Electronic scoreboard at LIU Post’s rugby-only pitch – one of many perks within the young program. •
There’s nothing easy about starting a rugby program – especially from scratch, and especially when varsity status is a near-future goal. But the almost-one-year-old women’s rugby program at Long Island University Post (LIU Post), an NCAA Division II institution, has an important backer. The university itself brought the team into existence and launched a plan, which included the construction of a rugby-dedicated facility and scholarship dollars, into motion.
The story actually begins with Dr. Kimberly Cline, who became the university’s 10th president in 2013. She wanted to make athletics a pillar of the university and encouraged the addition of more programs.
The athletic department responded and saw the return of men’s wrestling, and the addition of track and field, bowling, women’s golf, women’s fencing – women’s ice hockey is up next – join the lineup. Women’s rugby entered the conversation approximately two years ago, and LIU Post built a beautiful rugby-dedicated grass pitch, with rugby goal posts and electronic scoreboard, onto its 300-acre property.
“We didn’t want them sharing a field with four other sports or playing in the outfield,” LIU Post Associate Director of Athletics Lloyd Ribner said. “It’s exciting for a sport that’s coming on as a brand-new opportunity to have that backing and support from the administration. … Usually you don’t see that financial backing and facilities piece from day one.”
John Royal fell hard for the rugby grounds. A New Zealand transplant, Royal founded the Long Island Colts and had long lived the life of a rugby vagabond.
“The facilities at LIU Post are unbelievable; they’re a coach’s dream,” Royal fawned. “Us coaches in New York City, we steal fields from baseball and soccer. We train on fields we don’t have permits for because we can’t get permits. On Long Island, for 14 years we’ve been chased off of public parks’ fields. … It’s a nice change.”
While Royal appreciated the school support and ambition, LIU Post was attracted to the coach’s grassroots experience. The women’s rugby program was to begin as a club sport and draw student-athletes from its 4,600 undergraduate population. Once a base was built, then the program would push for varsity status. It was a good fit and Royal was named head coach in February 2016.
LIU Post is doing its part. Although designated a club sport, it’s treated like a varsity sport – granted access to additional facilities, medical trainer at home and away matches, vans and drivers, organized post-match socials, and more.
The team trained the first few months and then played teams of comparable strength in spring 2016. LIU Post was slated to compete in a Tri-State competition against three other teams, but only Manhattanville could muster two matches. The team lost both games, but by very different margins. The first meeting was a blowout, the second – at home and in front of university staff – involved a massive comeback and game-ending try.
The founding members are evolving into rugby players and focused on field time. They’re building rapport with the university and establishing the team within the student body. But plans to join NIRA and the varsity competition this upcoming fall remain in place, and recruitment for the incoming class has begun.
LIU Post has a healthy scholarship budget and is looking for high school rugby players and athletes. Royal and Ribner are attending the Feb. 26 high school combine in Whippany, N.J., as a first stop, but they’re casting a wide net for prospective students.
So what are LIU Post’s other selling points?
“It’s the best of both worlds,” Ribner said. “You’re 40 minutes outside New York City. The internships, job placement, living-learning programs. Go to a Knicks game, Yankees, Broadway show – it’s all at your fingertips.
“At the same time you also get the traditional college experience, which isn’t common in the New York City area,” the New York native continued. “Football games on Saturday, fraternities and sororities on campus, dorms and apartment-style living. We’ve got location and campus community.”
Ribner also touted the 3.4 average GPA of student-athletes.
“We’re not looking for rugby players who sometimes go to class,” he said.
LIU Post is looking for those well rounded student-athletes who are still pursuing growth. Ribner indicated that undergrads have the flexibility to join a sorority or take an internship or study abroad, and won’t be “punished” for diversifying his or her college experience. The “best of both worlds” is also a “win-win” situation.