Clan History

The Clan was founded on November 17th 1967 by Davie Graham, who, with the help of Sean O’’Connor-Parsons and Vince Moroney, entered two teams into the Edmonton Rugby Union. One team would be in the First Division, and one in the newly formed Second Division. Most of the players recruited to the Club were absolutely new to the game, and, after all that time, some are still with us! That first season, 1968, we were on the losing end of most games but we did win the Edmonton Sevens Tournament. The history of a very successful rugby club had started.

The 70’s saw us take possession of the legendary Grottie Towers, a three-storey building in downtown Edmonton. A Clan member, Bob Campbell, was waiting to develop the property so he let us have the building for free! The use of a clubhouse certainly helped develop the Club and create a few legends. We went on to create Grottie Two and Grottie Three before buying our present Clubhouse at Airways Park from the Edmonton Optimist Club. We arranged for the use of the surrounding fields with The City Parks Department and indeed established an underground sprinkling system on the main field along with a major upgrading of the Field and the building. A grant was received by the Club to add changing rooms, showers and such for the growing Women’s teams.

This year, 2009, saw the club complete its forty second playing season, The Clan has won an incredible 56 City Championships. We have won 23 Provincial Championships in the various Divisions plus numerous Seven-a-side tournaments. In 2005 a Clan conglomerate won the Gold Medal in The World Masters Games Over-35 Rugby Event in Edmonton

But pride of place for the club must go to its Harcourt Trophy performance. This is awarded to the Edmonton club with the best overall performance. The Clan has won this trophy seventeen times in the twenty-nine years that the award has been awarded!

The Clan is the only club to have won all three Edmonton division championships and all three Alberta division championships in the same year! 1983 was the year of the Clanslam!

1998 saw us add a woman’s team to the Club.

We have toured Australia, Europe, Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Bahamas, Australia and New Zealand plus numerous short tours to the USA.

The Edmonton Rugby Union has not suffered from a lack of Clan members filling Executive Offices (three at present), and the Referee’s Society can count on nine Clansmen. The first Albertan to play professionally, Danny Baugh, who played for the Welsh club - Cardiff, learned his rugby with as a Clansmen.

The Clan has been blessed over the years with members who have supported the Rugby ethic by involving themselves in all the important off-the-field activities that make the playing successes possible.

We can use people of all ages, sizes, shapes, who are interested in maximizing their own Rugby potential, be it in playing or organizing. Someone like you perhaps? Rugby does not only create character, it also discovers it. A thousand Highland welcomes tae ye!

Davie Graham
Updated December 2009.