Loughrea Rugby Club
Ballygasty,
Loughrea,
Co. Galway
H62AP03
Brief History
Welcome to the website of Loughrea RFC. We are a proud and passionate rugby club in Connacht, Ireland. Our mission statement is to create a fun, friendly, safe and respectful environment for our community, and provide the highest quality coaching by qualified club members, giving all players the best opportunity to develop and succeed – both on and off of the field
The rugby club was originally formed in the early 1920s, which makes it one of the oldest clubs in Connacht. Early progress on the field was dramatic and culminated in the winning of the Connaught Senior Cup in 1931 when Loughrea beat Ballina.
As with many clubs and sporting institutions, the years of World War II saw the decline of the club and as a of result it ceased to exist in the late 1940’s.
The club was reformed in 1968 with an emphasis was on youth rugby. In 1970 a powerful Loughrea U/18 side swept all before them. They went on to form the core of exceptionally strong Loughrea sides in the 70s and 80s leading to the unique achievement of winning both the Connacht Junior ‘A’ and ‘B’ Cups on the same day in 1982. Cup wins followed in 84 and 86 before the team began to break up.
Loughrea RFC has produced many fine players but none more so than Ciaran Fitzgerald who captained Ireland to two triple crowns in 1982 and 1985 and also captained the British Lions on a tour to New Zealand.
The last decade has seen the club regroup and restructure and the implementation and adherence to a five year development plan has seen the club fortune improve dramatically both on and of the pitch.
Loughrea RFC fields teams in all grades from mini-rugby through to youth rugby, and fields two adult sides. Loughrea also now fields dedicated girls teams in Mini and Youth Player rugby, and was able to field its first U18 girls team in the 2023/24 season. Numbers at all grades continue to increase year on year.
The club currently has just over 500 members, most of whom are playing in either senior or age grade rugby. The senior team currently competes in the Back of Ireland J1B league, as well as the Back of Ireland Curley Cup.
Facilities
The club is located just outside of Loughrea, in county Galway.
The grounds consist of:
- The main clubhouse building
- Two parking areas
- Two grass pitches
One pitch is dedicated to training, and the other is the main pitch used for matches for all age grades. Both pitches are covered by LED lights, that were updated in 2022/23.
The clubhouse has dedicated male and female changing facilities, as well as shower areas. There is a dedicated referee changing room for match officials. The club has also installed a small weights room for use by Loughrea RFC players.
On match days, the Club Room is open and providing teas and coffees. Refreshments are normally provided for the Home and Away teams after any matches.
There are male and female toilet facilities available for players and spectators.
Location
The club is easily accessible from the M6 motorway, and is about 20 minutes drive from the outskirts of Galway City and about 50 minutes drive from the town of Athlone.
Our Sponsors
Ballygasty, Loughrea, Co. Galway H62AP03