The British Columbia Rugby Union (BCRU) is the provincial administrative body for

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, Canada. The BCRU consists of nine sub-unions and 65 clubs. It was originally organized in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

in 1889 where

Alfred St. George Hamersley Alfred St George Hamersley (8 October 1848 – 25 February 1929) was a nineteenth-century solicitor and entrepreneur of great renown, an English MP, and an English rugby union international who played in the first ever international match. He ...

, the former England rugby union captain and recent immigrant to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

, and member of Vancouver Football (Rugby) Club, became the first President.Touchlines - The Magazine of the Rugby Memorabilia Society, Issue 43, April 2009
The same man is credited with founding the Amateur Athletic Club of British Columbia.''Debrett's House of Commons'' Volume: 1918, publisher: London Dean and previously had introduced the game of rugby to the youth of

South Canterbury South Canterbury is the area of the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand bounded by the Rangitata River in the north and the Waitaki River (the border with the Otago Region) to the south. The Pacific Ocean and ridge of the South ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

.The Sydney Morning Herald. - Feb 27, 1929
/ref> The current headquarters is on the west side of

. British Columbia is considered a hotspot for rugby in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, as its mild weather allows the sport to be played year round. The BCRU is responsible for organizing the British Columbia Premier League, the provincial men's club championship, and the Ruth Hellerud-Brown Senior Women's Premier Competition. It also oversees provincial representative teams which compete for national championships organized by

Rugby Canada Rugby Canada is the national Sport governing body, governing body for the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Canada was incorporated in 1974, and stems from the Canadian Rugby Football Union, a body established in 1884 that now governs amate ...

. The BCRU also has a British Columbia Rugby Hall of Fame.

The BC Premier League

The BC Premier League is the highest level of amateur rugby in British Columbia. Many current and former Canadian internationals have participated in the league as well as number of high level foreign born players. The champions of the league's playoff system is awarded the Rounsefell Cup.

Participating Clubs (2021–22)

The BC Premier League is open to a maximum of 12 teams and features the following clubs from

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washingto ...

and the Lower Mainland.

Province Wide First Division

Participating Clubs (2021-22)

The Province Wide First Division includes 6 teams from

, the Lower Mainland and the

Fraser Valley The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the ...

Province Wide Second Division

Participating Clubs (2018–19)

The Province Wide Second Division includes 11 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in both the Province Wide First Division and the BC Premier League as well as the following clubs from the Lower Mainland, the Thompson-

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is pa ...

region and the

Province Wide Third Division

Participating Clubs (2018–19)

The Province Wide Third Division is split into 5 conferences, the Mainland League, the Island League, the Okanagan League, the Kootenay League and the Interior League. The Mainland and Island leagues compete during the fall, winter and spring while the Okanagan, Kootenay and Interior leagues compete during the spring and summer. The champions of the league's 5 conferences play for the Saratoga Cup each Fall.

Mainland League

This league includes 12 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in the Province Wide First Division, the Province Wide Second Division and the BC Premier League as well as the following clubs from the Lower Mainland and the

Island League

This league includes 4 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in the BC Premier League as well as the following club from

Interior League

This league includes 4 teams from the

Cariboo The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the caribou that were once abundant in the region. The Cariboo was ...

, Skeena,

Northern Interior , settlement_type = Region of British Columbia , image_skyline = , nickname = "The Interior" , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivi ...

and North Coast.

References

External links

Official website
{{Rugby union in Canada Rugby union governing bodies in Canada Rugby Sports organizations established in 1889 1889 establishments in British Columbia

The BC Premier League

Participating Clubs (2021–22)

Province Wide First Division

Participating Clubs (2021-22)

Province Wide Second Division

Participating Clubs (2018–19)

Province Wide Third Division

Participating Clubs (2018–19)

Mainland League

Island League

Interior League

See also

References

External links