Category: News

Giving Tuesday 2022

Support Harrisburg Rugby Football Club as we participate in the largest global giving day of the year – Giving Tuesday 2022! We’re excited to be a part of this worldwide event!

This year, we’ve set a goal to raise $10,000 in just 24 hours to benefit #HRFCRugbyComplex – a dedicated rugby facility in Central Pennsylvania. The complex will be a place for Harrisburg Rugby to grow the game of rugby through our competitive men’s and women’s teams, the four high school teams under our umbrella, and the countless youth rugby organizations our members volunteer with.

Any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for contributing to this cause, which means so much to us.

To donate today, please visit https://gofund.me/90d4a06d

Harrisburg Rugby Women’s Team Coaching Search

Harrisburg Rugby Football Club (HRFC), established in 1969, has been growing the game of rugby in the Central Pennsylvania region for over 50 years! As part of that development, HRFC has enjoyed multiple trips to divisional and national championships, and is well on its way to building THE premiere rugby complex on the East Coast.

As part of our continued club growth, the HRFC Women are seeking a collaborative and analytical Coach to join its team. The HRFC Women’s side include seasoned veterans who remain open to skills- and tactical development, as well as a growing number of newer players who have demonstrated continued investment in learning more about the game.

To that end, we are seeking a coach who is familiar with, and invested in, the concepts of “progressive rugby” to continue to build our program and our players, through a focus on rugby fundamentals and skills-building, as well as team culture improvement. The ideal coach will be able to leverage their experience to provide variety (and fun!) in practice plans, identify the roster and manage the sideline during games, and offer post-game analysis, to include team film session reviews.

As outlined in the HRFC by-laws, Coach responsibilities will also include attending, and reporting team activity at, board meetings, and working with the 7s/Touring and Grounds Committee and Match Secretaries.

Ideally, the Coach will be able to attend at least one practice per week (either Tuesdays or Thursdays) as well as Saturday matches -inclusive of B-Side matches. (Home matches are currently held in Highspire, PA.)

This is an opportunity to join a growing but seasoned club that has repeatedly earned spots at the DII National Championship. Although we are proud of our accomplishments, we recognize that, under the right leadership, we can continue to grow the game through a communicative and collaborative partnership!

Compensation for this coaching position is open to discussion and negotiation with the HRFC Board of Directors.

If interested in coaching the HRFC Women’s Side, please email your “rugby resume” to women.coach@harrisburgrugby.com.

leadership

HRFC Announces New Club Leadership

Thank you to all the members of the HRFC community that attended our AGM on December 6, 2020. While we wish it could have been in person it was still great to connect as a community.

Congratulations to our new Board of Directors!
Courtney Reapsome-Chair
Eric Kovac-Vice Chair & Men’s Player Rep
Andy Vazquez-President
Georgia Goodman-Secretary
Erin Strelec-Treasurer
Melissa Pattison-Women’s Player Rep
Scott Stratton-Women’s Coach
Ali Tare-Women’s Captain
Scott Strelec-Men’s Coach
Sean Gill-Men’s Captain

Congratulations to our new Committee Chairs!
Mel Lawrenson – Women’s Match Secretary
Sean Gill – Men’s Match Secretary
Alexis Morrison – HRFC Foundation
Vacant – High School Association
Emily McHenry – HRFC Financial Committee
Georgia Goodman – Grounds
Ali Tare – Social
Angi Raub – Publicity
Eric Kovac – Website
Ben Collins – Recruitment
Scott Strelec – HRFC Summer 7’s/Touring
Adi Horrell – Futures

We would like to show some appreciation to Jeff Cook for the many years he has dedicated to the growth and development of Harrisburg Rugby, and for the past 8 years he served as the club Chairman. The club is in a better place because of his leadership, and the newly elected board members look forward to carrying on the dream of making Harrisburg Rugby Football Club a premier destination for the rugby community!

Conceptual Site Plan

#HRFCRugbyComplex Updates

#HRFCRugbyComplex Updates

How is the HRFC Rugby Complex coming along? Read on to discover the progress we have made recently and how the Futures Committee continues to work full speed ahead towards our dream of a permanent home.

Summer Update: August 5, 2020

Your friendly Futures Committee couldn’t be more excited to share with you all the progress that has been made on our field!

We have a confirmed contract for topsoil (including transport). Another contract has been executed to complete the topsoil screening and additional contract work (including partial Geotex material installation) – this will begin on site the week of August 2nd. Additionally, the uprights are on the way (crossing the Atlantic as we speak)!

This is a ton of progress! We have a couple really important workdays this week and NEED VOLUNTEERS IMMEDIATELY!! If you are available on August 7th, 10th or 11th, please sign up. If you have any questions, reach out to Julie George (george.je@gmail.com). There will likely be some more workdays planned for mid-September.

With all of these developments, we need funds to support our on-going improvements. Once all this work described above is completed and paid for, we will only have about $10,000 in the bank. You can donate through our GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/harrisburgrugby) and friendly reminder that when shopping on Amazon, add Harrisburg Rugby through “Amazon Smiles” and a portion of qualifying purchases come back to the team!

We are getting closer folks! For an overall project review, please visit our website: www.harrisburgrugby.com and click on the #HRFCRugbyComplex tab on the main page.

We will continue to send out updates so you are in the loop and can continue to spread the word.

Winter Update: January 27, 2020

  • Perseverance Fields at Sunset Park are well under way. The trees are gone, the land is flat and stone removal is completed. Thank you to the club members that helped winterize the land.
  • The retention pond has been completed.
  • The light poles are delivered and are on site. We are now on the hunt for lights!
  • For the next step, we are in need of a significant amount of topsoil (cost estimated about $50,000). We have about 3 inches but 6-8 inches total are needed. With recent fundraising efforts, we hope to cover this cost.

As far as finances, the complex will cost approximately $1 million. We had a great response to our first Giving Tuesday drive in December but need fundraising to be at the forefront of EVERYONE’s mind. Thank you to all of our donors for their generous contributions last year and we hope to expand the donor list in 2020.

The Futures Committee is continuing to apply for various grants to get additional funds. If anyone has ideas for grants, please contact Julie Hile (juliehile@yahoo.com).

We are getting closer folks! For an overall project review, please visit our GoFundMe campaign page: gofundme.com/f/harrisburgrugby. We will continue to send out monthly updates so you are in the loop and can continue to spread the word. Our hope is that this keeps everyone excited as this project moves forward in 2020.




HRFC Schedule Updates Regarding COVID-19

As threats from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) evolve, and in accordance with guidance issued from USA Rugby, (USAR Statement & Member Guidance) Harrisburg Rugby Football Club (HRFC) will suspend all competition and training, effective immediately, through April 12th. The leadership of HRFC will reassess as more information is available and we approach April 12th.

Slowing the spread of the infection is the primary objective of Pennsylvania’s Public Health Response. More resources on recommended actions, and the outbreak overall are updated regularly on the PA Department of Health COVID-19 Website.

If you are feeling overwhelmed or in need of support, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has offered the some helpful coping tips or consider reaching out to your fellow rugby family.