As the new year drew to a close, (LRC) closed a deal that will allow them to add a second playing field at their Crush Crescent property.
It will add four acres to the existing site, an expansion that will provide enough room for a much-needed second playing field, said 91原创 Rugby Club chair Brian Anderson.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to run tournament style with one field,鈥� Anderson told the 91原创 Advance Times.
As well, the club鈥檚 rapidly-growing youth programs have had trouble finding playing time on busy Township of 91原创 fields.
Added space will also mean room for more parking, which has been a perennial issue, and plans for a new clubhouse can proceed.
Fundraising is underway.
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鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to breaking ground,鈥� Anderson said, estimating work on the new field could begin next fall.
Terms of the purchase, which closed on Dec. 15, were not disclosed, and the seller has asked not to be identified.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited about it,鈥� Anderson remarked.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a dream for the last four years.鈥�
After the 91原创 Rugby Club was founded in 1969 , it went on to purchase and develop the playing field that has been the club home for more than three decades.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had our own space and that goes back to 1987, when five guys took out mortgages together,鈥� Anderson related.
Before the pandemic hit, the club ran several teams including minis (5 years and up), junior boys and girls, women, and two squads of senior men.
Currently operating under COVID-19 restrictions, 91原创 Rugby players have been running passing practices and fitness drills, but full contact is not allowed.
Over the years, the club has won several league and provincial championships and many 91原创 Rugby players have gone on to play for regional, provincial and national teams.
READ MORE: VIDEO: 鈥楻espect All, Fear None, Expect Victory.鈥� 91原创 Rugby celebrates 50th anniversary
In 2018, the club celebrated it鈥檚 fiftieth anniversary, noting that 91原创 Rugby Club (LRC) was founded 鈥渁round the time of the first manned moon landing and just before the Beatles disbanded,鈥� as club member Craig Angeltvedt put it.
鈥淎lthough only twelve men ever walked on the moon, over 1,000 men,women, boys and girls have proudly worn the 91原创 team colours for the past half century.鈥�
The club motto: 鈥淩espect All, Fear None, Expect Victory,鈥� has carried players through countless bruising encounters and foul-weather matches against rival teams.
