Palatine to host French Rugby team and officials
The Sister Cities Associations of Palatine and Fontenay-le-Comte, France and the Palatine Rugby Club, an affiliate of the Palatine Park District have coordinated an international exchange from April 10 through April 16. French Mayor Jean-Michel Lalère, his Deputy Mayor, and 15 Fontenay delegates will visit Palatine Park District, Palatine Opportunity Center, District 15 and District 211 schools, the Village of Palatine, and Harper College and will also attend several rugby matches scheduled during the visit. In addition to these dignitaries, the Fontenay-Luçon Rugby Sud Vendèe rugby club has four coaches and 40 players ages 16 to 20 who will be staying with families from the Palatine Rugby Club and the Sister Cities Association of Palatine.
Several rugby matches are planned between the two organizations during the visit. The teams will play on Sunday, April 12 at Fremd High School, 1000 S. Quentin Road, Palatine, at 12:30pm and 2:30pm. In addition, two matches will be played at Harper College, 1200 S. Algonquin Road, Palatine at 5:00pm and 6:30pm on Tuesday, April 14. The Palatine Baseball Association will also be hosting 14" softball games at Community Park, 250 E. Wood Street, Palatine, on Wednesday, April 15 at 6:30pm and 7:30pm. Throughout the visit, the group will be touring various locations throughout Palatine and the city of Chicago. All of these events are free and open to the public.
The goal for everyone through this opportunity is to foster an international sports exchange with rugby matches, to increase human enrichment through discovery of oneself and others, to provide cultural enrichment through the sharing of lifestyles, to experience language enrichment through home stays and hospitality, and finally to provide an opportunity for civic enrichment through community support.
The Sister Cities Association of Palatine was founded in 1990 and established a friendship agreement with Fontenay-le-Comte, France, in 1995. The Sister Cities Association of Palatine is open to anyone interested in French culture and always welcomes new members. For more information, visit www.palatinesistercities.org.
Founded in 2008, the Palatine Rugby Club is a member of Rugby Illinois (formerly the Illinois Youth Rugby Association) and USA Rugby which is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and World Rugby (formerly the International Rugby Board (IRB)). They are affiliated with the Palatine Park District and the Salt Creek Park District. For more information, visit www.palatinerugby.com.
The mission of Palatine Park District is to provide a variety of safe, enjoyable and affordable parks and recreation facilities and activities that will enhance the quality of life by promoting good health and well-being for all residents and visitors of the Palatine Park District.