Now at 33, he is preparing for a moment neither he nor any previous men's captain at the club has experienced. On Saturday afternoon, Ferguson will lead Enniskillen into their first ever Energia All-Ireland League fixture.
Just over a century after the club was founded in 1925, a new chapter will begin at Mullaghmeen when Rainey arrive for a 2.30pm kick-off, with the historic encounter also being shown live on Irish Rugby+.
There have been plenty of Ulster derbies in Enniskillen's past, but none quite like this. For the first time, Skins will take to the field as an All-Ireland League club, finally earning their place on the national stage after several years of knocking firmly on the door.
“It's nice to hear that” Ferguson said of finally being able to call Enniskillen an AIL club.
“As you say, it's been sort of, with the current coach, it's been sort of a three-year journey where we've probably been pipped by a good Ballyclare side and a good Dromore side, who are both well capable, and now we finally get over the line.”
“It's a relief as much as anything, but it's exciting too.” he added
Relief is understandable.
Promotion from the provincial leagues is notoriously difficult. Winning your own competition is only part of the equation before the best Junior sides from across the provinces come together with a precious place in the All-Ireland League at stake.
Enniskillen had experienced enough near misses to know nothing could be taken for granted. Last season they finally broke through. Their 33-8 semi-final victory over Creggs moved them within touching distance, before Boyne provided the final obstacle in their long awaited search for promotion.
Even then, Ferguson refused to believe promotion was secure until the closing stages.
“No really, right up until about, I'd say maybe 50-60 minutes into the Boyne game, you still don't think you've really done it, that you're over the line yet, until we got ahead. Definitely not before the semi or final, because they're unknown really. Creggs unknown and Boyne were unknown, and they've both done really well in their leagues. It's really nearly right until the whistle that you're not content that you've gone up yet.”
That final whistle opened the door to an entirely new world for Enniskillen.
The club now joins the likes of Ballyclare, Instonians and neighbours and rivals Clogher Valley among the Ulster sides who have successfully made the difficult transition from Junior rugby into the Energia All-Ireland League.
For Ferguson, there is something particularly fitting about being the man entrusted with leading Enniskillen into that next chapter. Few understand the club better.
He has been there since he was seven, progressing through the age grades before eventually becoming a senior player and captain. The armband has already meant plenty to Ferguson, but there is naturally an added significance attached to wearing it during Enniskillen's maiden AIL season.
“I've managed to hang on to it just about for another year” he joked.
“No, it is an honour. It's always been an honour since the first year I did it. So yeah, definitely more significant, but it's the same sort of role, really, to be honest.”
That understated approach appears to fit the mood Enniskillen want to carry into Saturday.
There will be ceremony and emotion surrounding the occasion. There will be supporters who have given decades to the club standing around Mullaghmeen knowing they are watching history.
But once the whistle sounds, Ferguson knows sentiment cannot become a distraction.
“The crowd was brilliant the whole of last year and the last number of years, to be honest, so I'm sure it'll be the same. You can't approach it any different way than a normal game, to be honest, or else you'll maybe let the occasion get the better of you. So look, we'll be, as you say, just approaching it the same way as we always do, one game at a time.”
That first game brings an immediate test of the level Enniskillen have worked so hard to reach.
Rainey arrive with established Energia All Ireland League experience having made their debut in the 2006/07 season, and have already provided the Skins with a glimpse of what awaits.
The sides met in the Ulster Senior Shield in late August, producing a remarkable contest in which Enniskillen eventually went down 47-43 away from home. Rather than being discouraged by the result, Enniskillen have continued to show they can compete at Senior level.
They responded by recording an emphatic 45-14 home victory against Ballyclare before overcoming Malone 23-17, again at Mullaghmeen, to reach their first Ulster Senior Shield final. A first Senior decider to boot.
That decider awaits on December 26th, but for now every ounce of attention is fixed on the beginning of their league campaign.
“Everybody does in the first game and especially at home” Ferguson said of wanting to begin with a victory.
