Guam Rugby Club Inc

A Serious, Social History

 An Island without Rugby?

Rugby was first played in SPG 1995 in Tahiti while Rugby 7’s were played in the 1997 Mini Games in American Samoa.  

In 1996 there was a front-page newspaper article about which sports Guam would host in the 1999 SPG. Rugby was excluded. Stumped as to our sport’s omission, a few questions were asked of the reporter. He advised that as the host Guam could add or delete any sports they wished, but that Rugby had no chance, as there was not be enough interest in the game.  

That could be said to be true of Guam at the time, however he failed to appreciate the love for the game held by the South Pacific nations of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Tonga and Papua New Guinea, not to mention the world champions of Rugby 7’s, Fiji.  

A meeting was convened in the second half of 1996 at Chuck’s Steakhouse to discuss the merits of organizing a proper Rugby Club and becoming a Guam National Olympic Committee (GNOC) sports federation. Numerous luminaries attended including Ken Cowan, Ross Morrison, Jack Travers, Neil Paynter, Grant Loveridge, Stephen Grantham, Andy Boyd, Steve Dana, Stewart Cathie and Susan Bell.  

Alan Morrison, who was (and is today) very much at the forefront of all things Rugby on Guam, was very passionate about hosting SPG Rugby and others followed his enthusiasm. He was voted the inaugural President of GRC. Matt Brodie and Graeme Dawe were elected Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. Les Edwards offered to assist in obtaining Sponsorship for the new enterprise and was nominated Marketing Director.  

GRC was unanimously approved as a sporting federation of the GNOC in December 1996 and Rugby 7’s was accepted as a participant sport for SPG 1999.

We need a place to play!  

For some time a small triangular area of grass behind Wettengel Football Field had served as the venue for touch rugby. For the purposes of developing a rugby field for SPG and the long-term future of Rugby on Guam, GRC entered into negotiations with the Department of Parks & Recreation to adopt Lower Wettengel Field, as it was called, under the Government of Guam’s “Adopt A Park” program.  

The area is now known as Wettengel Rugby Field and GRC has every right to be proud of it!  

A “Field Committee” was established under the leadership of Allan Morrison, while Jack Travers, and later Andy Boyd, headed up a “Building Committee”. A D8 bulldozer moved in and raised and leveled enough ground for the creation of an international sized rugby field. Hard labor was put in by a great number of volunteers to remove rocks, spread topsoil, sow grass, plant shrubs and trees and pull weeds until such time as a pitch and natural surrounds took shape. Graeme Dawe and Jo Boyd took great pleasure and pride in cultivating a variety of plants and shrubs to please the eye.  

That pitch is now complete with hybrid Bermuda grass, automated irrigation, coconut trees, hibiscus, African Tulips and banks and berns for spectator viewing.  

The building committee, with the assistance of volunteers and firms from Guam’s construction industry, set about providing the physical structures necessary for the hosting of a major sporting event such as SPG.  

Today the facilities include a concrete pavilion (easily adaptable for further extensions and development), barbecue area, spectator bleachers and scoreboard.

How do we pay for it all?

GRC built and is continuing to develop Wettengel Rugby Field through the private sector, in co-operation with the related departments of the Government. The fund-raising was made by a combination of corporate sponsorship at varying levels, contributions in kind from various businesses and fund-raising activities and manpower provided by GRC members.  

Les Edwards and Allan Morrison set about identifying and presenting marketing proposals to a number of Guam’s leading businesses that might be interested in the development of an exciting new sport. The response was phenomenal!  

A major Gold Sponsor – Budweiser, the King of Beers – came on board, providing the necessary cash flow. Tom Shimizu of Ambros Inc. and J. Lee Babb of Anheuser-Busch Asia embraced the vision and mission of GRC, providing a Sponsorship deal worth $75,000 over 5 years which greatly helped finance the project.  

Other cash Bronze Sponsors were Ambyth Shipping, AK Toyota, Pacific Indemnity Insurance and PCI Communications, all contributing $10,000 over three years.  

Continental Micronesia signed a 3 year Silver Sponsorship, providing free and discounted airline tickets that would enable GRC to fly in coaching specialists and take our SPG squad for off-island competition. Today they remain active in Rugby as a sponsor of the Guam Rugby Football Union.  

