The Burlington Centaurs Rugby Football Club was founded in 1973. The first club president was Dave Swift and the first club captain was Monty Heald. The Centaurs were always a very competitive side in those early years. Off the field, development was second to none and in four short years B.C.R.F.C. had organized (in conjunction with the City of Burlington and Wintario) a headquarters at Sherwood Forest Park for the 1979 season.
These facilities, which included a full international size pitch with a “pop-up” watering system, were soon to become one of the best rugby fields in all of Canada. We started with a small but very cozy ground floor club room. The club continued to develop in playing skills and depth. A third team was added in 1979 and a strong junior program was also part of this growth.
In 1990 a major project was completed, in that, our new clubhouse was officially opened. This superb clubhouse, built over the original facility, opened to a balcony overlooking the pitch at the half way line. In 2020, the clubhouse was renovated and updated to maintain its status as one of the premier facilities in the province.
Members of the Burlington Centaurs have made some significant contributions to rugby outside of our club. Founding member Monty Heald was elected president of Rugby Canada in 1991 and served in that position until stepping down in 1999. Monty would eventually be inducted into the Ontario Rugby Union Hall of Fame in 2004 and in 2013 Rugby Canada inducted him as its second Honorary Life Member. Another co-founder of the club, John Guilfoyle, is a member of the Rugby Ontario Hall of Fame (as is Dave Swift). Representative honours for players have included Canada, Ontario, Niagara Region, Rugby Canada Super League, Canadian Classics, and the Maccabi Games.
In 2018 the club celebrated its 45th Anniversary and the club is firmly established as a Senior Ontario club. The Senior Women's continues to grow and thrive while the Senior Men have made their mark in the coveted Premier Marshall Division.
In 2017, the club established a Junior Rugby Development Academy with the vision of providing a High Performance training environment to both male and female junior athletes.
In 2019, the Burlington Centaurs were awarded the Rugby Ontario Junior Club of the Year (male). Through outreach to local elementary and high-schools, the Burlington Centaurs have made minor and junior rugby a priority to build the sport and give back to the community that has given us so much.