Ready to rugby!
17 Jun 2024The Barossa Rams will be rejoicing this Saturday when the community gathers to celebrate the official opening of the region’s new home of rugby.
The special event on June 22 heralds a fresh era for the sport after relocating from the Lyndoch Recreation Park to the newly constructed $5.1 million precinct in Tanunda, part of The Barossa Council's "The Big Project" infrastructure initiative.
Situated adjacent to The Rex Barossa Aquatic and Fitness Centre, Mayor Bim Lange encourages everyone to experience what the new Barossa Rugby Precinct has to offer.
“Come along and enjoy a great free family afternoon out,” says Mayor Lange who will join Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Katrine Hildyard in a ribbon cutting ceremony on the rugby field at 3pm, before the Rams take on Brighton in the Reserves match.
“If you’ve never been to a rugby union game before, what better introduction than watching a local match, enjoying some Rams’ hospitality, and cheering our home team to victory!
Take a look at what’s been built here in support of current and future generations.
This project has delivered a fit for purpose, multi-use facility with LED sports lighting, clubroom, changerooms, function space and playing surface that will also build rugby participation in our region.”
The Barossa Rugby Precinct boasts a commercial kitchen, bar, space inside for 150 people, plus a sheltered viewing deck overlooking the field which accommodates three touch football pitches.
President of the Barossa Rams Rugby Club, Dr Fraser Vivian is proud of their new headquarters saying its location alongside schools has added more visibility to the sport resulting in a 28 percent increase in junior signings this season - 15 percent of whom are girls.
And with teams and supporters travelling from across the state to compete in the SA Rugby Union competition, the precinct casts a wide net.
“The unique part about our club, compared to many other sporting clubs in the Barossa, is that we bring in people and economic activity from outside the region,” Dr Vivian said.
“We have teams from Brighton, Burnside, the southern suburbs, right down to Reynella play here. They book out the caravan park, visit the breweries, cafes, and wineries, and make a whole weekend of it. They’re not here just for an afternoon.”
As excitement builds for the Rugby World Cup in 2027, so too are the possibilities for the Barossa Rugby Precinct with Dr Vivian revealing he is in regular contact with Rugby Australia representatives.
This is the best rugby playing surface in South Australia right now.
“Having this next to The Rex, and the Novotel not far away, provides a great opportunity to potentially host a national team in the Barossa which would be an enormous opportunity and bring greater visibility for the sport in South Australia.”
Yet it’s the club atmosphere Dr Vivian is most proud of, made all the better with such a welcoming new venue to share with the community and beyond.
“Yes, it’s a great community asset, but any club is only as good as its people,” he said.
“Our core values are centred on providing a friendly, welcoming environment, and safety for kids. Rugby has led the way in safety, particularly around head injuries and all sorts of injury management.
“Essentially, we’ve translocated a group of passionate family-oriented people into a fantastic new facility and created, I think, something quite amazing.”
The Barossa Rugby Precinct was supported by $995,000 State Government funding through the Office from Recreation, Sport and Racing.
