Would your team like to tour The Bahamas?


Rugby's not a game, its a way of life
Rugby is an incredible sport, not only for the athletic turbulence on the field but for the tremendous spirit of brotherhood (or sisterhood) that exists within the Game itself.

This spirit is alive and well in The Bahamas, where we have enjoyed a thriving league, a good support base and a healthy youth programme.
We are also fortunate in that we play in a beautiful country which many people would like to visit.

As a result, a number of sides, particularly from the US, Canada and Britain, have considered The Bahamas as a possible destination for their annual tour.


Past Tours
In the 40+ years of Bahamas Rugby, hundreds of teams have visited the country. In the early years, these were often British Navy ships that were docked in the harbour. Later, as flights became cheaper, club and college sides started coming from the US and Canada. Occasionally, teams from the UK would visit, but not too many, as they often felt that the cost of the flights were prohibitive.


However, the biggest handicap has always been communication. A lot of clubs have considered coming here, but unless you have a friend or a friend of a friend who knew someone who's cousin's girlfriend's brother bought a car off a guy who once knew a woman who's father (now sadly deceased) once met a man at the airport who played in The Bahamas, then you probably wouldn't know how to go about getting in touch with someone to organise the tour.


I just read that through and it doesn't make much sense to me either, but I'm leaving it in because it too a while to write.

Touring Today

Thanks to the internet (and sites such as this), the whole process has become considerably less stressful for all parties concerned.
If you're team is thinking about a Caribbean Adventure, why not give me a nod. I'm not saying I can arrange cheaper flights, but we're well connected here and have developed a nice little network of friends in the tourism industry who can help us to make your trip as economic as possible.

We can help with hotels, ground transportation, day trips, matches (obviously), evening entertainment, etc. as well as telling you who and which places are most likely to try to rip you off (something you don't get from tourist information).


And believe me, you won't regret your stay. We have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, good people and the weather's (nearly) always excellent, year round.


The Rugby
There are currently 4 Clubs in The Bahamas (increasing to 5 for the 2006-7 season). Each club has a regular men's side, an Oldies team, a 7s team and a youth (U19) team. We also have a fairly embryonic ladies' development programme, which currently consist of mostly 17 & 18 year old girls.

Our club structure can accommodate most standards of play and all age groups over 15 yrs of age. Higher level clubs, however, would play against National Select Sides.


The Bahamas National team won the Rugby World Cup 2007; Northern Caribbean Qualification Tournament over Bermuda, Cayman and Jamaica


Bahamas vs. Cayman, June 2005


The Venues
Rugby is played at two centres, each of which is quite well equipped with changing rooms, showers, bars, floodlights, stands (bleachers) and are (almost) exclusively used for rugby.

Freeport Rugby Club in Grand Bahama owns its own club, it also has one of the best maintained pitches in the region.
Winton Rugby Centre in Nassau has two pitches, one of which has an underground sprinkler system. This facility is owned and maintained by the Bahamas Rugby Football Union.

Best Times For Touring
The main months for touring teams are March & April, and we put our season on hold for these months - Spring Break (during March) is a particularly popular time for US teams.

However, touring sides are very important to us and we're usually happy to postpone league games, or build our season around tours, so you could travel at any time of the year.



Contacts

If your college team, club side or even a group of friends is considering coming to The Bahamas on tour, let us know and we'll certainly be able to arrange a couple of games for you:


Elystan Miles (gopher/dogsbody): ely@bigblogmedia.com
Stephen Thompson (Union Secretary): stephen@bahamasferries.com

Chris Lleida (El Presidente): premier@coralwave.com