The Burnside Rugby Football Club was formed at a meeting of enthusiastic locals at the Fendalton Community Hall on 28th August 1957.
Soon after the Inaugural Annual General Meeting was held on 19th September 1957.
The club colours were to be red and white jerseys , black shorts and red and white hoop socks. The club applied to the Canterbury Rugby Football Union for Fendalton Park to be the home ground.
At its First Annual General Meeting on 11th March 1958 the CRFU made the offer, which was accepted, of Burnside Park as the home ground for the club.. The Burnside RFC entered nine teams in CRFU competitions in 1958, with the top team being the 4th grade. A further offer of two grounds at Jellie Park was also later accepted.
By 1960 the clubs highest team was Second Grade and by the end of the season lights for one ground at Jellie Park had been installed at a cost of one hundred and eleven pounds. The CRFU met half the cost. Prior to that night training had been conducted under the street lighting from Memorial Avenue.
A building fund was started in 1961 and by 1964 it was decided to consolidate activities at Burnside Park and apply real energy to the club rooms project. In June 1966 the club became an incorporated society and its constitution registered with Internal Affairs Department.
1967 was memorable year. Paul Mc Kay became the first Burnside player to achiev representative honours in the senior open grade. He was also selected for New Zealand Colts in that year.
Work began on the clubrooms in February 1970 and the official opening of the building was held on Saturday 3rd October 1971. That season 32 teams were entered by the club , twenty two of them in the schoolboy grades. Lighting facilities had been installed at Burnside Park and by 2nd May 1973 the club had achieved its first win in senior grade competition, beating Sydenham, 21-10.
1975 saw the price of a jug increase to 50c. This at a time when thirty nine teams played under the Burnside banner, making it the largest in the South Island.
The highlight of the 1977 season was the Senior team being joint holders with the Albion Club of the DCL Shield. After only five seasons in the Senior competition this was a most significant result and the club set its sights on the CSB Trophy.
New club extensions were opened in 1982. Special thanks to Len Hanser, who since his retirement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had worked nearly full time at the clubrooms. Len was made a Life Member of the club in 1988 and in 2002 the Len Hanser Room was named in his honour.
The 25th Jubilee celebrations were held over the weekend of 20-21 August 1982.
The BRFC achieved its first Canterbury A representative in 1985 when Rob Penney was selected for provincial honours. He was followed in 1986 by David Reid, Shayne Philpott and David Farrant. Shayne was also selected for NZ Colts in that year, and Jon Preston achieved this honour in 1987 .
The winning of the 1992 Trust Bank Trophy in the final at Lancaster Park was, and remains, the pinnacle achievement of the Burnside Rugby Football Club. It was the third year that Burnside had contested the final and the club support for this match against Sydenham was tremendous. The senior side, coached by Marty Taylor, included 6 Canterbury representatives
By 1992, twenty eight junior teams were registered under Burnside RFC, consisting of 432 boys.
In 1993 , under the coaching of Bob Kerr and Lee Golding, Burnside again won the treasured Trust Bank Trophy , outclassing Sydenham 50-5.
The Burnside Colts also had success in 1993 , winning its final 8-3.
No history of the Burnside RFC would be complete without mention of the late Ivan Milner. Known in Canterbury rugby circles as “Mr Burnside” , Ivan was made a Life Member in 1980 and was Secretary of the Club from 1969 to 1995.
The new millennium has brought new challenges to the Burnside RFC. Particularly the ability of large amateur rugby clubs surviving in the high expectancy era of professionalism.
The Burnside RFC is poised to meet those challenges with very sound administrative structures, a great desire to serve its members to the best of its ability and a focus upon team and individual achievement on the rugby field.