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Campus Recreation

Club Sports: Rugby

Pepperdine Rugby Football Club has a storied tradition of more than 50 years at Pepperdine University, making it one of the University's oldest club sports.

Rugby - more popularly known as Rugby Union Football - is the original form of football (and the actual parent of American football, known in many parts of the world as "Gridiron.") Rugby Football was derived from what is more popularly known in the U.S. as Soccer. It began at Rugby School in 1823 when a young player named William Webb Ellis became frustrated with kicking the ball around on the ground, and picked it up and ran it into goal. The next time he tried it, two of his opponents "tackled" him into the ground as he crossed the goal, and a great tradition began.

Today, Rugby is the second most popular field sport in the world after Soccer, and is played in every nation of the world. There are nearly 5,000 Rugby Clubs in the United States, nearly two thirds of those coming from U.S. Colleges and Universities, including several women's clubs.

Rugby is a two-season sport (fall and spring). And the fall season in collegiate rugby is called the "pre-season" or non-cup season. The spring season is a formalized season where games count in standings for a regional and national playoff played every April.

In U.S. Collegiate Rugby there are officially two divisions - Division One a Division Two, and the impending development of a Sub-Division Two (or a Division Three). Every spring in both Divisions I and II there are playoffs that entail regional and national championships played in the latter weeks in April.

Rugby
2007-2008 Pepperdine Rugby Club
Membership and Requirements

Pepperdine Rugby enjoys a club roster of about 35 players. Pepperdine Rugby is a club by membership only, and new members are welcome. Beginning after Labor Day, Pepperdine RFC holds workouts every Wednesday and Friday during fall, and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the spring. Workout times run from 3:30 to 6:00 on average. Matches, starting on the second weekend in October 2008 and running through the middle of April (with a five week Christmas break) are usually played on Saturdays.

All Players for Pepperdine Rugby must be registered full-time students at Pepperdine University. For further information contact the officers and coaches of Pepperdine RFC. In order to be eligible for the year, all players must be dues paying members of Pepperdine Rugby Football Club, be students, and be registered members of the SCRFU collegiate division registry.

Contacts   
President Mac Jacobs
 508-259-4246
Vice President Matthew Oliver 219-964-8860
Secretary James Conole  
Treasurer David Odorizzi  
Captain Jake Adams 909-641-2668
Coach Peter Tulaney 718-208-3617
Coach Emeritus Robert Ahola 310-713-0547
Assistant Coach Kelly Serfoss 310-866-6822
Assistant Coach Chris Upchurch  

For more information on the Rugby Club, please contact Campus Recreation at (310) 506-4490

What is Rugby?

History of our Club