Dick Pacific, Morrico Equipment Corp, Perez Bros., Smithbridge Guam and Rocky Mountain Prestress provided, and continue to provide, the necessary materials, equipment and expertise to develop the field and buildings.  

HSBC serve as GRC’s financial partner, The Westin Resort Guam provide accommodations and F&B facilities, and Canterbury of New Zealand supply the Club’s jersey.  

Following SPG 1999, Glimpses of Guam became GRC’s second Gold Sponsor, providing marketing and communication services. DeBiasi Guam, providing the landscaping and maintenance of the field’s surrounds, and AON Insurance, took up Bronze Sponsorships.  

GRC has indeed been very fortunate in having such a large number of prestigious companies support its development and on-going commitment to bringing the game of Rugby to Guam’s youth and adults.

We’ll need to have a practice tourney.  

Ken Cowan had been nominated as the Tournament Director for SPG, and he deemed it necessary that GRC host at least two warm-up tournaments prior to the main event. His concept was a Guam Rugby International Tournament, or True GRIT 7’s as it became known, scheduled for February 1998.  

Eight teams representing six countries participated with Saipan defeating a US Military team to take out the inaugural Budweiser Cup. More importantly, True GRIT allowed Club officials to practice the logistical and operational aspects of hosting a major tournament. It also promoted Rugby 7’s to the public of Guam, and allowed GRC to foster relationships with its island neighbors.  

True GRIT 7’s were repeated in February 1999 as the final lead-in to the June SPG. In the Budweiser Cup Final, the Guam National team defeated SPG rivals, New Caledonia, who were also using the tournament as their final warm-up.  

True GRIT is now an annual event although, post-SPG, the format changed to the more player-friendly Rugby 10’s game. Budweiser Cup winners have been Guam’s Para Todu Rugby Club (2000 v GRC) and Saipan (2001 v Para Todu).  

True GRIT has enabled GRC to play and entertain Rugby teams from Saipan, China, USA, Pohnpei, New Caledonia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia. It is an annual social Rugby event of the highest order and earns praise from each new team that attends.

Refs, Union and National Team needed (Apply within)  

In October 1997, GRC invited Lyndon Bray, National Referees Training Officer for the Australian Rugby Union to Guam. In a two-day seminar/workshop he took 25 GRC members through the Level 1 Referee’s Certification course.  

In November 1998, Bernard Fienberg, Referees Development Officer of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) visited and took members through Level 2 training and certification.  

These members provided the resource to manage the touch judge and in-goal judge duties for SPG, while Bernard and the HKRFU provided the official tournament referees, with the assistance of a referee from the Fiji Rugby Union.  

In the first quarter of 1998, in dialogue with the International Rugby Board (iRB), it became apparent that the GRC, as a Club, would be unable to host an International rugby tournament that fell under the auspice of the iRB. An umbrella governing body, a Guam Rugby Football Union (GRFU), was required.  

GRC identified three members capable of heading up such a body. Greg David as President, Ken Cowan as Secretary and Stephen Grantham as Treasurer, continue to manage the affairs of GRFU to this day. Matters such as national team development, international fixtures, refereeing and judiciary, disbursement of iRB grants, and island-wide schools, age group, women’s and senior rugby development all fall under the charter of the GRFU.  

A formal application was made to the iRB and in April 1998 Guam was elected as the 83^rd member nation of the iRB. Also that month, GRFU took over from GRC as the Official sporting body for Rugby with membership in the GNOC.  

Advertisements were placed seeking an SPG National Team coach and players. Dr. Jay Seay, a GRC member and University of Guam sports professor applied for, and was appointed National Coach. Many players commenced squad training in late-May 1998 with early morning fitness work on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s and Sunday afternoons.  

Twelve months later, Guam was able to announce a National Team of 12 players, all extremely fit and well prepared. GRC used its Sponsorship arrangements to fly the squad to tournaments in Hawaii and Manila, and to fly in HKRFU Coaches, Bob Brown and Roger Leeson, for rigorous physical and tactical training.  

