Youth Rugby in Boston

In 2005, the Rugby Clubs in the Boston area sat down and established the Boston Rugby Cooperative in order to work together to obtain field permits for training and matches.  They were able to develop a positive working relationship with the Boston Parks Department and there are now consistent, if still too few, training and playing areas at several parks in the city.

The following year, 2006, the clubs took their partnership to another level, working with the Boston Centers for Youth and Families to begin youth rugby programs in several neighborhoods.  The program is non-contact, using the USA Rugby rules for “mini” and “midi“ non-contact (Flag) rugby.  Coaches have come from the ranks of past and former players of the Boston RFC, Boston Women’s RFC, Boston Irish Wolfhounds RFC, Beantown Women’s RFC and Charles River Men’s and Charles River Women’s RFC.

This year, the program began with a set of “Introduction to Rugby” clinics held at the Tobin Gym in the Mission Hill neighborhood during the February school vacation week.  Beginning in March a 10 week program, ran at three sites across the city, beginning in the gyms and moving outside as the weather improved.  The spring season will finished with a jamboree at Moakley Park on 31 May, where the teams had an opportunity to compete against those from the other community centers in a round - robin format.

The Spring Youth Programs complement the Summer Youth programs operated in Malden, Worcester, Canton and Boston.  This year’s season ending Jamboree had over 100 young players competing in three age group levels.

School based partnerships exist at the middle school level, where the Boston RFC is a partner in the Citizen Schools program (http://www.citizenschools.org/boston/) and at the high school level.  The Boston RFC and other clubs in the Boston Rugby Cooperative provide coaches and support for a growing number of schools in the area including Arlington Catholic High School, Boston College High School, Brookline High School, Catholic Memorial High School,  Lincoln Sudbury High School, Malden Catholic High School, l Marshfield High School,  Needham High School and Xaverian High School.

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Starting on Oct. 8, 2008, Boston Rugby began holding Youth Clinic Programs with the Boston and Girls Clubs of Boston. We are very happy to have entered into this partnership and hope this relationship grows into more clinics going forward.

If you would like to help with youth coaching, please e-mail tylerkwilliams@gmail.com