Canberra Royals is a proud, inclusive and family club comprising seniors (women and men), juniors (girls and boys) playing groups and was established in 1949. In 2019 the Royals Family Expanded to include Royals Volleyball.

Seventy four years of Rugby excellence by Canberra Royals was founded not in stone but on cloth. A row over new jerseys worth less than two dollars – 18 shillings in 1949 – resulted in Jack Waters, the club’s first president along with a number of enthusiastic youngsters such as Noel Hansen, Keith Hawke and Bob Brown, splitting away from Norths to form the club now known as Canberra Royals Rugby Union Football Club.

For seventy years since, Canberra Royals has been showing excellence on and off the field in ACT club rugby.

The proud history of Canberra Royals follows and is built on an impressive first season in 1949 with Royals entering two teams in the reserve grade competition with the reserve A team being crowned undefeated premiers.

Canberra Royals has been showing excellence on and off the field in ACT club rugby since this time, winning:

20 First Grade Men’s Premierships

13 First Grade Women’s Premierships.

49 Lower Grade (2nds, 3rds, 4ths and Colts) Men’s premierships

All four Men’s grade premierships (1sts, 2nds, 3rds and 4ths) in 1987, 1988 & 1990

Over the years Canberra Royals has always maintained the philosophy that representation, at whatever level, was the right of its players regardless of the cost to the club’s on field performance. This drive for professionalism, not in monetary terms but in attitude, is reflected across playing, coaching, and administration.

Canberra Royals comprises both seniors (women and men) and juniors (girls and boys) playing groups and was established in 1949.

In 1992 Royals was the first ACT rugby club to field a women’s team and won the first version of the women’s national championship that year. Royals continued to field a team in the Sydney women’s competition and were the driving force behind the establishment of the first ACT women’s competition in 1996. Royals women’s seniors have won the majority of ACT women’s premierships and provided more ACT and Wallaroo (national women’s team) representatives than any other Australian club.

Royals men’s seniors have won more premierships and provided more home-grown ACT (including Brumbies) and Wallaby representatives than any other ACT rugby club.

Royals Juniors is the oldest continuously operating junior rugby club in the ACT. Royals Juniors field teams in most if not all boys and girls age divisions and have strong community support in Weston Creek, Woden Valley and more recently, Molonglo Valley.

Royals has a proud indigenous history and has established a number of programs over the years to promote indigenous participation from both inside and outside the ACT. Royals was the first Australian rugby club to have an indigenous woman President.

Royals supports programs such as ‘Every chance to play’ to ensure that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are included in participating in rugby. Royals also has a disability inclusion program which promotes the participation of people with a disability in all aspects of the club’s operations. Royals is committed to fostering an inclusive environment and eliminating any and all discrimination in sport.

Royals seniors and juniors have over 2,000 active members mostly based in the ACT region but with significant support both interstate and internationally.all