Test from H drive 4-7-22tt
Commemorating
the :firth of Competitive Play for the Jac s ill ugby tb ll lub
at Jack Russell
WHEREAS, rugby is a close -contact team sport that originated in England in the first half of the 19th
century, and was renewed as an Olympic sport in 2016 after a 92 -year hiatus; and
WHEREAS, on October 21, 1972, the Jacksonville Rugby Football Club played its inaugural match
against the Pensacola Navy Rugby Football Club at the "pitch" at Jack Russell Park in Atlantic Beach; and
WHEREAS, the Jacksonville side was comprised of numerous former collegiate players, gentlemen all,
and anchored by a contingent of happy-go-lucky, fun -loving, swashbuckling Naval Aviators; and
WHEREAS, while the final result of the match may be lost to history, the foundation was laid for future
championship Jacksonville sides; and
WHEREAS, the Jacksonville Rugby Football Club continues to operate as part of the Florida Rugby
Union and USA Rugby, playing its home games at Greenland Park in Jacksonville; and
WHEREAS, the Jacksonville Rugby Football Club also advances the sport throughout Northeast Florida
with clinics and through its Jacksonville Youth Rugby Football Club, carrying out USA Rugby's mission to unite
an inclusive, passionate rugby community, ignite sustainable development, and grow opportunities nationwide;
and
WHEREAS, at a dedication event at 11 a.m. April 29, 2022, to put the birth of competitive play for the
Jacksonville Rugby Football Club front and center, the City of Atlantic Beach will unveil a bronze
commemorative marker at the site of the historic match at Jack Russell Park.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that I, Ellen Glasser, Mayor of Atlantic Beach, do hereby
issue this proclamation commemorating
the Birth of Competitive Play for the Jacksonville Rugby Football Club
at Jack Russell Park
and encourage all citizens to recognize this notable achievement in our community.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand and
caused the Official Seal of the City of Atlantic Beach
to be affixed this 29th day of April, 2022.
•
Ellen Glasser, Mayor