The inaugural Guam National Rugby 7’s Team for SPG – all GRC members – was:  

Peter Baggetta, Paul Claros, Ryan Claros, Tim Clements, Tony Costa, Suaia Keresoma, Jerry Le, Robb Malay, Allan Morrison, Ross Morrison, Colin Peoples, Gordon Willocks; Coach: Jay Seay, Assistant Coaches: Greg Brown, Grant Loveridge.

SPG a huge Success! 

The SPG tournament was held over June 2-5, 1999 with 3 days of play and a rest day. Teams from the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and Wallis & Fatuna participated.  

Wettengel Rugby Field was prepared to absolute perfection by GRC and SPG volunteers, with colorful bunting decorating the clubhouse, and the 10 nations’ flags flying from the bleachers. The weather was perfect and large crowds rolled in over the three days of competition.  

All the pre-planning by Ken Cowan’s tournament committee paid off with outstanding organization both on and off the field. Many volunteers worked tirelessly to sell food, beverage and merchandise, liaise with teams and officials, provide entertainment, and ensuring the tournament ran to schedule.  

The Governor of Guam and other SPG Organizing Committee dignitaries considered Rugby one of the best-managed and best-attended events. Representatives of the iRB in attendance, Chairman Vernon Pugh QC and CEO Stephen Baines gave it their seal of approval.  

The place was humming! The joint was rocking! And the Guam National Team played some great running Rugby.  

After two days of Pool competition, Guam made the second tier of the competition, the GRFU Plate, losing 15-19 in the semi-final to New Caledonia, then beating Wallis & Fatuna 19-17 in the Consolation Final. This gave Guam 7^th place ranking for the SPG tournament.  

Fiji won the Gold Medal with a 40-12 victory over Papua New Guinea who were presented the Silver Medal. Vanuatu beat Solomon Islands 26-7 to take home the Bronze Medal.  

SPG had definitely put Rugby on the map on Guam. But it was time to get back to being a Club.

A very Social Club … 

Playing touch rugby has always been at the heart and soul of Rugby on Guam. It is played religiously on Wednesday evenings at Wettengel Rugby Field by a pot pourri of players – young and old, male and female, fast and slow, fat and trim, locals and expats. In addition, GRC organizes a number of more formal Touch Rugby tournaments throughout the year.  

GRC is also famous locally for its annual Golf Day. A fund-raiser, this tourney is open to all members and their friends regardless of handicap. A feature is the erratic driving, both off the tee and in the carts, as the players come to grips with the vagaries of the game and the ‘mandatory watering holes’ featuring the products of our Gold Sponsor of the amber persuasion.  

The Rugby Ball is another annual event, held at The Westin Resort Guam. The Club hosted its inaugural Ball in June 1998, a night of formal wear but informal behavior during which GRC members said “si yu’os ma’ase” or “thank you” to Sponsors and Spouses. Each year The Rugby Ball gets bigger and better.

… with a Serious Edge  

GRC has been traveling the globe for many years, playing and promoting Rugby, in exotic locales such as Saipan, Palau, and Pohnpei, Bangkok and Manila, Hong Kong and Hawaii. Japan is the next destination. True GRIT allows us to host visiting Clubs.  

In all matches and tournaments, GRC plays hard but fair Rugby and always seeks to win. The Club has established a regional reputation as a hard tackling team on the field, with great camaraderie off it.  

As a sporting body on Guam, GRC is in great shape with 13 current corporate sponsors, management control of the one and only true Rugby pitch on Guam, great facilities, a distinctive Club jersey, and a broad and involved membership.  

GRC does not rest on its laurels. Plans exist for further development of the clubhouse facilities and amenities. GRC has a long-term commitment to the Japanese Rugby market. Given Guam’s climate and proximity, Wettengel Rugby Field is an ideal pre-season training venue for the Japanese corporate teams.  

In return, the Japanese corporate rugby contribution to GRC would enable further development of the complex.  

With professional teams arriving on Guam for pre-season training, Guam players would be given an opportunity to participate in training and provide opposition in drills and plays. Who knows, one day a young Chamorro lad may be recognized and invited to play for a professional Japanese company team.  

Such thoughts are not a pipe dream. The Guam Rugby Club has proven itself capable of achieving anything when it sets its mind to it!