Tradition dating back to 1929...

The New York Rugby Club Inc.'s traditions are rooted in a group of players who met in New York City in 1929 to form the New York Nomads. The Nomads subsequently began competing as the New York Rugby Football Club ("New York RFC").

The New York RFC played a principal role in the development of the Eastern Rugby Union. It was the only team in the United States to be accepted for membership in the Rugby Union for the 1932-33 international directory and in 1933, hosted the Cambridge University Vandals, the first European club to tour the United States.

The New York RFC continued to compete successfully until the beginning of World War II. It disbanded during the War and resumed activities afterward.

In 1957, the New York RFC created the New York Rugby Football Club, Inc. ("NYRFC") under the Membership Corporations Law of New York State.

In 1959, the NYRFC organized its first seven-a-side rugby tournament. Since then "New York Sevens" has been conducted annually on the first Saturday following the Thanksgiving Holiday and grown into the largest international sevens tournament in the United States.

During the 1960s and 1970s the NYRFC was a dominant force in the Eastern United States. In 1982, the NYRFC merged with Eastside RFC (formerly Hunter College RFC). The NYRFC was the first United States team to be invited to compete in Scandinavia, touring Denmark in 1986. The team competed in Mexico in 1986, Japan, Thailand, Italy and Philippines in 1989, Bahamas in 1991, Argentina and Brazil in 1992, England, Ireland and Wales in 1994 and Spain in 1997.

In 1997, the NYRFC voted to field a women's team and offered playing membership to former players of the Gotham Women's Rugby Club.

In 2004, Manhattan Rugby Club men's team and the New York Rugby Club men merged to reunite two clubs that split in 1960. For a full history please see the men's team pages here.

In recent years the NYRC's teams were highly successful. In 2001, the men's team was undefeated and named the 2001 Northeast Men's Division I Club Champion. It also competed in USA Rugby National Club Championship Tournaments in 1996, 2001 and 2002. The women's team has gone from strength to strength, never having finished outside the top 5 in the nation since 1999. In 2006 they became National Champions after 3rd place finishes in 2003, 2004 and 2005. They came 3rd again in 2007 and were finalists in 2002 and 2008, finishing as 2nd in the nation. The team has supplied numerous players to representative sides such as the NRU XVs and 7s teams as well as the USA Eagles.

75th Anniversary Gala

In August of 2004, members past and present gathered in New York City to celebrate 75 years of New York Rugby. See more details HERE.

New York Rugby Club, Inc.

On July 1, 2002, the New York Rugby Club, Inc. ("NYRC") was formed under Section 402 of New York State's Not-For-Profit Law for the purpose of obtaining tax exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(j).

The NYRC will continue the NYRFC's tradition of sponsoring high level rugby that dates back to 1929 by sponsoring high level national and international rugby competition by:

• Supporting and developing amateur rugby players to compete on highly skilled men's and women's rugby teams against other regional rugby teams that are members of the Northeast Rugby Union and USA Rugby Union;
• Striving to compete annually in USA Rugby's National Club Championship Tournament and win a national club championship;
• Continuing to sponsor player participation on the Northeast Rugby Union Men's and Women's All-Star Teams and the United States Men's and Women's National Rugby Teams (the "Eagles");
• Continued organization of NEW YORK SEVENS, the largest annual seven-a-side international rugby tournament in the United States;
• Continued participation in numerous regional rugby tournaments hosted by other rugby clubs that are based throughout the United States;
• Distribution of the "Woodley Award," an award that is presented annually to one female and one male college rugby player that have been designated to be the top college players in the United States;
• Continued periodic trips abroad to compete against foreign teams;
• and, Continued affiliation with the New York Vintage Whines, a veteran team that competes biannually in international Golden Oldies Tournaments held throughout the world.