2022-2023 schedule released and updates

Big changes have come to the club and Florida rugby over the last year.

Coaching Updates

After 2 years of coaching, Founder Mel Butler has decided to step down as head coach and return to playing. Mel founded the club in 2006 and has led the club as a player and administrator, and we are sad to see her step down as coach, but excited to see her back on the pitch with us.

Kevin Wathen steps up to Head Coach position

Stepping into the head coach role is Kevin Wathen. Kevin comes with more than 15 years of playing and coaching experience. He coached the U19 Jacksonville Wolverines and assisted in founding them a few years ago. Kevin was our assitant coach last year, and we are excited to work with him to grow the club on all levels.

Joining the club as the assistant coach is Aaron Church. Aaron has been playing and coaching in Jacksonville for a number of years and took the Wolverines on an undefeated run in 2019 and won the Florida state championships.

Inter-squad Scrimmage and Schedule Release

Practices for our fall 2022 season started the 2nd week of September. With 25 returning players and 15 rookies, we started our first “game” of the season with an inter-squad scrimmage on October 8th. It was a great opportunity for our new players to get game time on the pitch in a game environment.

Shortly after the game, we relased our 2022-2023 schedule.

Our season kicks off October 15th against the newly formed Valdosta State University which will be coming along with UF to Jacksonville. Valdosta has many new players so this will be a great learning opportunity for the team.

Our next 3 playing opportunities are away games at Savannah, the Battleship Tournament in Mobile, and All Florida Day. We wrap our fall season against UCF on December 3rd at home.

Our spring competitive season begins in the third week of January with a home match against Tampa, with games scheduled until the first weekend in April. Stay tuned for times and locations as our normal pitch is under field maintenance.

As always, thank you for our wonderful sponsors who assist our players with traveling costs, and game day costs. We are able to thrive because of you!

As always, we accept players year round. Whether you’ve only heard of rugby and want to try it out, or you’ve played for years and moved to the area, we welcome all players who want to be part of our team.

15 years of womens rugby in Jax!

Join us October 2nd at Lynchs in Jax Beach to celebrate 15 years of womens rugby in Jacksonville.

Registration

New Year, New Logo, Same Great Team

We have a big update to our club! We have a new logo and are now officially Jacksonville Women’s Rugby. We have enjoyed our time as The Sinners but are ready for a new outlook and new logo. We may have some *retro* logos coming back in the Fall for our 15th anniversary of our founding so stay tuned…..

We are still practicing Tuesdays and Thursdays at Fort Family Park at 7pm. We are excited for our matrix season to begin in a few weeks. It’s never too late to join the team so if you or you know someone who may want to play with us, send them to practice.

Make sure you are following us on social media! All of our handles are @jaxwomensrugby.

Fall 2019 Season Opener Oct 12th

The Jacksonville Women’s Rugby club is excited for the Fall 2019 Season opener on October 12th versus the University of Florida!  The match will be held at 2pm at Fort Family Park 8000 Baymeadows Rd E,  following the Jax Men’s Rugby Club game versus the Gainesville Hogs at 12pm.   The team has been working hard at practice to prepare for this game, and is very excited for the new team members to play in their first game!  Please join the team after the game at our social at Southern Grill located at 800 Flagler Ave.

 

Practice Starts Sept 17th!

Jacksonville Women’s Rugby club starts Fall 2019 Practice on Tuesday September 17th!  Practice will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9pm at Fort Family Park 8000 Baymeadows Rd East.  All players welcome no experience necessary.  The team is excited to start this new season lead by our captains Stacey Nemeth and Maya Officer.  We also have a new Coaching staff lead by Melissa Butler as Head Coach, Theresa Herberlace as Forwards Coach, Kayla Delpivo as Backs Coach and Ashley Hellet as Rookies Coach.   The team will travel to Savannah, Orlando and Tallahasse for games along as host University of Florida and Augusta Women’s team this season.

Youth Clinics at the Jacksonville Axemen Games!

There are 3 more youth clinics, which means 3 more opportunities to have your kids learn about the best sport ever! Representatives from both the Jacksonville men and womens teams will be out before the Axemen games to help out!

Come see us and support your Axemen!

