Do I need experience to join the York College Women's Rugby team?

Absolutely not! Some of our most outstanding and accomplished athletes started playing rugby for the first time in their freshman year of college. What's awesome about our program is that our coach and veteran players are always there to guide and mentor, getting you up to speed with how to play rugby in no time.

What equipment is required?

Rugby is a minimum equipment sport. All you'll need to start is a pair of cleats that don't have metal spikes, a mouthguard, and a water bottle. Eventually, you'll need a pair of rugby shorts and a York College Rugby warm-up shirt, but our team provides the jerseys on game day.

Is it expensive to play?

While one of the most highly ranked teams at York College, the rugby team is a club sport, which means the majority of the funds used to play rugby come from dues and fundraising. Dues may vary from semester to semester. However, we try to keep our team dues as low as possible. For the 2024-2025 season (includes both semesters for 7s and 15s), registration for National Collegiate Rugby and Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union was about $70.  From there, your specific tastes will determine how much you'd like to spend on cleats, a mouthguard, your warm-up shirt, and rugby shorts.

I've never played a sport before. Do you think I'll still enjoy it?

Short answer... yes. We've had athletes who played in the band all throughout high school who decided to join the rugby team. Coach Amber runs stability and weightlifting sessions outside of practices and games, which are highly encouraged for those who don't regularly work out or are active outside of rugby. She'll teach you body mechanics from the ground up to ensure all your movements are safe and you're properly conditioned to enjoy rugby as much as possible.

What happens if I'm nervous about contact?

Rugby often gets a bad rap due to the nature of the sport. It is a high-impact game, but one could argue it's no more dangerous to play than soccer or wrestling. The laws of rugby are specifically created to keep all players safe. Athletes don't wear any padded protection, so coaches and refs are constantly aware of body positioning and poor form and correct it before anything dangerous happens. And Coach Amber specifically works with players 1:1 to build up confidence in contact. In most cases, our players find the high-impact empowering after they learn proper form, more so than frightening. 

How can I better prepare for my first practice?

The best thing you can do to prepare for your first practice with the York College Women's Rugby team is to watch as much rugby as possible (YouTube has a ton of games for free). If you've never played before, don't worry so much about the ref's calls. Just observe the flow of the game. If you have more of a fact finder personality, you can also check out our resources below to begin reviewing the World Rugby Laws of the Game.

Have additional questions?

Remember, you can always reach out to us through our contact page.