Perth Spirit

Perth Spirit

Union	Australian Rugby Union
Founded	2007
Location	Perth, Australia
Ground(s)	Members Equity Stadium (Capacity: 17,288[1])
Coach(es)	John Mulvihill
Captain(s)	Mat Henjak
League(s)	Australian Rugby Championship
2007	Semi-Finalist
Team kit
Union website
www.rugbywa.com.au

The Perth Spirit was an Australian rugby union football club based in Perth, Western Australia. Perth Spirit was one of eight clubs that competed in the Australian Rugby Championship (ARC) which ran in 2007. Perth Spirit played at the Members Equity Stadium. The players in the squad adopted an unconventional name of the "Perth Pigs". The team was captained by half back Matt Henjak since he overcame a back injury.

History

With the announcement of a new national rugby union competition, it was known that one of the foundation clubs would be located in Perth - with three teams in New South Wales, two in Queensland and Canberra and Melbourne clubs making up the inaugural eight. The Perth team's name - Spirit, along with colours and logo were unveiled in March 2007.

At the launch of the new team, it was revealed that John Mulvihill would be the head coach of the Spirit for the inaugural season. Mulvihill was also the Super 14 Western Force attack coach. The competition started in August, with the Spirit playing their first home game at Members Equity Stadium on the second weekend of August.

Colours and logo

The colours, name and logo of the club were unveiled on 21 March 2007.^[2] The Spirit's colours were revealed as black and gold - the traditional state colours of Western Australia. RugbyWA board and senior management considered 20 names for the ARC team, with Spirit in the end being the preferred option because it was seen identifiable as Western Australian, and was aligned with the Western Force Super 14 team.^[2] The logo of the Spirit was also similar to that of the Force, though it is gold instead of the Force's blue.

Rugby WA said that “Just as Force taps into the natural elements that have shaped WA, the word Spirit is strong, powerful and dynamic, and reflects the independent, open-minded and entrepreneurial way West Aussies approach things”.^[2] In addition, “We didn’t choose an animal or plant in the name because we wanted it to reflect a passionate and proudly parochial body of people, West Aussies”.^[2] Although the jersey has yet to be revealed, it is known that the Spirit will play in the traditional hoop style.^[2]

Stadium

The Perth Spirit played at the Members Equity Stadium in Perth. The ground was opened in 1904. At the time the Western Force did not play at Members Equity, but at the larger capacity venue of Subiaco Oval. However, Members Equity is probably better suited to rugby due to its configuration. The stadium has a capacity of around 17,000. The Perth Spirit played four home games at Members Equity during the ARC season. The stadium is also home to the Perth Glory FC and was the home to the WA Reds Rugby League Club.

Franchise area

The New South Wales and Queensland clubs were aligned with existing local clubs, it has yet to be announced what system the Perth club will be using. It was said of the location of the club during the Spirit's launch that "Perth was chosen to avoid confusion with the Western Force but still make it obviously West Australian".^[2] The 28-man squad was made know at the end of the Super 14 season.

Current squad

Records

Head coaches

• John Mulvihill (2007)

Captains

• Matt Henjak (2007)

Vice-Captains

• Tai McIsaac (2007)

See also

• Western Force
• RugbyWA

References

1. ↑ "Members Equity Stadium". austadiums.com. Retrieved 22 March 2007. 
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "RugbyWA Launches Perth Spirit For New Competition". rugbywa.com.au. 21 March 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2007. 

External links

• Rugby WA
• RugbyWA Launches Perth Spirit For New Competition
• ET Perth Spirit Squad Announced For Inaugural National Competition