Rugby is currently one of the highest rising sports in the United States for youth and college age students. This year alone, youth rugby organizations grew by 12%, according to USA Rugby.
Olivia Rosencrantz, SVSU’s Women’s Rugby coach and a 2019 alumna, connected this to the USA women’s rugby team’s recent successes.
“I think rugby in general has been really popular,” Rosencrantz said. “The Olympics especially helped this year. There’s a lot of popular people on the Olympic team to look up to.”
USA Women’s Rugby won their first ever Olympic medal by securing the Bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The event is much more publicized in the United States than it ever has been, so more children and students are joining.
Rugby was featured in the Olympics only four times in its 15-player format: in 1900, 1908, 1920, and 1924. It was reintroduced as Rugby Sevens for both men and women during the Rio 2016 Olympic games.
Lily Harris, a fifth-year occupational therapy major, recruitment chair, and team captain, spoke on the sense of empowerment that comes with the sport:
“[Rugby] makes me feel empowered, like a leader on the field,” she said. “It gives me a sense of confidence. I’ve definitely gained confidence since being on this team, meeting new people, just this sport in general.”
The popularity of women in sports is something that is seen now more than ever, and USA Women’s Rugby’s success is no exception. Rugby is still a male-dominated sport in nature. According to National Institutes of Health, women only account for one quarter of the rugby-playing population. The USA’s coach is also the only female coach out of 12 competing teams. SVSU has had a women’s club rugby team since 2008. They started their 2024-25 season by hosting Western Michigan University on Saturday, Sept. 7, in which the Cardinals swept the Broncos 28 – 0.
“I think it brings us a really cool community. Most people that start playing have no idea what rugby even is,” she said. “Joining this is something people can have who don’t play a sport, they start playing, really enjoy it, and it gets them out and about. It shows a cool side to SVSU.”
This year, the team is at an all-time high for participation since it was founded as a club. There are currently 36 players signed up for the team.
“We’ve got a ton of returners, the newbies are excited, so that’s really great, and our energy is amazing,” Harris added. “Our last game, a coach came up to me saying how electric we are this year.”
Rosencrantz spoke to the enthusiasm that the girls show for their sport. “This is the favorite part of my day, quite honestly,” she said. “These guys all bring me motivation just to be here and it’s a lot of fun.”
SVSU’s team is also no experience necessary. Most people don’t have rugby experience, but the team will teach you everything you need to know. One of the ‘newbies’, Sarah Kessler, a first-year Spanish major and the club’s communication chair, added to the conversation.
“I joined rugby at the Red Pride Picnic,” she said. “The girls reminded me of my older cousins, so I felt comfortable with them, and I made a commitment to rugby.”
The team practices at the intramural fields near the J parking lots on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-8 PM.
The team’s next game is at home on Saturday, Sept. 21 against Central Michigan University. More information about games and fundraising can be found on their Instagram, @svsuwomensrugby.
“I think we’re going to do fairly well,” Rosencrantz said. “Grand Valley is always a struggle, but we have a lot of returners coming and a lot of newbies with a lot of potential.”
