On Saturday, the UGA Rugby Football Club held their annual Alumni banquet. During the event, an exciting announcement concerning the future of this club team was made.
The club announced they would be awarding $1,000 scholarships to five players next season. A first in the club’s history. Awarding scholarships in a club sport is a rarity at many colleges. The fact that the alumni board raised the money shows how serious they are about building the program.
The president of the alumni board, Eric Fournier, announced the scholarship plans at the banquet. Fournier also mentioned that the board hopes to increase the number of scholarships in the future. The board is hoping to have close to 20 scholarships in four years.
As funds increase, the board also hopes to recruit players from other countries. They would like to recruit from South Africa, Scotland, England, New Zealand, and Australia. These countries produce experienced players which is something UGA Rugby wants. Head coach Jesse Posnansky agreed with this idea of experience being key to building the team. Posnansky hopes to add players who grew up playing the sport sooner than later.
“Experience is necessary for rugby, and I hope to help bring in players that know how to play,” Posnansky said. “These guys will help to teach the less experienced players, and be there when the coaching staff cannot. They’re like mini coaches.”
The Rugby Club has done a great job of growing the club’s popularity. As they become more successful, UGA Rugby will only continue to grow.
The night also had a late surprise as Fournier announced they would be awarding their first scholarship. The scholarship will be for this spring semester and senior Ethan Fromm is the recipient. Fromm was ecstatic to receive the scholarship and truly honored.
“It’s awesome and I’m honored to receive it because a lot of other guys were deserving of it.” Fromm said.
UGA’s rugby football club seems to be on the right track. The program should be a powerhouse in the very near future.
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Michael Pope also contributed to this article.