The Capilano Rugby Football Club was formed in 1969 after the amalgamation of the North Shore All-Blacks and the West Vancouver Barbarians, two teams that had been playing locally since the 1930s.
From its humble beginnings playing on “borrowed” fields and using a small second-floor warehouse space at the bottom of Lonsdale as a clubhouse, the Capilano club took steps to move forward and secure permanent grounds with an adjoining clubhouse. In 1982 a deal was struck with West Vancouver District to designate Klahanie Park the home of North Shore Rugby. “Klahanie” in the local First Nations dialect means “Welcome”.
After ongoing numerous renovations and improvements, the clubhouse and field facilities have become the park of choice for hosting major games in British Columbia. In the past few years Klahanie has been used for a variety of B.C. representative, Canada Junior and other feature matches. Test sides from Canada, Japan, Georgia, the United States, New Zealand, Hong Kong and England have all used its grounds and clubhouse for training.
In the 1990s the Capilano club focused its attention on growing the player development base from within. Unlike other clubs in B.C. that rely on recruiting players from other clubs or regions, our players help coach students at almost every rugby-playing high school on the North Shore and encourage them to come down to the club and play in what has now become the strongest junior program in Canada. As a direct result of this investment in local youth rugby, the 2003-’04, 2004-’05 and 2011-’12 seasons saw the Capilano Premier Men’s side claim provincial championship titles, while the Capilano Premier Women’s squad also claimed West Coast Women’s Rugby Association championship crowns in 2003-’04 and 2009-’10.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of rugby on the North Shore, the Club undertook steps to improve the facilities — doubling the size of the clubhouse, adding a new bar and kitchen, change rooms and showers and upstairs washrooms.
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