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Frequently Asked
Questions Where
are home matches played?
The Nomads are
1/6th owners of Fletcher's
Fields, the premier rugby facility in Ontario, located north of
the city of Toronto along HWY 404. All our home matches (and many
away ones too) are played there on the "Nomads' pitch", in the southwest
corner of the park. During season: To facilitate
training, the Nomads always train downtown somewhere accessible by transit
and are determined to stay that way. Many Toronto clubs have migrated to the outlying areas for that reason and one can hardly blame them as they have better access to fields. In Toronto, the city will not issue permits for field use before May 15th nor after Sept. 30th, which is a problem as pre-season rugby starts in April and the post-season runs into November. For the latest
information on where trianing is, go to the
training page. Although most places in the world (even British Columbia), play rugby over the winter, the Ontario season runs over the summer. The subzero temperatures during our winter make playing and training outdoors impossible. Usually we begin indoor training one night a week in February and then move outside when daylight savings happens (it is too dark at 7pm before that). The normal season kickoff is Easter tour - check the tours page for a description of recent Easter tours. There are usually a few friendlies through April and the league season begins in mid-May. The women's league finishes at the end of August, while the men's teams keep playing until the end of September, after which there is a cup competition running into November. Junior sides ( U21, U18, U16, women U19 & U17) run a shorter season to avoid conflict with high school sports. Matches are in July and August on Wednesday evenings. Minis & under-14s play a less formal league consisting of Saturday tournaments - this can run from May to September as long as there are interested teams.
You do not need to buy a jersey as they are provided by the Nomads (navy blue & white hoops) and are brought to each game by the team manager/captain. You need to
get your own shorts, socks and boots (cleats). Boots must be approved rugby footwear, meaning they have must be round or circular studs (cleats). Ones with ridges or edges are not permitted. Some soccer boots are like this, usually ones with moulded plastic soles. You cannot wear them in games. If you choose to wear "protective" equipment, which is not required AT ALL, check with the International Rugby Board's website to ensure you have iRB approved gear. You will not be permitted by the referee to wear non-approved gear. Yes, we do! And we are happy to recruit all skill levels, ages, and genders - whether you've been playing for years or would like to try out a new sport, you can find a place with us.
We pride ourselves on being a "full-service" club - we run teams at all possible levels, and are always trying to add more to our stable. Juniors - under-12s (minis) which is non-contact, boys and girls together. For boys, we run under-14s, under-16s and under-18s. For adults, we run two women's and three men's sides, and will attempt an over-35 men's side. Although in more traditional rugby countries it is not uncommon for players to be paid, this is not the case in Canada. Professional rugby is nonexistent in this country (witness most all of Canada's internationals playing in overseas). We are not yet in a position to offer compensation for players, although we do pay coaches, and are moving towards a fully professional coaching staff. One step at a time.
The Nomads are truly Nomads with a large overseas contingent. We currently have players, coaches & members from: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Iran, Japan & Egypt. And every year we get quite a few working holiday makers who know rugby is a great way to get settled quickly and have fun. Some players who spent a season with us to go on to be players of note include Bath and England A prop David Barnes, Treviso wing Stu Legg and Newport and Wales lock Ian Gough. If you want to come over (or up, or down) and play some rugby, we'd love to have you. We'll do what we can to help out with accommodation and work, but we cannot offer any guarantees in this area. Generally speaking, things will be much easier if you're legal to work here - check our overseas players' page for info on how to go about that. Not too much compared to other sports. Subscription rates for the 2005 season are: Senior Men $300
You can pay subs to any executive member at training, the pub, social event, a meeting etc. The 2005 Registration forms are here: Registration information can be obtained throught the executive commttee and that is the preferred method for returning players: the forms are already filled in by Rugby Canada. For new players, blanks forms can also be obtained from an executive member or you can try to obtain the correct forms from the Rugby Canada website. If you're an ex-player or current supporter and would like to be a Nomads social member, you can send a $75 cheque made out to: Toronto Nomads
RFC The Nomads appreciate any support in the form of social memberships. You will recieve a bi-monthly newsletter and special invites to Nomad events.
First of all, keep checking this website and the message board. Very little of significance happens that you won't see posted here. As well, drop a line to nomadsrfc@msn.com to get added to the general Nomads mailing list. You'll receive periodic e-mails about results, socials and scandals. No guarantees of frequency or quality. There will also be a proper quarterly newsletter mailed out this season - The Nomad News.
We're delighted to receive inquiries and e-mails from former members and one of the best ways to contact people is to use our online message board - someone out in the Nomads community is bound to know what happened to that crazy Kiwi you used to play with, or that cute winger you had the crush on.
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