First Home Game a Highlights for Canterbury's Kids

The rain was never going to keep these kids away on game day. It was the Crusaders first home game of the season versus the Hurricanes on Friday 15 March.

Sometime as rugby fans, concerning ourselves with how the draw sits, which player is injured and where we sit on the table, we forget that for so many kids it’s all about the experience of seeing their favourite team take the field.

To celebrate Super Rugby Pacific’s Kids’ Round, we caught up with some kids last Friday to check in on their excitement levels.

Enjoying the face painting and atmosphere, Darcy was wrapped up warm and “100 per cent” pumped about watching her very first Crusaders game. She’d been practicing her “excited squeal” all week.

She came to the game with her family and friend and was mostly looking forward to the horses running out before the game kicked off. 

Dominick, a keen rippa player and huge Crusaders fan, got his face painted at the stadium before kick-off. As a seasoned rugby fan he’s been to more games than he could count.

“The whole time I’m in the stadium I shake!” he said. When asked if he has a loud cheer, Dominick said he got super excited at Crusaders games.

If you didn’t hear Darcy’s excited squeal or feel Dominick shaking in the stands, perhaps you heard brother and sister Chloe and Cam. Their favourite thing to do at games was to “cheer really loud when Crusaders score a try”.

With free face painting, kid-friendly half time entertainment like KFC’s Chase the Colonel, and a post-match field rush to meet the players – it’s an experience for the kids they’ll never forget.