers, but we are one of the only clubs in the province to have team representation in the Rugby Ontario structure for every competing age group,” Bowley said.
“As members of Rugby Ontario, Highland is now in the top ten clubs based on membership size.”
That’s because the club now has the coaching capacity to offer teams for boys and girls, men and women, including co-ed. From the under 6 (years old) “minis” to the minor, junior and senior leagues, Highland Rugby has become a force to be reckoned with at all levels, in each division.
In the early developmental stages of the game, rugby is a non-contact flag sport. Children can join the Highland Rugby minis before turning 6 years old.
“We have more than 30 children currently registered in the under 10 age level teams alone, with this being the first year the minis are an official team, getting to compete in real games,” said Bowley, whose own daughter has taken up the sport at the tender age of five.
“I would say that 80% of our players are female, too, which is a great sign of growth for the game.”
He added, “We’ve had several players from our club represent Canada on a national level, including the Canadian Rugby team and World Cup Rugby League.
“Plus we’ve had players on the provincial team in the senior levels.”
Perhaps nothing inspires the younger players more than seeing their peers achieve at such a high level, and that is part of the community experience Highland Rugby hopes to foster.
“We just came through the provincial team try-outs, with eight of our girls and ten boys selected in the junior division. We’re really proud of them,” Bowley said.
The “we” he speaks of are the 31 qualified volunteer coaches who have passed the Ontario Sides requirements, including two long-standing Highland members and executives of the club, Juli and Dean Brattan. Juli is the Director of Rugby for Women’s Sides and Dean is the Director of Men’s Sides.
“These two have helped make the development of the club equal in balance, having both men and women represented in the entire structure of the club,” said Bowley.
It’s this structure that helps ensure a future for the organization.
“Good coaches build good teams and bring in more players,” he explained. “Each team has two coaches and one manager, because we believe consistency in individual player development is key.”
Creating a well-rounded program teaches those players to take care of themselves and their team. Given the sport’s tough physical reputation with virtually no protective gear, the Highland Rugby Club educates players on the skills of the game.
“Rugby is about fitness. It is not a game of hitting, it is a game of evasion, to keep that ball away from other people,” Bowley said. The big step in the game comes at age 12, when tackling is introduced. We teach the players to play smart. Kids will get hurt if they aren’t coached properly. We teach them fitness, technique, the rules of the game, what to watch out for, so they don’t get hurt. It’s about mental and physical preparation.”
The Highland Rugby executive consists of Bowley as president, alongside a team all with the title of vice-president: the Brattans in men and women’s rugby divisions, Peter Landoni in finance, and Darren Landoni in sponsorship and special events, along with Korb Whale as director of the clubhouse.
Whale’s task to make that clubhouse a reality was a daunting one.
For years Highland Rugby had no permanent home. It played in fields from Elora to the Centre Wellington Sportsplex, and even a farm field in Belwood.
In 2003, the club found its pitch in Victoria Park, which was home to a relic structure condemned for further usage. With the mind set of “you’ve got to start somewhere” the members got to work.
Earning the site meant agreeing to build the township a new storage facility elsewhere. Once that was done, the club set to work fixing the Victoria Park site. Thanks to a Trillium grant, a proper clubhouse was constructed.
Centre Wellington provided public washrooms. But the physical labour, fundraising, and the volunteer hours to make it happen fell on the dedication of the rugby club’s members and sponsors.
“The club was willing to do that, just to play the game of rugby,” Bowley said.
In 2010, the clubhouse officially opened its doors. Today, it is shared with community groups such as the Fergus Lions, the Victoria Park Seniors Centre, and for private functions. With change rooms on the to-do list, the clubhouse is near completion.
Fundraising continues through social events like trivia nights, potluck dinners every Thursday, hall rentals, and by volunteering through other community events to raise the club’s profile.
“The idea of having the clubhouse is to make the players feel comfortable, as part of their club, belonging to something; connected to it,” said Bowley. “We can welcome other teams in. It’s about building a community for players of all ages and their families too.”
It’s also about opening their doors to the international rugby community; to the world of Sportsmanship beyond borders. Classified as a “development rugby country,” Canada is a place many international clubs want to visit, because they see the respect of the game here.
In the next two months, Highland Rugby will host three teams travelling through Canada from the Isle of Mann, Manchester, and Bristol, England.
Most exciting, however, is the arrival of two players from Europe’s top-rated English rugby team, the Leicester Tigers. Richard Mayne and Tom Handford, both 17 years old, arrive this week to join the Highland Rugby Club for eight weeks, experiencing the game while immersed in the culture of Canada.
“We want to build a family in the rugby community too, by building links across continents that will open doors for our players to travel and experience things too,” Bowley said.
“Our players will only improve in play if they are challenged by better teams, exposed to the knowledge of experienced players, so we’ve always been open to looking to the international teams. And these teams want to come here. They’ve heard about Highland and the region where we live.”
Last year, Highland Rugby sent a team to England and Wales. At the end of 2011, the Highland under 16 co-ed team is heading to Portugal to try its cleats on new soil.
And what became of those founding members?
Today each one of them is either coaching, offering funding support, or remains an active member of the club. They join more than 270 current members, who come from as far as Kincardine, Alliston, Orangeville, Mount Forest, Holstein, and Guelph every week, just to be a part of the community of the Highland Rugby Club.
“Rugby teaches players to respect themselves, each other, and their rugby club family, while gaining confidence in a supportive, safe environment,” said Bowley. “When you come to Victoria Park, you come to be a part of a club that is inclusive and practices fair play. Rugby is not just sport; it’s community.”
