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Kim Drives First MLR Academy Girls’ Games

  • 27 Jul 2021
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All photos: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

Major League Rugby (MLR) held its first-ever 15s games between two academy girls’ teams in July. The New England Free Jacks and D.C. Old Glory U18 teams split a home-and-away series on consecutive weekends and provided the rugby community a glimpse of what the pro set-up can offer the larger women’s game in the U.S.

RELATED: Bri Kim Joins Old Glory Academy Staff

The Old Glory academy players had been training during the summer and fall, as much as Covid-19 would allow, and then broke for the winter. That’s when Bri Kim, who had been serving as an assistant coach, was promoted to the Academy Director role for the entire program. The training schedule adjusted as pandemic regulations eased in the spring, and as players returned to league play with their home clubs, Kim considered the next steps for the academy. For the girls, it was games.

Kim first looked at the Falcon 7s, the ARPTC-run tournament in Little Rock, Ark., because Jules McCoy and the National Development Program know how to run a quality event in a professional setting. Unfortunately the logistics didn’t work out, so Kim revisited the east coast MLR teams.


Bella Iscaro / Photo: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

“I reached out to Atlanta and New York, and neither had a girls’ side or were even looking at it,” Kim said. “They’re more focused on U23 stuff for the boys.”

But the New England Free Jacks answered the call. The outfit had held a series of camps and clinics, but they hadn’t culminated in games. So when the opportunity for a home-and-away series in July presented itself, the Junior Jacks committed. [Stay tuned for interview Free Jacks girls’ U18 coach Kate McCabe.]

RELATED: Free Jacks Academy Engages New England

The girls had a core group of 20 or so players who were attending training regularly, but once games were on the calendar, better numbers and new enthusiasm followed.

“Once we had games to look forward to, we went from basic drills to teaching some attacking shape – which most high school and probably most college girls never learn – and higher-level concepts,” Kim said. “Actually implementing them in a game-like fashion at practice was nice.


Elly Gorham / Photo: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

“I brought on Alex Schaefer, the head coach for Catholic University, so it was nice having her [on staff],” Kim continued. “The support from Old Glory has been amazing. The coaches and players, when they show up, sometimes they just want to help the girls, because they love their work rate and energy they bring.”

Players from eight clubs were named to the game rosters, and the leadership group of Bella Iscaro, Elly Gorham and Sofia Florio were charged with team guidance.

“Those three really stood out,” Kim said. “They are leaders by example and it’s easy to see that they’ve garnered so much respect from their teammates. They were all easy picks for me.”

Iscaro (Maryland Exiles) is from a rugby family. Her dad played for Italy and older brother Jack represents Old Glory.

“She is the sweetest, most responsible girl,” Kim said of the Virginia Tech-bound student-athlete. “Her demeanor is so calm. She’s able to lead not only by example but also while communicating with less experienced players around her. She was an easy pick for captain.”


Photo: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

Vice captain Gorham (West End) is also playing in college this fall, as West Chester University, an NCAA varsity program, has recruited the West End Ruckette. Kim praised the flyhalf’s vision and her leading role on attack. Gorham connected well with fellow vice captain Florio, the scrumhalf. The Vienna player is returning to Italy soon and has impressed at such a young age.

The academy teams played curtain-raisers to the Old Glory vs. San Diego Legion match on July 10 at the Segra Field in Leesburg, Va.

“We lost both of those matches [boys and girls] but they were close, competitive games – which is good because you always worry about a ‘first’ something being a blowout,” Kim said of the 19-7 decision. “Both teams were pretty disappointed but it was the first time they played with each other and spirits were still high.”

It was also the first time players had played 15s in two years, as the Chesapeake girls’ high school league played 10s all spring. The team had a week to regroup and ready for the rematch on July 18. Kim took the team through some film work, a novelty to many academy members.


Photo: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

“Most of the girls had never seen themselves on film before, so it was eye-opening and provided a lot of take-aways,” Kim said. “We did more tactical stuff in practice and finetuning based on what we saw in the film. Then we bussed the kids to Boston and had a great time.”

