By Ben Tompkins

Rugby Resurgence

Trying Times: PG Rugby tackled hard by pandemic; new hope on the horizon

Jun 2, 2021 | 5:15 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The Prince George Youth Rugby Association is working to revitalize the sport of rugby in the city after they took a large hit because of the pandemic.

The Association, which used to have quite the presence in the city, has lost a large amount of participation among young athletes, due in large part to their lost partnerships with high schools in the region.

The Association was described to have once been in at least five high schools in the city. In fact, it was so popular they had numbers nearing 100 attending camps throughout the summer.

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With last year’s season being completely lost to the pandemic, that left the the club in a big hole. They noticed their athlete numbers dwindling as other sports were able to get back up and running. Along with the fact there had been no rugby in over a year, it resulted in some of their young athletes to completely lose interest in the sport altogether.

What came was the start to the saving grace for the Association in the form of the Local Sport Relief Fund. The fund helped 11 local sports organizations recover from the pandemic and was given out in January.

The money they received from the Province has helped the Association buy some new equipment, which will allow them to partner with high schools across the City of PG in an easier fashion, according to Jeremy Cundy, Head Coach of the PGYRA.

“The club can use that equipment to go to each school. We can just come in and get the girls, get the boys playing, and the club will take care of all that. That funding really helped us get all that equipment, so we can do that.”

For Cundy and the Association, their hope is to restablish the interest in rugby within the community, which they know starts with this funding and the high schools.

“I’m excited about it, getting back into the high schools that was our feeder for the club and it will be good to see them going again.”