Pass by one of Alexandria’s fields these days, and you may see a unique sport being played. Rugby, the game of rucks and mauls, scrums and lineouts, trys and conversions, is growing in Alexandria, thanks to the energy of a few “old boys.” Five former players and Alexandria residents with a tremendous love of the game started a non-profit organization in 2006 to help rugby gain a following in the city. A conversation on a late summer night resulted in Alexandria Rugby, Inc., and a mission to promote fitness, sportsmanship, teamwork and leadership in Alexandria through the game.

“We wanted to spread the word about rugby, get kids interested in trying a different sport that can broaden horizons and offer a lot of opportunities for different life experiences,” said Bert Todd, AR Vice President. Rugby is a true international sport, played in a hundred countries around the world. Todd and fellow ruggers Jeff Murphy, Steve Lehman, Mark Kirwan and Owen Malone all experienced the special pull rugby has and knew they wanted to share that with their neighbors. Since its start, AR has been very active. Working through the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, the group wasted no time last year in doubling the size of the youth summer program for boys and girls ages 6 to 14. Based in the West End and in Del Ray, the kids play a non-contact form of rugby that focuses on fun, fitness, and skills, along with the concepts of teamwork and good sportsmanship. AR is currently holding a two-week Intersession rugby class at Mount Vernon Community School and looking forward to more growth this summer.

To reach older players, the group supports the boy’s and girl’s club teams at T.C. Williams High School. AR’s president Jeff Murphy started the club in 2004 and is the boy’s team head coach. A girls team formed last year and is attracting a lot of positive attention on campus. AR has also just gotten an adult coed tag rugby league off the ground. The league plays on Alexandria’s new lighted synthetic turf field at Minnie Howard School on Monday nights. But to really put the spotlight on rugby, AR is working with Mayor Bill Euille on an exciting Mayor’s Cup Rugby Challenge between Alexandria and its sister city Dundee, Scotland. AR envisions this inaugural match as the first of many between the two cities. It will be held in Dundee in August 2008, pitting a select side of Alexandria area men against a Dundee team assembled from three local Dundee rugby clubs. Next year Alexandria will host the event. The match is the brainchild of the Mayor, who wanted to promote stronger ties to Dundee, and AR’s Todd, who wanted to showcase top-level rugby to the citizens of Alexandria, especially its youth. AR believes that the more chances that children in the city have to see the game, the more quickly they will give it a try. Proceeds from the annual rugby match will benefit the group’s youth programs. More information on the Mayor’s Cup, the adult tag league or any of AR programs can be found at www. alexandriarugby.org.

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