Common Questions

When does the season start?

The first practice is on Tuesday, June 11.  For the first 15 minutes, we will have a parents meeting to address common questions and expectations.

What happens if my child misses games or practice because of vacation?

Nothing.  There are no penalties, no one will miss any playing time, coaches will not be upset.  This is the middle of the summer, we expect vacations to overlap.  Enjoy your trip. 

Is there an age limit?

There is no hard and fast rule on ages.

6th and 7th grade are fine.  By 9th grade, most kids move on to the high school program and start playing tackle rugby.  That said, if there are kids who want to play flag, especially if they are new, we aren’t going to turn them away.  If they are extremely good, we may gently suggest that they move along to something more challenging.

What happens if it rains?

We are going to use Team Snap for communication this year.  Please ensure that your phone number and email address are correct.

Rugby has a reputation for being a rough sport; is my child going to get hurt?

Nope.  This is flag rugby, not tackle.  The same amount of bodily contact as soccer or basketball.

My family loves the Eagles/Penn State/some other football team.  Is this like football?

Kinda, sorta, but not really.  First, when we score in rugby, it’s called a ‘Try’.  And we score by touching the rugby ball down in the Try Zone.  It’s confusing at first, but you’ll stop saying “touchdown” and you’ll start saying “touch it down to score a try” pretty quickly.

Also, in rugby we only pass the ball backwards.  In Flag rugby, we spend a lot of time teaching the basics, and passing the ball is as basic as it gets.  In fact, we have a rule that our team MUST pass the ball three times before anyone scores.

What should I expect my child to learn through Flag rugby?

            We emphasize three things at MBRFC:

1. Teamwork. Scoring tries is awesome, but we have no superstars in rugby.  No one scores without the help of all of the other players on the field.  We pass the ball to our teammates, we encourage others to do the same.  All the time.
2. Sportsmanship. Rugby is very different from other sports.  We respect our opponents, we respect the referee.  We don’t talk trash to anyone else, the referee included.  We shake hands with our opponents after a match, win or lose.
3. Having fun. The coaches are volunteering because they all love this game and want the players to enjoy the experience.  We mix fun games in with the drills in practice to keep the players engaged while also building their skills.  Oh, and tiring them out.  It’s summer, kids get bored, and there’s an unspoken agreement that you bring your child to the field and we return them to you tired.