The teams opened up for the Free Jacks vs. Atlanta MLR game (New England won 22-19), and banked a 33-0 win.

“What was awesome was they took ownership themselves,” Kim said. “They learned a lot from the first game, and the leadership team helped guide the girls around. Their communication and transparency in the game shot through the roof and that’s why they played so well. Huge smiles afterward.”

More players distinguished themselves as well, and while Kim highlighted four members who stood out.

“Rakeb Roye,” Kim said of the T.C. Williams High School player. “She is hard, hard runner, and starting to see the higher level – scanning-the-field kind of things. Give her a couple more years and she will be brilliant.”


Taylor Johnson / Photo: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

Taylor Johnson from Vienna is also new to rugby, and a natural.

“She is a short, powerful little girl and so athletic,” Kim said. “She doesn’t realize how much power she has yet and is still trying to gain that vision so she can make better decisions on the field. But she’s one player you immediately spot on the field because she just bulldozes through people and is such a strong ballcarrier. She’s soaking up everything like a sponge. People are going to want her.”

Natalie Allen also plays for Vienna.

“I can’t believe she is just a sophomore,” Kim marveled. “You look at her and she’s a lock immediately – her height speaks for itself. But she’s also an eightman because she’s so intelligent. Any time you say anything to her, you see all the cogs in her brain just turning. She’s someone who is very cognitive on the field and able to communicate what she sees to others on the field quickly. She organizes forwards well.”


Photo: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

Allen is a basketball player and open to playing rugby in college. Rebecca Balladares, a rising sophomore from the Maryland Exiles, is very keen on playing after high school. Her two older brothers play at Mount St. Mary’s University and Queens University of Charlotte.

“Becca must’ve learned her tackling from her brothers because it’s phenomenal,” Kim said. “Her ability to square her hips up for contact is insane. The number of positive tackles in [the July 18] game alone was incredible. Her defense is great and she has a ton of speed.”

The season is now over for the MLR academies, but Kim is hoping the two-game series is the start of much more.

“People were already starting to look at us in a, ‘Oh, that’s great,’ kind of way – and having that first game at home set a precedent,” Kim said. “But actually going on an away trip, and the fact that Old Glory – and the Free Jacks, too – is able to financially support it so the kids don’t have to pay anything, it proved that Old Glory is serious about this and a lot more people are seeing that.”


Photo: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

More people are seeing Old Glory’s community investment because the organization communicates as much.

“Social media is so important,” Kim said. “That’s how people market and build a brand, and social media and marketing is something Old Glory is very strong with. And especially with the academy, to be able to push out posts for these kids – the starting rosters, scores and photos from games – all the things you’d expect for a regular pro team, but showing the same attention to the academy, that means a lot to them. Look at our Instagram and the number of Likes on post. The academy posts are the most popular.”

Kim is currently working on the fall agenda, building on the foundation that she helped create this past year. Then biotech professional is heading to Boston for business school. That’s a two-year, full-time commitment, but even Kim questions whether she’ll abstain from rugby during that time. She ponders the big questions – how do we grow women’s country in this country – and although she doesn’t claim to have answers just yet, her actions show that she wants to be part of the solution.


Photo: Paris Malone/Old Glory DC

“I have parents asking me, ‘When do you think a women’s pro league will happen? Will it be partnered with the MLR? What’s the state of women’s rugby now?’ It’s interesting,” Kim mused. “You have a valuable opportunity in an organization like the MLR to grown women’s rugby and show there’s potential and market here as well – especially when you start developing these academy sides and they start popping up from different teams.

“You have to be prepared for, ‘What is the next step for these girls? How do we up visibility,’” she continued. “If I’m Natalie Allen and I want to play varsity in college, do I know what happens after that? I don’t have the answer but ‘what’s next’ has to be figured out. After the Olympics and visibility is up, how do we accelerate that growth knowing girls are looking up to us as a driver of that growth? It’s important that everyone’s that involved, whether administrator, player, coach, position ourselves to get that growth as quick as possible and using the different [assets]. Using MLR as a partner to help accelerate that growth will be important. If we’re able to come together as a big community, it’ll drive the sport up.”

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