Festivals

The Golden Oldies Philosophy

The Golden Oldies World Rugby Festival, founded in 1979 at Auckland NZ and held every 2 years, is primarily a way of brining Rugby Players and their families together from around the world to share their common interest in Rugby and have the maximum amount of fun.

Simply stated, The Golden Oldies philosophy is:

1. To participate in a festival which will provide “fun, friendship & fraternity” for those over the age of 35, who may not play regular Rugby and wish to play occasionally, as well as those who do play regularly, with the emphasis on enjoyment.
2. To provide an opportunity for Rugby Players and their families to travel to different countries, create new friendships and renew old acquaintances.
3. To provide opportunities to highlight and promote Rugby and create reasons to retain an active interest in it.
4. A principle philosophy is that all Golden Oldies Rugby Games are played as competitively (or less seriously) as your team wishes. The Festivals are not tournaments and the results of games are not given major prominence.

The Gordon Stags are proud to have fronted a team at every festival since 1983.

History of the Golden Oldies Festivals

Reprinted with thanks from www.goldenoldiessports.com

The Golden Oldies sporting movement began in the late 1970′s when Tom Johnson - one of New Zealand’s foremost Rugby loose forwards of the 60′s prevailed on Air New Zealand to support his idea.

At the outset it was resolved that Rugby would benefit from Golden Oldies Festivals, and the relationship with local organising groups provides them with opportunities to gain funds for the development of the game and other needs such as junior Rugby, injured players, refereeing and school rugby support.

The first Festival was held in the winter of 1979 when 15 Rugby teams floundered on sodden Auckland fields; 13 from New Zealand and a combined Canadian / USA group. From these humble beginnings Golden Oldies Rugby Festivals have ventured to all corners of the globe and become the biggest Rugby Festival in the world and a true international event. It has changed people’s lives and the team environment has enabled many to travel away from their home countries for the first time.

Venues for past Festivals have been:

	1979	Auckland	New Zealand
	1981	Long Beach	United States of America
	1983	Sydney	Australia
	1985	London	England
	1987	Auckland	New Zealand
	1989	Toronto	Canada
	1991	Perth	Australia
	1993	Dublin	Ireland
	1995	Christchurch	New Zealand
	1997	Vancouver	Canada
	1998	Cape Town	South Africa
	1999	Adelaide	Australia
	2001	Toulouse	France
	2003	Brisbane	Australia
	2005	San Diego	United States of America
	2006	Wellington	New Zealand
	2008	Edinburgh	Scotland
	2010	Sydney	Australia

Next Festival: 2012 Fukuoka, Japan

Attendance at a Golden Oldies World Festival can be to experience the indescribable. The games are highly organised and the whole Festival a masterpiece of co-ordination, but importantly participants are there for their love of the sport and the experience of travel to a different place.