Guelph R.F.C. - Goats
The Guelph Rugby Football Club is a not-for-profit organization that officially came into existence in 2013. Today, our Club has more than 380 participants, with members from across Wellington Region and beyond. The Club supports players in all age groups from Mini’s to Seniors to Adult Flag and Mixed Ability Rugby. Our Senior sides compete in the top Provincial leagues – Men in the NRU A and women in the OWL. Our Junior, Minis and 7’s programs continue to succeed and grow, engaging youth in Guelph and the surrounding region.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
As we gather for games and practices, we recognize that Guelph is situated on treaty land that is steeped in rich indigenous history and home to many First Nations, Inuit and Metis people today. As a Club we have a responsibility for the stewardship of the land on which we live, work and play. We acknowledge the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of the Anishinaabek Peoples on whose traditional territory we gather, practice and play.
MISSION
To provide the highest quality rugby instruction in South Western Ontario, and strive to ensure that each player will have fun, experience the community and family of rugby, and learn about sportsmanship in a team environment.
VISION
To teach and advance the sport of rugby and develop athletes to their highest abilities in a positive environment while reinforcing the pillars of our club values; creating a welcoming community and adhering to the ideals of Safe Sport.
VALUES: TEAMWORK. RESPECT. FUN.
Teamwork
Teamwork is essential to our sport. We welcome all new team members and include all because working as a team enriches our lives. We play selflessly: working for the team, not for ourselves alone, both on and off the field. We take pride in our team, rely on one another and understand that each player has a part to play. We speak out if our team or sport is threatened by inappropriate words or actions.
Respect
Mutual respect forms the basis of our sport. We hold in high esteem our sport, its values and traditions and earn the respect of others in the way we behave. We believe in the values outlined in the Safe Sport document. We respect the laws of the game, match officials and accept their decisions. We respect opposition players and supporters. We value our coaches and those who run our clubs and treat facilities with consideration. We ensure that the well being and development of individual players is central to all rugby activity.
FUN
FUN is the reason we play and support rugby union. We encourage players to enjoy training and playing. We use our sport to adopt a healthy lifestyle and build life skills. We safeguard our young players and help them have fun. We enjoy being part of a team and part of the rugby family, and develop a community that is accepting of all players.
Home of the Guelph R.F.C. & Junior Gryphons Rugby
The Guelph Rugby Football Club was formed in 2012 to meet the growing demands of rugby in Guelph and surrounding areas. Though the sport had always been popular within the city’s high schools and at the University of Guelph, there had been few opportunities at the club level following the disbanding of the Guelph Satyrs in 1996.
In its inaugural season, the club fielded three teams (senior men, senior women and under-18 boys), all of which were members of the Niagara Rugby Union (NRU) and played their home games at the University of Guelph’s Varsity Field. All took to the pitch as the Redcoats, in honour of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 which took place that year.
The club’s inaugural season was a resounding success, with each of the club’s teams finishing in the top three of the NRU: the men came third with a record of 5-3-0, while the women went 8-2-0 and the under-18 boys 6-1-0, both coming in second place in their respective divisions.
By the following spring, the club’s membership had tripled and teams were added for girls and boys at all of the junior age-grades (under-14 to under-18). Additionally, the club could now boast a successful minis program, with coed, non-contact flag rugby for children ages four to twelve.
In 2019 the club announced its partnership with Gryphons Athletics. Since then athletes ages 18 and under have donned the trademark logo of the Guelph Gryphons. This move aligned the club with six other minor sports associations across the city with which approximately 10,000 youths are involved, allowing it to reach a broader audience and introduce more kids to its exceptional programs. In 2023, the 10th year of the club the moniker of Redcoats changed. From the beginning Redcoats, was also “Coats” and then went to “Goats”. We have decided to embrace the short form and acknowledge or agricultural past and former club name. Guelph R.F.C. – The Goats!
Throughout its growth and increased popularity, Guelph Rugby has maintained its desire for excellence in play, quality in coaching, fostering the development of passion for the sporting culture that surrounds the game of rugby.
Rugby has been growing in the City of Guelph, where we have seen teams host national tournaments, development camps, and player identification combines. Additionally, the Guelph Rugby is confident it will soon host its third annual Minis tournament, where teams from across the province, will come to Guelph to participate!
Moreover, we are now able to boast that our senior women’s, team are the current Ontario Women’s League (OWL) champions, and our senior men’s team are competing for top of the NRU.
We remain committed to growing the game in a fun family environment, fostering growth as an athlete, knowledge as a rugby player, and character as a person.
