The Philadelphia Fight are a semi professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

team based in the

Philadelphia metropolitan area Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1 ...

. They currently compete in the

USA Rugby League The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the official governing body for rugby league, a code of rugby football, in the United States. The organization also runs the national amateur competition for club teams in the US. The league consists of six te ...

, having formerly competed in the now defunct

AMNRL The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was a rugby league organization in the United States that operated from 1997 to 2014. The country's first domestic rugby league competition, it hosted an annual league from 1998 through 2013. Throughout it ...

. They play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium in

Conshohocken, Pennsylvania Conshohocken ( ; Lenape: ''Kanshihàkink'') is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry i ...

. Originally known as the Philadelphia Bulldogs, the team began play in 1998 as a charter member of the

American National Rugby League The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was a rugby league organization in the United States that operated from 1997 to 2014. The country's first domestic rugby league competition, it hosted an annual league from 1998 through 2013. Throughout it ...

(AMNRL). In 2007 the Fight reorganized, merging with another AMNRL team in the Philadelphia area, the

Delaware Valley Mantarays The Delaware Valley Mantarays were a semi-professional rugby league football team based in the Delaware Valley area of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The team played for seven seasons in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) from 2000–2006 ...

, in hopes of establishing a more competitive franchise for the future. During their run they made a total of six playoff appearances, advancing to the Grand Final in 1998 and 2000. In 2011 the Fight became one of seven teams to depart the AMRNL to form the USA Rugby League. They went on to win the league's inaugural Grand Final on August 27, 2011, also the 2013 and 2014 USARL Championship. The 2014 season, the Philadelphia Fight went undefeated winning all seven regular season and three playoff matches. Rhys Bowdich was named the 2014 National Championships MVP.

History

The Fight were founded in 1998 by Jeff Preston, and were originally known as the Philadelphia Bulldogs. That year they became a charter franchise in

Super League America The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was a rugby league organization in the United States that operated from 1997 to 2014. The country's first domestic rugby league competition, it hosted an annual league from 1998 through 2013. Throughout it ...

, the predecessor to the modern

. One of several teams to have been based in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

area, they participated in the first ever War at the Shore event, an early attempt to introduce rugby league to the United States. They experienced significant success in the league's early years, going to the playoffs in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002, and advancing to the Grand Final in 1998 and 2000. They further won the 2002 Mother's Day Sevens Championship. However, their on-field prominence declined through the 2000s as the AMNRL continued to expand. In 2007 the Fight and another team in suburban Philadelphia, the

, announced they would be merging in order to build a more competitive franchise for the future. The merged franchise was restructured with a constitution and recognized Board of Directors and CEO, forming a Limited Liability Company. They made further playoff runs in the

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

and 2010 seasons. On January 12, 2011, the Philadelphia Fight were one of seven teams to leave the AMNRL to form the new

. On January 13, 2011, the league announced that Philadelphia Fight chairman Peter Illfield would be the league's first Chairman. The Fight finished third over all in the 2011 regular season. After defeating the

Washington D.C. Slayers The Washington D.C. Slayers were a rugby league football team based in Washington, D.C. who last played in the USA Rugby League. They played their home games at Duke Ellington Field near Georgetown Hospital. The Slayers, along with the Connectic ...

in the semi-finals, they hosted the

New Haven Warriors The New Haven Warriors were a rugby league football team based in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. They played in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) from 2006 to 2010 and in the USA Rugby League (USARL) from 2011 to 2012 before withdrawing. T ...

in the inaugural Grand Final. Philadelphia won the game 28-26, taking home their first ever national championship. The Philadelphia Fight currently play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium in

. The local Valley Tavern in the Valley Forge Casino resort serves as their official clubhouse. Thirteen players have represented the US in International matches playing for the Tomahawks, the

United States national rugby league team The United States national rugby league team represents the United States in international rugby league football competitions. The team is managed by the USA Rugby League (USARL). The United States competed with little success in some internat ...

. The Fight has a strong charity involvement with the ALS Association of the Greater Philadelphia Area, to help fight Lou Gehrig's disease.

USARL season summaries

Logo and colors

For the 2009 season the club adopted a similar uniform to that of the Australian

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

team the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...

; that being the colors of

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

hoops.http://www.amnrl.com/graphx/fight1.jpg AMNRL – American National Rugby League
/ref> Until 2010 the club's badge used the Rabbitoh's colors as well as featuring a stylized

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence ...

as the design on a ring worn by a clenched fist. Behind the fist trailed a representation of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

. In 2010, the club, along with other AMNRL teams, adopted a new badge that retained the fist of the earlier design.

Current 2020 squad

* Kyle Denham * Andrew Kneisly * Tristan Sylk *

Brian Madden Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meani ...

Rich Henson Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling ** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...

* Jared Frymoyer *

Mike Timpano Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

* Joel Weeks * Anthony Jewgieniew Sokol

Stadium

The Philadelphia Fight currently play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium, 11th and Harry Streets,

. The local

Kildare's Irish Pub Kildare's is an Irish Pub-themed casual dining restaurant chain and drinking establishment in the United States. It was named after County Kildare, located in Ireland, and it specializes in Irish American cuisine. History Kildare's pub was es ...

in Manayunk serves as their official clubhouse.

Honors

* AMNRL Championship titles: 0 :: 1998, 2000 Grand Finalists *

USARL The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the official governing body for rugby league, a code of rugby football, in the United States. The organization also runs the national amateur competition for club teams in the US. The league consists of six te ...

: ::Winners (4): 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016,

International caps

* Jeff Preston * Brian Warren * Vea Ofa * Conway Maraki * Mo Tuifua * Ryan McGough * Alan Chmielewski * David Bowe * Keith Cassidy * Chris Vely * Jared Frymoyer * Larry Madden * Marlon Steele * Stephen Siano * Louis Tulio *

Patrick Kelly Patrick or Paddy Kelly may refer to: Politicians * Patrick Kelly (Irish politician) (1875–1934), Irish soldier, farmer and politician, Teachta Dála (TD) for Clare 1927–1932 * Patrick Kelly (Canadian politician) (1846–1916), Prince Edward I ...

* Fraser Stirling

Footnotes

External links

;Official websites

Fightrugby.com

Philadelphiafight.com

Fightrugbyleague.com {{Pennsylvania Sports American National Rugby League teams USA Rugby League teams Rugby clubs established in 1998 Sports in Philadelphia Sports teams in Pennsylvania Rugby league in Pennsylvania