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| Abbreviation | Empire GU |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2012 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
Region served | New York State; Northern New Jersey; Southern Connecticut, United States of America |
President | Renee Ovrut |
| Website | http://www.empiregurugby.com |
The Empire Rugby Football Union Geographical Union ("Empire GU") is the governing body for over 100 men's and women's rugby union clubs and colleges in New York State, Northern New Jersey and Southern Connecticut. [1]
The Empire GU was created in July 2012 as a result of the merger of three governing bodies in the Northeastern United States: Northeast Rugby Union, New York State Rugby Conference (NYSRC) and Metropolitan New York Rugby Union (METNYRFU). When formed, Empire GU was one of four pilot Geographical Unions that have been developed by USA Rugby, and the first in the country to have been created by merging multiple former unions. The creation of these new GUs was carried out with the intention of creating a "more streamlined structure, effectively support growth in the game and provide increased member services in local areas". [2] As of 2013, the GU structure ceased to be seen as a pilot program, being fully adopted as the local governance model for Club Rugby moving forward. [3]
Empire GU comprises teams from New York State, Northern New Jersey and southern Connecticut. Some college teams are also included in the union. The GU encompasses the former Northeast Rugby Union, a Territorial Union (TU), and two former Local Area Unions (LAUs): New York State Rugby Conference (NYSRC) and Metropolitan New York Rugby Union (METNYRFU).
Upon creation of the Empire GU, NRU, NYSRC and METNYRFU were all dissolved. The last remaining member of the former NRU, New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU), was not absorbed into the new union, instead becoming a separate GU in its own right. Some NERFU teams, however, continue to compete in Empire GU's league system, namely in the Senior Men's D1, and the Senior Women's D1, D2 and D3.
| Division 1 | Division 2 New Jersey | Division 2 NYC | Division 2 Upstate |
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| Division 3 CT/NY | Division 3 New Jersey | Division 3 NYC | Division 3 NY South | Division 3 Upstate |
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| Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 |
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* denotes a team that is a member of NERFU, not Empire GU
USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby." USA Rugby is responsible for the promotion and development of the sport in the U.S., and promotion of U.S. international participation.
While rugby league has been played in the United States since 1954, with Australia and New Zealand playing games there on their return from the Rugby League World Cup in France, serious attempts to start the sport in the United States began only in the late 1970s. The establishment of a national team and a domestic competition in the late 20th century has seen more recent progress.
Boston Ironsides Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Ironsides play in the New England Rugby Football Union as a Division 4 Men's Team; retaining around 40-60 members each season.
The Boston Irish Wolfhounds Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in Canton, Massachusetts, US. The club competes in, and is governed by, the New England Rugby Football Union, the Northeast Rugby Union, and USA Rugby. In 2014 it joined the American Rugby Premiership.
The Mystic River Rugby Club, sometimes called Boston Mystic, is a New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) club, founded in 1974, located in Malden, Massachusetts, and Melrose, Massachusetts, who field teams in Division 1 American Rugby Premiership and Division 2 Rugby Union in the United States and are the current 2018 USA Rugby D1 National Champions.
The New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) is a Geographical Union (GU) for rugby union teams in New England.
Boston Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in Weymouth, Massachusetts, US. The club competes in, and is governed by, the New England Rugby Football Union, the Northeast Rugby Union, and USA Rugby.
The Southern California Rugby Football Union (SCRFU) is the Geographical Union (GU) governing body within USA Rugby that governs adult rugby union teams in Southern California, the Las Vegas metropolitan area, Arizona, and New Mexico. The SCRFU includes numerous men's and women's, leagues representing all levels of competitive play. College rugby is run by the college conferences and Youth Rugby is governed by Southern California Youth Rugby (SCYR). During the busiest part of the 15s seasons, southern California will have over 80 matches in a weekend. The current board of SCRFU is Geno Mazza (president), Patrick Rashidian, Kevin Holmquist (treasurer) and Bradley Davidson (secretary).
The Fairfield Yankees Rugby Football Club is a Division II and IV Men's and Division II Women's Rugby Club based in Fairfield, Connecticut. Founded in 1975, the club consists of many teams, two Men's sides and one Women's side, as well as teams for Summer Sevens and Youth and High School Teams with the Fairfield Rugby Club. The Yankees have fielded teams in the Metropolitan New York Rugby Union as well as the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU), and currently are members of the Empire Geographical Union. The Yankees won the USA Rugby Division II Men's Club National Championship in 2004, and the Division III Men's Club National Championship in 2016.
The Monmouth Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team in Division 1I of the Empire Geographical Union based in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
The True South Geographical Union is the Geographical Union (GU) for rugby union teams playing in the Southern United States for USA Rugby.
The University at Buffalo Rugby Football Club (UBRFC) is run through the State University of New York at Buffalo Recreational and Intramural Services. The Sports Club Program at UB is under the management of the Student Association. The club participates in the sport of rugby union.
Charles River Rugby Football Club, nicknamed The Rats, is an American rugby union club based in Boston which currently competes in New England Rugby Football Union. Charles River has also a women's section.
The Providence Rugby Football Club (PRFC), established in 1969, is a rugby union club located in Providence, Rhode Island. It includes both men's and women's teams, with the women's team known as PWRFC. The PRFC men's team competes in Division III within the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU). PWRFC competes in the Division I within NERFU in 2023-2024.
The 2009 Men's Division III Rugby Tournament is a tournament which involved 103 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NSCRO Division III college rugby as a culmination of the 2008–09 rugby season. It began in the fall 2008 season in the northeast, midwest and mid-atlantic, and picked up again in the spring 2009 season for the southern teams, and concludes with the Fearsome Four, a final four-style semifinals and championship games co-hosted by South Jersey RFC on April 25-6 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Brooklyn Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club founded in 2007 and based in Brooklyn, New York. The club competes in the Empire Geographic Union and is a member of USA Rugby. The women's team plays at the Division II level and the men's team plays at Division III level.
The 2010 NERFU college men's Division III rugby tournament featured the top eight Division III college rugby teams out of 32 competitors from the four NERFU sub-conferences. The top two teams from each conference were seeded according to the success of their conference in the 2009 Tournament.
The Northeastern University Rugby Football Club is a college rugby union team representing Northeastern University. The club competes in the Liberty Conference of Division 1-A Rugby and is governed by USA Rugby.
The Old Gold Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The club competes in, and is governed by, the New England Rugby Football Union, the Northeast Rugby Union, and USA Rugby. The team currently fields sides in Division II and Division IV in NERFU.
The Fordham University Rugby Football Club, or FURFC, is a collegiate rugby union team that represents Fordham University. It competes in the Liberty Rugby Conference at a D1A level. Like other Fordham University athletic teams, Fordham ruggers are called the Fordham Rams. With over 100 members, Fordham Rugby is one of the most popular athletic club sports teams at Fordham.
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