Reggie Woodward and his brother Charles came to Vancouver from England in 1887. Reggie helped establish rugby in British Columbia and remained active for seventy years as a player, coach, and administrator. He participated in what was reported as the first organized rugby match in Vancouver at the Cambie Street Grounds and helped build the oval at Brockton Point so that cricket and rugby teams would have a place to play. In addition to his achievements in rugby, Woodward was also an active rower.

One of the founding fathers of the BC Rugby Union, Woodward was present at the first meeting in New Westminster in 1889. He played local, national, and international rugby until 1909 and coached for many years after that.

Woodward was instrumental in organizing the first rugby tours to California and encouraging touring teams to come to Vancouver. In 1908, he persuaded the Vancouver Rowing Club rugby team to join the City Senior League and in 1910 they won the Miller Cup going undefeated during the season and scoring 186 points to just five against.

Woodward competed as an oarsman for the Vancouver Rowing Club and was club captain in 1916. He was on the executive of the VRC, including serving as president from 1919-21, director until 1928, vice-president until 1933, and honourary vice-president from 1933 onwards.

Woodward acted as representative for BC at the formation of the Rugby Union of Canada in 1929.

He was the longest continuous member at sixty-seven years of the Vancouver Rowing Club. He joined the Burrard Inlet Rowing Club in its first year of operation in 1890 and the club later merged with the Vancouver Boating Club to eventually become the VRC. He was made an “Honourary Life Member” of the VRC in the latter part of life.