Kerrobert Museum: Kerrobert’s Football History
By Breena Hebron
Kerrobert Museum
Despite football’s popularity in Kerrobert, there is some confusion about its history as it has had different names over the years. Football as we know it evolved from rugby, and the term football has also been used to refer to what we now call soccer. Regardless of the name of the sport, Kerrobert has been lucky to have many talented athletes and dedicated coaches over the years.
Before the Canadian Football League there was the Canadian Rugby Football Union. One of Kerrobert’s own, R.L. Hanbidge, played for the Regina Rugby Club in 1911, 1912, and 1913. The Regina Rugby Club would change their name in 1924 to the Regina Roughriders, and then again in 1948 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, which they continue to be known as today.
The 1986-87 Kerrobert football team were Conference Champions and Provincial Finalists.
The Regina Rugby Team in 1913. Kerrobert’s R.L. Hanbidge can be seen in the middle row on the far right.
Though there are photos of the Kerrobert Football Club as far back as 1931, we are unsure whether this football referred to our current sport or to soccer. The 1947-48 Kerrobert yearbook states on the topic of football “This subject doesn’t need much propaganda as the team never lost a game.” In the 1950-51 year the football team only played two games, each ending in a tie at zero. In 1953, Kerrobert and Melfort tied for the provincial title. There have been various teams in the provincial finals over the years, including the 1990 team who claimed the Provincial Championship Title.
No official records on Kerrobert’s football fields could be located, but it is believed that the current field was built around the time that Kerrobert Composite School was built, then known as the Kerrobert High School, and later the James Charteris Composite School. It was called Bishop’s Bowl in honour of Mr. R. Bishop, a staff member at the school. It has been said that the school was known for its football field and the track around it. Around 2005, the field was redone. In the meantime, football games were played at the Fairgrounds. Over the years there has been various updates to the field, including this year’s Lights Project. Past students may remember partaking in track and field events around the bowl, as well as many Welcome Week activities, including tug-of-wars and slip ‘n’ slides. There have also been many generations of cheerleaders on the field in support of their football teams.
Though this is a brief history of football in Kerrobert, and many details are sure to have been missed, it can be assured that athletes and fans will continue to be able to enjoy the sport of football due to the hard work that has been put into the field.
This will be Breena’s last Museum write-up for the summer. Thank you for doing such a great job and teaching us a little local history!