First Municipal Rugby Stadium in the U.S. Opens in Glendale, Colorado

Denver fans are fanatics about their football. And their baseball. And hockey, lacrosse, basketball... in fact, Denver is THE sports town. It seems only right that the U.S.'s first municipal Rugby stadium should be right here, in nearby Glendale, Colorado. Infinity Park is holding its grand opening on Saturday, September 22, with the local teams, the Glendale Raptors and the Glendale Olde Girls, gearing up to play there through the fall against local teams as well as teams from St. Louis, Austin, Kansas City, Omaha and more.

In addition to being the U.S.'s first municipal stadium, Infinity Park's website indicates that it is the first U.S. Rugby stadium. Colorado is already home to USA Rugby in Boulder, and an elite Rugby tournament held in Aspen, the Ruggerfest. Some local teams date back to the 1960's.

Infinity Park seats 5,000 people by an IRB regulation "Pitch," 68 by 100 meters. The park is also designed to accommodate lacrosse, football and soccer games such as local playoffs, while at the same time they note that they will be bringing "rare, international play" to the area, planning to build the base of fans through such exciting events. Concerts, youth programs, and other events are planned for the location near popular upscale shopping area Cherry Creek.

Infinity Park is part of the Glendale Rugby Stadium complex, which will (soon, according to the park's website) contain a state-of-the-art fitness center for the community as well as the teams, and a VIP "Try Rugby Club" which has a wall of windows, floor-to-ceiling, overlooking the pitch. History and triumphs of Rugby will also be celebrated in the first U.S.-based Rugby Hall of Fame at the complex.

From Infinity Park's description of the game, fans may find Rugby a refreshing change from other sports. Among the differences they note between Rugby and many popular American sports is the intensity of the game, which is non-stop action which "doesn't stop for penalties, huddles or referee reviews," and in this "passionate, tremendously energetic and fun sport" they say that even professional teams often become fast friends for life with their opponents as well as their teammates. It's a positive game with a lot of camaraderie.

One hundred years older than American football, Rugby traces its origins to England in 1823, and is claimed to be the inspiration for our gridiron game, as a "rogue soccer player" named William Webb Ellis grabbed the ball and ran, and Rugby was born. As the game evolved, a commitment was made to play "hard, clean attacking Rugby," and one leader said "Rugby football is a game for gentlemen in all classes, but never for a bad sportsman in any class."

http://www.glendalerugby.com/firststadium.asp

http://www.glendalerugby.com/rugbyorigin.asp