Al Charron quipped that his former school teachers would have been 鈥渟hocked to find my name attached to anything associated with high performance.鈥�
He proved them wrong.
The former Canadian national team captain鈥檚 name will hang on the new Al Charron Rugby sa国际传媒 National Training Centre to be located behind Westhills Stadium in Langford.
The foundation has been laid for the 1,765 square metre, two-storey training centre that will allow sa国际传媒鈥檚 national teams to train in a single indoor location. Completion is expected next fall. The $7.9-million facility is the single-largest investment Rugby sa国际传媒 has made and is being funded by $3 million from the federal government鈥檚 Building sa国际传媒 Fund, $1 million in land costs and a repayable $1.5 million loan from Langford, and the rest from private donations and fund-raising.
The state-of-the-art building will include a 650-square-metre gymnasium; running track; change rooms with shower and bathroom facilities; recovery and stretching rooms, including with hydro-therapy facilities; a kitchen/dining/lounge area; meeting, office and storage spaces; therapy clinic; reception area; six one-bedroom studio units; and the Rugby sa国际传媒 Hall of Fame.
It will also be available to national team athletes in other sports and to the public.
鈥淲e are making it to benefit our community and our country,鈥� said Langford mayor Stew Young.
Charron recalled national team training used to be held in various rugby clubs. It has come a long way from those basic, perfunctory weight rooms.
鈥淚 would have loved this in my time,鈥� said the 50-year-old great, who earned 76 caps for sa国际传媒, 25 as captain, and played in four World Cups.
鈥淭he name on it is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that the building is being built. I鈥檓 excited for our current and future athletes to be able to fully utilize their potential. They put their lives on hold and come here to live away from home, so it is incumbent on us to provide the best facilities for them to train in, and to get the best out of them.鈥�
The enormity of the naming honour, however, did hit Charron emotionally, and the six-foot-five, 270-pound gentle giant from Ottawa had to compose himself during the announcement ceremony held on site Monday.
鈥淢y late parents would be so proud to know this. It is so special,鈥� he said.
This is Rugby sa国际传媒鈥檚 third piece to its complex in Langford, which already includes its head office building and the multi-use Westhills Stadium.
鈥淭his is another move forward to building a world-class rugby culture in sa国际传媒 . . . the momentum is building and this is the next step,鈥� said Kayla Moleschi, a player on sa国际传媒鈥檚 2016 Rio Olympics bronze-medallist women鈥檚 sevens team.
All of sa国际传媒鈥檚 current and aspiring national team rugby athletes will train at the Langford facility.
Meanwhile, Rugby sa国际传媒 utilizes marquee edifices such as BMO Field in Toronto for major Test matches and sa国际传媒 Place for the men鈥檚 sa国际传媒 Sevens on March 11-12. It does, however, hold a significant schedule of events at its Langford training base. The Canadian men鈥檚 team will play Argentina and Chile at Westhills Stadium on Feb. 4 and Feb. 11 in the America鈥檚 Rugby Championship and the women鈥檚 HSBC sa国际传媒 Sevens is May 27-28 at Westhills.
