Hundreds of Calgarians cheer on Team Canada in rugby World Cup final

A full house at the Calgary Rugby Union as Calgarians cheer on the Canadian women in the championship game against England. Jacqueline Wilson reports.

A heartbreaking loss for Canada’s women’s rugby team Saturday when England beat them 33-13 in the World Cup final, but Calgarians think the moment itself is still one to build on.

The city’s rugby fans woke up early and made their way down to the Calgary Rugby Park to cheer the team on as they played in London.

“There’s nothing like it in this world,” said Kim Endicott, Calgary Rugby Union’s executive director, at the park.

“There’s something magical about this park, about these people, about this community.”

While hundreds showed up in Calgary, London’s match saw a crowd of almost 82,000 fans at the stadium. That’s the largest crowd in women’s rugby history.

“I mean, this is huge. Women’s sports in general have grown so much and rugby is no different,” said former Team Canada player Anne Naumann. Naumann played for Canada in 1991 in Wales and recalls seeing almost no fans in the stands.

“Even at the final it wasn’t sold out. But the final these girls are playing at ... has fans all over the world.”

Meanwhile, Endicott said local players are hoping to harness that enthusiasm and grow the sport even more.

“For sports in general in Canada, but especially for women’s sports. Once they see how we can grow, how we move forward, that there’s more funding,” she said.

With files from CTV Calgary’s Jacqueline Wilson