Meraloma Club

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The Meraloma Athletic Club 1 is a multi-sport organization founded in 1923 by 12 swimmers in the Kitsilano area, Vancouver, Canada.
It has been written of the Meraloma Club that it "contributed to the initiation, development, maintenance, and success of amateur and professional sport in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Canada".2
The original club name was Mermaids''. The club eventually branched out into other sports initiating a change to the nameMeraloma'' using "MER"maid + "AL"pha + "OM"ega + "A"lways which stood for "mermaids first last and always". 3

Meraloma Athletic Club sports include4

1. Basketball - Men 5
2. Cricket - Youth & Men 6
3. Field Hockey - Women 7
4. Rugby - Mini 8, Junior 9, Men 10, Women 11, Over-40 Legends12
5. Soccer - Men & Women 13
6. Softball - Men & Women 14

Canadian Football was historically a huge part of the Meraloma club. 15

In 1978, Vancouver Province sportswriter Eric Whitehead, wrote:

"Speaking from my experience ... I know of no other organization that so epitomizes the special spirit and character of a community that has produced a far greater pro-rata share of outstanding athletes of national and international calibre than any other area in the nation. Now, in these times of change, with all the swing back to participation sport at all age levels, the Meraloma Club stands as a time-tested model of all that is best in volunteer community sports establishments." Once A Mermaid - the Story of the Meraloma Club 16

Meraloma, Barry Burnham holds a rugby record listed in the Guinness Book of Records that my never be broken - he scored all 5 ways in a single match. 17