Registration Open for Spring 2012 Season

Register Now! Registration is open to boys in grades 6-12. High schoolers play on the SYC West End high school team, and middle schoolers play on the West End U15/Middle School team. Contact SYC Rugby Director/Head Coach Jeff Rupp with any questions (jeffrupp66 at gmail.com).

Registration fees for Spring 2012:

• Regular registration (February 1-March 15): $175
• Late registration (March 16-Aprily 1): $200
• Family discount: $25 off each additional kid from same family

Note: Registration is not finished without the completed paperwork.

Spring 2012 Season:  Upcoming Dates & Details

• Tuesday February 7 -- Practices begin for the West End high school team. These practices will run every Tuesday & Thursday 4:00-6:00pm throughout the season. Early season location will be The Ditch, 7300 Selger Drive, near the Fairfax County Parkway in Springfield.
   
• Saturday February 11 -- West End HS team scrimmage at Gonzaga HS in Washington, DC.  Kickoff @ 10:00am.  Additional games to follow each weekend, see the Schedule page for details.
   
• Wednesday February 15 -- Mandatory team & parent meeting for all high school and middle school players plus parents. 7:00-9:00pm at the West Springfield High School cafeteria. Meeting agenda is to share details and complete the necessary paperwork. 
   
• Monday February 27 -- Practices begin for the West End U15/middle school team. These practices will run every Monday and Wednesday 5:30-7:00pm. Location to be determined.
   
• Saturday/Sunday March 3-4 -- West End HS team @ Tidewater Tournament in Newport News.  Details to come.
   
• Saturday/Sunday March 10-11 -- West End U15/MS team trip to North Carolina.  Details to come.

Please Donate to SYC/SYC West End Rugby!

Please consider supporting the SYC Rugby program--which includes the SYC West End team--with a donation, particularly if you need a year-end tax deduction. Through parent organization Springfield/South County Youth Club, we’re a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donation is fully tax deductible. And all donations go 100% toward the support of the program and *your kids*. Between the spring and summer seasons, SYC Rugby provides the opportunity to play tag and tackle rugby to over 200 boys and girls. As you know, we run a smooth operation and we enjoy great success on and off the field. So please consider supporting us!

Donate Now online, and be sure to specify “SYC Rugby” during the donation process. Or send a check made payable to “SYC Rugby Donation” to Springfield/South County Youth Club, Attention: SYC Rugby Donations, 7075 Newington Road, Unit G, Lorton, VA 22079. We will send you a return letter of confirmation for tax purposes. Thanks for your consideration!

West End Rugby on Email and Facebook

Get all the news and updates! Fill out the form below to join the email list, and click for

Coaches Contact Info

• Head Coach: Jeff Rupp (cell 703-309-1389, jeffrupp66 @ gmail.com)
• Forwards Coaches: Mike Flood (cell 703-582-2189, plflood @ aol.com); and Steve Spinosa (spinosa79 @ gmail.com)
• Backs Coaches: Mike Westerlind (cell 571-238-7778, westy9876 @ yahoo.com); Min Sae Chae (minsaechae @ yahoo.com)
• Coaching Consultant: Mike Sodhi

School Clubs & Recruiting

Get rugby interest groups going at your high schools. Once official, we can post flyers and hold meetings at the schools to aid recruiting efforts.

Old West End Web Site

Former coach Dave Welch still maintains the West End Rugby web site at www.westendrugby.org. Check out the photos!

Buy West End T-Shirts and Apparel!

Show team pride with West End t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and more. T-shirts available from Coach Rupp, and additional stuff from Scrumbot.com.

Rugby Scholarships

Collegiate rugby is mostly a club sport, so scholarships are relatively scarce, but they do exist. Check out the USA Rugby web site for a list... click on the left sidebar navigation for Collegiate Clubs, then Club Scholarships. Note that among them is a scholarship at Kutztown University endowed in memory of former West End player Dave Bailey.

Post-Season Banquet/BBQ & Alumni Game

June 11 -- West End held its annual post-season banquet/BBQ and alumni game at Franconia District Park to celebrate another successful season and hand out various awards and other recognitions. The alumni won the alumni game again, and a good time was had by all.

West End Wins 2nd Straight State Championship

June 4 -- West End beat NOVA 34-15 to win its 2nd straight Rugby Virginia high school D1 state championship. Captain and 8-man Michael Tobias led the way with 3 tries, and was named MVP/Man of the Match. Other tries were scored by lock Daniel Merino, scrumhalf Reagan Douglas, and inside center Christian Merino; fullback Ryan Lugo added 2 conversions.

West End Beats Menchville in Semifinal, Advances to State Championship Game for 3rd Year in a Row

May 21 -- West End beat a tough Menchville squad 31-17 in a cross-conference Rugby Virginia semifinal game, and earned its 3rd straight appearance in the D1 state championship game. West End’s five tries were scored by Michael Tobias (2), Joey Stynchula, Elliot Britnell, and Christian Merino; Ryan Lugo added three conversions. Lock Joe Rivi was named Man of the Match.

West End will face league rival NOVA in the state championship game, which will be held Saturday June 4 at TC Williams High School in Alexandria. Kickoff time will be 4:00pm.

West End Beats Fairfax in 1st Round Playoff, Hosts Menchville Next Week

May 14 -- West End dominated Fairfax 29-13 in our 1st round playoff game. Hooker and Man-of-the-Match Elliot Britnell scored 2 tries and set up another with an against-the-head steal at a scrum inside Fairfax’s 22 that substitute 8-man James Lynch ran in for a score. Outside center Alex Gascoyne also scored 2 tries, and fullback Ryan Lugo added 2 conversions. The B-side game got called off because of a severe thunderstorm that moved in.

Spring 2011 Season Is Underway

Practices run every Tuesday and Thursday 4:00-6:00pm. Effective Tuesday March 29, the practice location is Franconia District Park, 6400 Bowie Drive, Springfield 22150. If our Franconia field (#3) is closed due to inclement weather, we will use The Ditch as our back-up location. The Ditch is located at 7300 Selger Drive, near the Fairfax County Parkway in Springfield.

See the complete game schedule for the entire season.

West End Raises $1,100 for Kristi’s Christmas

May 7, 2011 -- West End Rugby staged a benefit in its game against Fairfax by charging a $5 admission fee, and successfully raised $1,100 for Kristi’s Christmas, a local charity in Springfield that benefits underprivileged kids in Fairfax County. Charity founder Karen Brown was on hand to watch the game and accept the donation.

West End Crushes Fairfax 38-5

May 7 -- West End crushed Fairfax 38-5 to clinch the #1 seed going into the playoffs. Man-of-the-Match was captain Michael Tobias, who scored three tries. The B-side won 34-0, and B-side Man of the Match was Kevin Lugo.

The fundraiser aspect of this game was very successful, as we raised $1,100 for the Kristi’s Christmas charity.

Glory Days Grille Sponsorship

Glory Days Grille in Burke has again sponsored the SYC West End Rugby team for the Spring 2011 season, so please patronize them to show your appreciation!

National Guard Sponsorship

Once again the Virginia National Guard is sponsoring Rugby Virginia and its teams--including SYC West End--for the Spring 2011 season. Click for more info.