EVRA, The spirit of Rugby – 6th European Festival 2026 in Budapest

Marko Protega
Jul 20
2 min read

At the beginning of 21st century Veteran Rugby was booming all over Europe . . . at numerous veteran tournaments – European Festivals former Rugby players were able

to play again their favourite Game, meeting old and new friends.

One British Lions and England player said very clearly at that time: “European Veteran Rugby Association comes to fill the space, that we all missed.

The organization works without any profit but with the right spirit and with the hard work made possible to converge and to gather many clubs and players that missed to play again after many years . . . and enjoying Rugby under the Motto Fun & Friendship & Fraternity”

Take a look at the photos of team captains of past five Festivals, holding with pride the most valuable “Festival prize” Jeff Butterfield Trophy their teams “won”.

Then “came” the dirty Covid -19 Pandemic and everything stopped. Nobody had believed that this can “take a long run”, but it happened.

The last EVRA European Festival was in 2019 in Belluno (Italy), well organised by Fossili Dolomitici Old Rugby & friends. Since that time the efforts with Leipzig Germany 2021, with Amsterdam Netherland 2023 and finally with Milano, Gubbio Italy 2025, brought no success.

Informing our members a couple of months later EVRA got recently the offer from Old Boys Hungary willing to stage our 6th Festival in Budapest in 2026.

Executive Board thanked Hungarian friends, that already in 2013 organised European Festival in Esztergom, and accepted the offer submitted by Attila Kovacs, OBH Team Manager and also EVRA Executive Board member . . . Festival will take place at the facilities of Hungarian National Rugby Centre in Budapest, starting on June 4th and ending at June 7th 2026.

The conditions (any information) are available from Attilla Kovacs attila.kovacs@oldboysrugby.hu and Marko Protega marko.protega@evrugbya.org

Enclosed to these good news is the Festival Inscription (Entry)

for the Clubs/Teams/Individual . . .

E V R A Press