Twelve senior women’s clubs from the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) are collaborating on a virtual recruitment fair with the intention of educating the community on playing options in the region. The event is free of charge and features teams from seven NERFU states that compete in the Women’s Premier League through USA Club Rugby Division III.
NERFU VIRTUAL RECRUITMENT FAIR
Sunday, March 5 @ 2 p.m. ET
Monday, March 6 @ 7:30 p.m. ET
Registration Link.
The event is the brainchild of Shanali Weerasinghe, who is the Beantown RFC Co-Recruitment and Retention Chair alongside Erin Wright. Weerasinghe started playing rugby in high school with the Penfield Panthers (N.Y.) and continued with Northeastern University. She joined Beantown in 2016.
“I felt like this outreach was necessary because I believe it will help future players find the team most suitable for their needs, sooner than later,” said Weerasinghe, who spearheaded the event with the backing of Beantown and NERFU. “I have seen former teammates and friends from other teams realize that the team they first joined was not the best fit for their needs as a player in terms of rugby development and culture. I feel like we, as NERFU teams, will all thrive if we work together to help prospective players in this way.”
The recruitment fair is a contact list come to life. Team representatives from New Hampshire and Vermont in the north, to Connecticut in the south, will speak to the ethos of their teams, their competitive goals, whether they play summer 7s or go on tour – everything. Attendees will be well informed of their senior club options, whether based on geography or rugby culture. And the panel will serve the New England rugby community as a whole, putting individual recruitment hopes aside to keep as many players as possible in the game.
Weerasinghe modeled the event after a virtual career fair she attended as an employer, and collegians, coaches and rugby administrators will find the fair particularly relevant. But it will also be valuable to enterprising high schoolers, rugby rookies, and anyone who advises people on rugby options in the senior realm. If attendees have specific questions, then they can pose them on the intake form.
The sessions themselves will not be filmed for future viewing but the presentation slides will be e-mailed to attendees. For more information, contact beantownrecruiting@gmail.com.
NERFU CLUB FAIR ATTENDEES
Connecticut
Hartford
Maine
Portland
Rhode Island
Providence
Massachusetts
Beantown
Boston
Charles River
North Shore
South Shore
New Hampshire
Amoskeag
Seacoast
Upper Valley (NH/VT)
New York
Albany