The Elk Valley Rugby Club (EVRFC) has just started this year’s outdoor training and is getting ready to start another season.
“This is the start of our fourth season. The club was created in late February 2013 mainly because of the hard work of Dan Parker. The club was very nearly called the Elk Valley Cut-Throats,” said Vice President of the club, Pete Dudman.
The EVRFC has been in the Kootenay Rugby Union (KRU) for the past three seasons and the number of games they play varies, according to Club Manager, Ike Edwards.
“The number of matches played varies greatly year-to-year. The health of the KRU has diminished over the past few years, [there are less teams]. Right now there are only two clubs, the Elk Valley Bulls RFC and the Rocky Mountain Rogues RFC [RMR RFC],” said Edwards. “The KRU has had teams from Nelson, Trail, and Grand Forks in the past. As the Union currently sits, we compete against the RMR RFC for a berth in the Saratoga Cup - the provincial championship held annually in Penticton over the second weekend in September.”
In the off-season, training is done through Old School Boxing. The team has started outdoor exercise and is temporarily training in Sparwood. They will transition back to their usual Fernie exercise grounds when the fields open May 1.
The EVRFC has qualified for the Provincials every year and is working to get more people involved.
“Last year the team won the Kootenay Rugby Union and qualified for the BC Provincials and played against Kelowna, Penticton and Williams Lake. After back-to-back Provincial Championships at the Saratoga Cup the Bulls managed to finish third this time around,” said Dudman. “But the main three things we can take out of last season are: getting the youngsters involved, making lots of new friends in the rugby community and getting the women's team up and running.”
Dudman describes this year’s EVRFC goals as follows: “For the men's team another trip to the provincials finals and a shot to reclaim the Saratoga Cup will do. The Elk Valley Rugby Club is working hard on expanding the game within the Valley. We've seen the ladies team make massive strides forward since starting last year and we are planning a youth training camp later in the year.”
More information on the club can be found through their Facebook page, Elk Valley RFC and they always welcome new players.