History
Capilano RFC
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 and 2018-’19. In 2019 the Capilano Premier Women also won the Canadian Club Championship played at Fletchers Field in Toronto.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of rugby on the North Shore, the Club has undertaken the steps to improve the facilities — doubling the size of the clubhouse, adding a new bar and kitchen, change rooms and showers and upstairs washrooms.
Capilano RFC - Club Presidents
1969 - 1971 |
Bill Ewing |
1971 - 1975 |
Bucky Ellison |
1975 - 1977 |
Jeremy Dalton |
1977 - 1979 |
Kevin Davies |
1979 - 1983 |
Robin Dyke |
1983 - 1984 |
Eric Cable |
1984 - 1987 |
Iain Sellers |
1987 - 1991 |
Tony Scott |
1991 - 1994 |
John Olmstead |
1994 - 1996 |
Eric Carlson |
1996 - 1999 |
Mark Slay |
1999 - 2002 |
Tony Scott |
2002 - 2006 |
Alan Snowden |
2006 - 2009 |
Steve Cook |
2009 - 2014 |
Ken Robinson |
2014 - 2016 |
Kes Kasha |
2016 - 2025 |
Nick Belmar |
2025 - Present |
Ian Smortchevsky |
Capilano RFC - Honourary Life Members
|
George Wilson |
|
Bill Duncan |
|
Dick Hallaway |
|
Bob Leevers |
|
Alex Mahood |
|
Bucky Ellison |
|
Jim Morris |
|
Brian Seed |
|
Bob Spray |
|
Jeremy Dalton |
|
Kevin Davies |
|
Gary Lynas |
|
Robin Dyke |
|
Ozzie Gjerdalen |
|
Denny Maynard |
|
Glyn Jones |
|
Iain Sellars |
|
Tony Scott |
|
Noel Larkin |
|
Dean Massie |
|
Alan Codyre |
|
Roger Hatch |
|
Bob Michael |
|
Mark Slay |
|
Tim Murdy |
|
Maurice Michaud |
|
Paul Timberley |
|
Bill Ewing |
|
Eric Carlson |
|
Alan Snowden |
|
Steve Cook |
|
Bob Bowman |
|
Ken Robinson |
|
Tim Bannister |
|
John Langley |
|
Kia Ryan |
BC Rugby - Senior Provincial Championships
2002 |
Capilano 1st Division Women |
BC Rugby Division 1 Championship |
2002 |
Capilano 2nd Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 2 Championship |
2004 |
Capilano Premier Women |
BC Rugby West Coast Women's Premier Championship |
2004 |
Capilano Premier Men |
BC Rugby Rounsefell Cup Championship |
2005 |
Capilano Premier Men |
BC Rugby Rounsefell Cup Championship |
2005 |
Capilano 2nd Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 2 Championship |
2006 |
Capilano 3rd Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 3 Championship |
2007 |
Capilano 2nd Division Women |
BC Rugby Ged Griffiths Cup Championship |
2007 |
Capilano 1st Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 1 League Championship |
2008 |
Capilano 2nd Division Women |
BC Rugby Ged Griffiths Cup Championship |
2008 |
Capilano 1st Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 1 League Championship |
2009 |
Capilano 3rd Division Men |
BC Rugby Province Wide Division 3 Championship |
2010 |
Capilano 3rd Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 3 Championship |
2010 |
Capilano Premier Women |
BC Rugby Gordon Harris Memorial Cup Championship |
2011 |
Capilano 1st Division Men |
BC Rugby Okanagan Spring Brewery League 1 Championship |
2012 |
Capilano Premier Men |
BC Rugby Rounsefell Cup Championship |
2013 |
Capilano 3rd Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 3 - Tier A Championship |
2013 |
Capilano 3rd Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 3 - Tier B Championship |
2014 |
Capilano 3rd Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 3 - Tier A Championship |
2016 |
Capilano 1st Division Men |
BC Rugby Library Square Cup Championship |
2017 |
Capilano 3rd Division Men |
BC Rugby Division 3 - Tier B Championship |
2019 |
Capilano Premier Women |
BC Rugby Gordon Harris Memorial Cup Championship |
2026 |
Capilano 1st Division Women |
BC Rugby Division 1 League Championship |
Williams Lake Tournament Championships
1995 |
Capilano Men |
Men's Elite Championship |
1998 |
Capilano Men |
Men's Elite Championship |
1999 |
Capilano Men |
Men's Elite Championship |
2001 |
Capilano Men |
Men's Elite Championship |
2002 |
Capilano Men |
Men's Elite Championship |
2004 |
Capilano Men |
Men's Elite Championship |
2012 |
Capilano Men |
Men's Elite Championship |
2017 |
Capilano Women |
Women's Elite Championship |
2018 |
Capilano Men |
Men's Social Championship |
2019 |
Capilano Women |
Women's Elite Championship |
2024 |
Snowcaps & Capilano Men |
Masters (Old Boys) Championship |
2026 |
Capilano Men |
Men's
Elite Championship |
Capilano RFC - Individual Player Awards
|
1994 |
Dean Massie |
VRU Sportsmanship, Leadership and Playing Ability |
|
2005 |
Mike Andrew |
VRU Sportsmanship, Leadership and Playing Ability |
|
2011 |
Andrea Burk |
BC Rugby Canadian Direct Insurance Player of the Year |
|
2012 |
Glen McKinnon |
BC Rugby Canadian Direct Insurance Player of the Year |
North Shore Sports Awards
|
2002 |
Tim Murdy |
Coach of the Year |
|
2003 |
Capilano Women |
Team of the Year |
|
2004 |
Cam McNaughton |
Community Volueteer of the Year |
|
2005 |
Capilano Men |
Team of the Year |
|
2005 |
Christoph Strubin |
Open Male Athlete of the Year |
|
2005 |
Maurice Michaud |
Community Volunteer of the Year |
|
2005 |
Alex Mahood |
Lifetime Contribution to Community Sport Award |
|
2006 |
Capilano RFC |
Outstanding Club of the Year |
|
2006 |
Roger Hatch |
Coach of the Year |
|
2009 |
Paul Timberley |
Community Volunteer of the Year |
|
2011 |
Mandy Marchak |
Open Female Athlete of the Year |
|
2013 |
Capilano Men |
Team of the Year |
|
2013 |
Tom Larisch |
Coach of the Year |
|
2015 |
Hilary Leith & Mandy Marchak & Andrea Burk |
Spirit of Sport Award |
|
2020 |
Adam Zaruba |
Senior Male Athlete of the Year |
|
2020 |
Harry Jones |
Comeback Award |
|
2020 |
Rick Pimlott & Brad Baker |
Sports Builder Award |
|
2024 |
Savannah Bauder |
Senior Female Athlete of the Year |
|
2025 |
Chris Robinson |
Community Volunteer of the Year |
