40 Years Strong!

It started, where all great things start, over a few beers. A simple idea between mates with a common interest in Rugby led to the Tuggeranong Valley Rugby Union and Sports Club becoming a reality.

And, on 12 December 1979, after three years of planning and development Erindale Vikings opened. Back then the licensed club was one room with 204 members, five staff and four affiliated teams - Tuggeranong Valley Rugby Union Club, Tuggeranong Vikings Baseball Club, South Canberra Tuggeranong Athletics Club and Tuggeranong Vikings Hockey Club. All four Clubs still with us today having made large contributions to their respective sports in Canberra.

Now, as we reflect on our 40 year history, we are proud to say we have stayed committed to our core objects; these objects have guided the Club through its evolution, furthermore these objects have helped us navigate the sea of change. 

We remain here to foster and encourage sport in the Tuggeranong Valley, provide sporting, recreation and hospitality facilities for our Members and the community, promote social interaction and build a sense of community.

From our early days of one licensed room, we now have four licensed clubs servicing the Tuggeranong Valley. We have over 40,000 members and we support 50 affiliated teams across 38 sports, with over 7000 athletes proudly wearing the Viking Head on their team shirts

When you look at these figures and compare them to the population of the Tuggeranong Valley, which in the 2016 Census was 85,154 people, almost half of the Tuggeranong Valley population is somehow connected to Vikings Group.

It is that connection that we have in the Valley and with our community that has enabled us to continue to grow.

And grow we have. In the last 12 months alone, we have built and opened Badger & Co, a stand-alone pub located at the ANU. We have helped keep bowling alive in Queanbeyan by going into partnership, with the Queanbeyan Sports and Community Club, to launch Campbell & George a licensed club.

And we have not just seen growth in our establishments, in our 40 years we have continued to grow as an integral partner with our community donating $40 million over 40 years. With this money we have helped support vital charities like OzHarvest Canberra, Marymead, Ronald McDonald House and Lifeline Canberra just to name a few.

We have also been the platform for rising stars, creating pathways for our up and coming athletes. Athletes including Michael Bevan, Joe Roff, Caroline Buchanan, Kelsey-Lee Barber and Christian Lealiifano all donned the Vikings Head in their early sporting careers.

As our 40th year unfolds we will continue to reflect and celebrate on all we have achieved.

We thank you our Members, you are at the heart of what we do, we thank you for continuing to support us as we grow so we can ensure the sustainability of your Club.