Welcome to the official website of the University of Pennsylvania Men's Rugby Football Club. Our team dates back to 1910 when the team used to practice on Franklin Field at 7 AM in the morning.
With the formation of the Ivy League Rugby Conference in 2009, Penn has been competing with the other seven schools of the Ivy League these past two seasons. The completion of Penn Park offers the team a consistent facility to practice and host matches. With several new artificial turf fields, our club will have a place to hone its skills in conditions more consistent with those seen in competition.
Rugby has seen a tremendous rise in popularity in America in recent years. The first annual Collegiate Rugby Cup in Philadelphia was nationally broadcast on NBC and its place in the 2012 Olympic Games has solidified rugby's status as a rising sport.
Our team includes students from abroad who grew up playing rugby, athletes from various sports backgrounds, and people who are just interested in trying a new sport. Many of our players never touched a rugby ball before coming to Penn, but have worked hard to develop into top players.
Head Coach: Omar Foda
Assistant Coaches: Barzin Nabet, Eli Pearlman-Storch, James Saksa
(click on name to contact)
Recruitment Chairs: Drew Meyers and Dan Zuvia
President: John Colavita
Alumni Chair: Justin Dean
Vice President: Nabil Darwich
Match Secretary: Christian Collins
Social Chair: Federico Velarde
Treasurer: Doug Swift
Equipment Chair: Felipe Rigaudeau and Jacob Bennett
General Secretary: Ryan Constantine
Media Chair: Desmond Zeng
Spring 2012 Season
TBA
Fall 2011 Season
9/10/11 Media Liberty Cup
9/17/11 SJU
9/24/11 Harvard
9/25/11 Yale
10/1/11 Columbia
10/8/11 Princeton
10/15/11 Brown
10/16/11 Dartmouth
10/22/11 Cornell
Loss
L 38-17
W 27-12
W 21-12
L 25-10
L 51-0
L 57-5
W 27-0
Penn Park, a new urban park east of Highline Field and stretching from Walnut Street to South Street, features a fabric of tightly interwoven recreation and athletic components. Formal and informal play fields are framed and subdivided by patches of canopy trees extending the familiar landscape of the campus.
It is now open and we practice and hold our home games here.
Welcome Penn Rugby Alumni!
The University of Pennsylvania Men’s Rugby team is the only club sport at Penn that competes in an Ivy League Conference, requiring greater levels of commitment and support from players, coaches, parents and alumni. The Penn Rugby alumni are in the process of forming a recognized alumni board that will oversee the long term development of the team by providing the team guidance, mentoring and fundraising. Dedicated alumni support forms the backbone of all great rugby programs, and with your help Penn will join the upper echelon of collegiate rugby.
To receive team updates, please email James Saksa (C’08) . Please provide your name, year of graduation, mailing address, phone number and preferred email address. Additionally, please indicate if you are interested in becoming involved on the Alumni Board - we are always looking for helping hands as we strive to make this team the best in the Ivy League.
Photos
Video
9/25 vs Yale
10/8 vs Princeton
More photos from the Fall 2011 Season will be posted when they are available!
10/1 vs Columbia
Full Game Video
Billy kicks to Fonz to score a try vs Yale
Shoebox scores try vs Columbia
1st half footage
10/8 - vs Princeton (click to see larger image and to scroll through)
Billy scores first try vs Princeton
The club is always looking for new players and members to join us on the pitch. Our team plays against the other seven schools of the Ivy League during the fall. In the spring, we compete against local Philadelphia teams and participate in tournaments.
Off the field, we often hold social events and mixers with other club sports teams from Penn and other local colleges. We practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Penn Park. The practice schedule is on the calendar, so feel free to stop by a practice to experience some rugby for yourself.