“It's new ground for us playing the AIL, so you want to impress on the first day and see how we get on. Rainey, I suppose we don't know a huge part about them. They've been AIL now for a good long time, I would imagine, and pretty solid in that.
I think there's six Ulster teams, including us, so it's nearly less travel this year than it was last year in the AIL, so yeah, it's great.”
Their early Senior Shield fixtures have also demonstrated one of the adjustments Enniskillen will need to make. There is greater physicality, less margin for error and a requirement to find solutions when matches do not develop as expected.
Ferguson knows the learning curve will be steep.
“So as you say, it's going to be a huge amount of different challenges, but against Ulster teams, and one thing we've probably noticed straight away is the physicality is really a step up, which we'll just have to get used to, and we'll just have to learn how to win games in different ways.” he continued.
Survival, however, should not be mistaken for a lack of ambition.
Enniskillen have not spent years pursuing promotion simply to enjoy being able to place AIL beside their name. The intention is to establish themselves at this level and discover just how far the current group can go.
“We want to push on, there's no doubt about it. As you say, we're not here to make up numbers. We want to compete and see how we get on. But as you say, it is unknown, so we'll just be finding our feet first and then seeing where we are.
You'll know a bit better after maybe two or three league games where you're at, and then just work from there.”
That ambition is supported by the profile of the squad.
Enniskillen's rise has been built largely around players developed within the club, many of whom have travelled through the different stages of rugby available at Mullaghmeen together.
It gives this promotion an added sense of identity. This is not simply an Enniskillen team playing in the All-Ireland League. It is a group that, in many cases, has been produced by Enniskillen Rugby Club.
Ferguson is perhaps the clearest example. His own journey from seven-year-old mini player to captain of the club's first AIL side mirrors what Enniskillen hope can remain possible for generations to come.
The evidence of the pathway is visible elsewhere too. Sophie Barrett emerged through the women's setup and has recently been contracted, while Robert Baloucoune travelled from Enniskillen to Ulster and Ireland and continues to offer his knowledge around the club's coaching environment.
There is also a remarkable symmetry to the timing of Enniskillen's progress.
Their men's and women's teams will both experience Energia All-Ireland League rugby this season, a major milestone for a club which has developed significantly on both fronts. Ferguson believes the women's side deserve enormous credit for blazing that trail.
“The women have really led the way over the last few years, probably done it quietly as well. It's really, really hard to get up to AIL. You have to win your league, basically be faultless, and then you've got two more games to play against top sides from different provinces. It's just been a really massive effort, and we're just so glad to be there now."
Head coach Alastair Keys and his coaching team now face the task of ensuring Enniskillen are ready for what comes next.
The last three years have been about getting there. From Saturday afternoon onwards, the challenge becomes proving they belong. Mullaghmeen has witnessed countless matches since the club's foundation in 1925, but this one will carry a significance all of its own.
Players who came through the club's youth system will represent Enniskillen on the national stage. Volunteers, coaches, former players, families and supporters who contributed to the journey will finally see their club compete in the Energia All-Ireland League.
And leading them onto the field will be a player whose own story is intertwined with that of the club. Twenty-six years after first playing for Enniskillen as a seven year old, James Ferguson will captain them into their first All-Ireland League campaign.
There will be time to appreciate what that means. Just not too much time. Because once 2.30pm arrives and the whistle sounds at Mullaghmeen, history gives way to the next challenge.
Enniskillen have spent years trying to reach this level. Now Ferguson and the Skins want to show they are here to stay. For all the understandable excitement around this weekend, Ferguson's message is grounded.
“Both” he said when asked about balancing long-term targets with taking each weekend as it comes.
“You have to set targets at the start of the season. Obviously, we'll keep them to ourselves. But yeah, at the same time, it's one game at a time. It's nice this year, you've got sort of blocks and then you have your breaks. You can work it as a block at a time too. But yeah, there's always, every team's going to have an overarching goal.”
By Diarmuid Kearney