#Jacksonville #Sinners #jaxrugby #girlswhoplayrugby #herrugbycounts #RugbyvilleUSA #Duval #ladyruggers #GrowRugby #YouthRugby

Youth Rugby Headed to Regional Final

Congratulations to the Jacksonville Youth Rugby- Wolverines! The U-19 boys took down the number one seed, Tampa, 28-19. The Wolverines will play in the regional final this Saturday, March 24th in Orlando, versus Orlando! At stake is a spot in the Florida State semi final, which will be held on April 7th.

Christmas for Kadesh!

Ashley Hellett is a high school teacher, avid soccer and rugby fan, and an advocate for children with cancer. A year ago, when our community and rugby family lost the Amazing Kate Amato to childhood cancer, Ashley decided she needed to step up and help more families affected by this heart wrenching diagnosis to keep Kate’s legacy alive.

Mrs. Hellett reached out to an organization called V for Victory, where they help people and their families battling cancer while the families get to focus on their children. V for Victory was started by one of the owners of V’s Pizza after his son was diagnosed with cancer.

While working with the organization, Ashley asked what she could do to help families have a better Christmas this year. It was at this point that she met Kadesh and his family! The following is what Ashley had to say about Kadesh when asked how to promote his cause:

“Strength, prayer, and family. These words are defined by the Ellison family.

The Ellison family have 7 wonderful children, Salah Hope age 9, Kadesh Levi age 8, Hadassah Ruth age 6, Judah Zamar Age 4, Anotole’ Joy 3, Le’ona Lea 1, and Shiloah Noel who is a newborn.

Kadesh is described as a smart, athletic, kind, loving, and respectful boy. On January 4, 2017, his life changed forever. It was his mother’s birthday and she heard the words that every parent dreads from their pediatrician: “Your son Kadesh has been diagnosed with cancer.  He has AML-M4.” This type of cancer affects the bone marrow and the blood.  With the strength that this family has in the Lord, they prepared to fight this monster head on. Since January, he has had 4 rounds of Chemo and a Bone Marrow Transplant from one of his sisters. Unfortunately, his body rejected the bone marrow transplant.

Even through this battle, he has kept his faith in the Lord and has strengthen his relationship with Him. Kadesh is the true definition of a warrior. Through the ups and downs, he has fought hard. This little warrior is a true hero. No child should endure what he has.”

As a part of Ashley’s rugby family, we want to help her achieve her goal to provide Kadesh and his family with a better Christmas this year. On December 16th, the Jacksonville Rugby teams will have a 50/50 raffle, with a donation going to Kadesh. If you would like to join in on the fun and fundraising, please come to Culhane’s Irish pub, starting at 7pm. The raffle will be drawn at 8:30 pm. If you would like to make a donation to the Ellison family or to the raffle, please send us a message on Facebook or email us at melissa@jaxwomensrugby.com. The Ellison’s also have a Go Fund Me page set up for Kadesh!

https://www.gofundme.com/support-for-ellison-family

2017/2018 Season Schedule!

Please make sure to check out the website for any changes that may occur! Thank you for all of your continuing support! – The Jacksonville Sinners

Forever Vets

The Jacksonville Women’s Rugby Team welcomes their newest sponsor: Forever Vets Animal Hospital. Recently, the team came together in such an astounding effort when a 5 month old puppy came in to Forever Vets Animal Hospital in very serious condition. The puppy, now named “Sinner,” showed signs of lethargy, not eating, and vomiting. It was soon discovered that Sinner contracted the Parvovirus- a highly contagious and deadly virus. The original owners could not afford the treatment and opted to euthanize him. In a matter of hours, the Women’s Rugby Team pulled together the funds and then some to pay for his treatment. The team was determined to give this puppy a chance at life and continually checked on him to monitor his progress. The teamwork between both the rugby team and Forever Vets Animal Hospital showed their compassion for animals as well as their ability to unify and work quickly to resolve a stressful situation. Since then, Sinner has made a full recovery and has found a great home with members of the rugby team. Because of the incredible partnership they demonstrated, Forever Vets Animal Hospital made the decision to sponsor the Jacksonville Women’s Rugby Team. Here’s to a great relationship for many years to come!