RugbyWA
SportRugby union
JurisdictionWestern Australia
Founded1893 (1893)
AffiliationRugby Australia
Affiliation date1949
HeadquartersWA Rugby Centre, Mount Claremont
PresidentJohn Welborn
ChairmanJohn Edwards
CEOSimon Taylor
(founded)Western Australia Rugby Union
Official website
wa.rugby
Western Australia

The Western Australia Rugby Union (RugbyWA) is the governing body of rugby union in Western Australia. The organisation develops and fosters rugby in Western Australia, from junior level to professional level. As of 2019, more than 35,000 people played rugby union in Western Australia across 36 clubs and 377 teams.[1] As of 2019, the state government provided around $160,000 a year towards RugbyWA's operating costs.[1]

The highest competition run by the organisation is the RugbyWA Premier Grade.

History

A Western Force game in 2006

RugbyWA was founded in 1893.[2] The organisation's inaugural competition commenced in 1895 with four teams: the I Zingari, Fremantle, Swans and Midland Junction Club. The WARU Senior Grade competition was contested from 1895 to 1913.

The Rugby Football code went into recess in the west from the 1914 season until 1928 when 4 Clubs; Wanderers, Rangers, Wallabies and Fremantle revived the First Grade Club Competition.

In 2004, RugbyWA successfully secured the fourth Australian Super 12 licence, entering a team in the expanded Super 14 competition from 2006, called the Western Force.

In 2009, RugbyWA were given a $2.4 million interest-free loan to upgrade nib Stadium. As of 2019, RugbyWA were still $1 million in debt to the state government.[1]

In 2016, Rugby Australia bought the Force intellectual property – including naming rights, colours and branding – from RugbyWA in an $800,000 deal to help the franchise out of financial difficulty. The move effectively handed ownership of the Force to Rugby Australia. The following year, Rugby Australia cut the Force from the Super Rugby competition.[3] RugbyWA took legal action to try to save the team, but was ultimately unsuccessful and the organisation was unable to afford to pay legal costs.[4] As a result, RugbyWA briefly went into voluntary administration.[1][4] Rugby Australia ultimately agreed to hand back its licence and to waive a $1 million legal bill.[1] The club name and IP was leased back to RugbyWA as part of the deal.[3]

Representative teams

In addition to the Western Force, who currently compete in Super Rugby, RugbyWA also established the Perth Spirit in 2007. The team competed in the Australian Rugby Championship and National Rugby Championship before disbanding in 2018. In the National Rugby Championship, the Spirit won in 2016 while the Force won in 2019.

Clubs

Premier Grade (1st Grade)

Est. Colours Club Location Home ground Premierships*
1975 ARKs Harrissdale Harrissdale Harrissdale Community Oval N/A
1948 Associates Swanbourne Allen Park 9 (2018)
1893 Cottesloe Cottesloe Harvey Field 12 (2021)
1998 Joondalup Brothers Joondalup HBF Arena N/A
1974 Kalamunda Forrestfield Hartfield Park 1 (2008)
1934 Nedlands Nedlands Charles Court Reserve 16 (2015)
1934 Palmyra Alfred Cove Tompkins Park 2 (1991)
1906 Perth Bayswater Morley Pat O'Hara Reserve 3 (2007)*
1973 Rockingham Rockingham Lark Hill N/A
1987 Southern Lions Success Success Oval N/A
1929 Uni. of WA Mount Claremont UWA Sports Park 5 (2014)
1981 Wanneroo Kingsway Kingsway Reserve N/A
1930 Wests Scarborough Doubleview Bennett Park 12 (2022)*
  • 1 of the 3 premierships won by Perth Bayswater was won as Perth-Suburbs
  • 5 of the 12 premierships won by Wests Scarborough were won as Western Suburbs and 3 of the 12 premierships won by Wests Scarborough as Wests-Scarborough

*"(year)" Denotes the last year they won the premiership.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 McNeill, Heather (12 June 2019). "Future of grassroots rugby in doubt as RugbyWA asks for $1m debt bail-out". WAtoday. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  2. "Who Are We". RugbyWA. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 Taylor, Nick (2 July 2022). "Turbulent chapter closes as Rugby Australia finally hands back Western Force intellectual property". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 Trigger, Rebecca (17 November 2017). "RugbyWA goes into voluntary administration after losing Western Force legal fight". ABC News. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
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