The Alamo City Rugby Football Club (informally Alamo City RFC o
Alamo City Rugby
is an American

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

club that is based in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Alamo City RFC plays in the

Texas Rugby Union The Texas Rugby Union (TRU) is the Geographical Union (GU) for rugby union teams playing in Texas and portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma for USA Rugby. It is a non-profit organization and is the primary overseeing body for the promoti ...

Men's Division 2 league. Home matches are held at the Bowie Field rugby pitches located inside

Brooks Park Brooks Park is a softball field in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States, used by the Washington & Jefferson Presidents softball team. The field dimensions are down the lines and to center field. It also has home and away dugouts and separa ...

in southeast

San Antonio, TX ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. The nickname for Alamo City Rugby is "The Defenders".

History

In 1983, the Alamo City Rugby Football Club was started by a small group of players who were interested in promoting rugby in the city of

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. Over the years, the club has grown to support high school, collegiate, masters (“old boys”), military, and currently, men’s division II. A great achievement for the club was when the high school team received 2nd, 3rd, and 6th-place finishes in the National High School Championships. The fathering of the high school program helped the club achieve its 501(c)-3 status as a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

with exemption from state franchise and sales tax. In 2001, Alamo City RFC expanded its club by starting a women’s side, which formed by word of mouth through the men's club and local soccer leagues. Most of the women had little exposure to rugby prior to joining Alamo City RFC, but quickly adapted to the change in rules and techniques. The women's team ceased operations in 2007 due to a dwindling numbers restricting them from fielding a side.

Bowie Field

Another one of the club’s great accomplishments was obtaining the land fo
Bowie Field
which was named after Dr. Neil Bowie for his never-ending support to the club. The site has a regulation rugby playing pitch and a lighted practice pitch. The lighted practice pitch was named the Kevin Howell Memorial Pitch after the late Kevin Howell. This facility is San Antonio’s first and only of its kind. It is located south of

Brooks City-Base Brooks is a mixed-use development that was founded on the former Brooks Air Force Base when the United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight ...

on Goliad Rd.

Community involvement

ACRFC contributes to the community of San Antonio by holding events and assisting in local charity fund raisers. The club has increased its ability to contribute to the community with their affiliation to the Harp and Shamrock Society, Target 90 Goals for San Antonio, and other local organizations. Alamo City RFC has an annual presence delivering toys to children in support of the San Antonio Elf Louise Program. GLI Distributing has also assisted by giving generous contributions to Alamo City RFC. In addition, ACRFC members donate their time to the San Antonio Food Bank. In recent years, members of Alamo City Rugby have begun donating their time and money to the

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure cystic fibrosis (CF) and ensure that those living with CF live long and productive lives. The Foundation prov ...

. Specifically representing the Lone Star Chapter, ACRFC participates in the San Antonio CF Great Strides, and the CF Tower Climb. Participants will run a mile prior to running up the stairs of the

Tower of the Americas The Tower of the Americas is a observation tower-restaurant located in the Hemisfair district on the southeastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. The tower was designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford and was bu ...

in downtown San Antonio. In 2015, ACRFC started participating in th
Special Olympics Texas
Fire Truck Pull. Members of ACRFC raise money for the entry fee and extra for the event, with all proceeds going to

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...

Texas. The event consists of 12 members to pull a fire truck 40 yards. The team with the fastest averaged time wins. With more than 20+ teams entered each year, ACRFC has won the competition in 2015 and in 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161202040800/http://www.alamocityrfc.com/2015-special-olympics-fire-truck-pull Beginning in 2010, a few members of ACRFC began donating their time coaching the reinvigorated collegiate rugby programs of the University of Texas at San Antonio

UTSA Roadrunners The UTSA Roadrunners is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The UTSA Roadrunners are also commonly referred to as "UTSA", "Roadrunners", "Runners", “The Meep Meeps”, or simply “The Bi ...

and

St. Mary's University, Texas St. Mary's University is a private Roman Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas. Founded by the Society of Mary (Marianists) in 1852, St. Mary's is the oldest Catholic university in Texas and the American Southwest. With a student populati ...

Rattler Rugby.

Fiesta 7s Tournament
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In the spring of 1984, Alamo City RFC joined the
Fiesta San Antonio Fiesta San Antonio (or simply "Fiesta") is an annual festival held in April in San Antonio, Texas, and is the city's signature event (along with some events held in the following surrounding cities: Boerne, Schertz, Windcrest, Balcones Heights, ...
Commission, and has since hosted the Alamo City Rugby Fiesta 7s Tournament annually. The Fiesta 7s tournament is held each spring in April during “
Fiesta San Antonio Fiesta San Antonio (or simply "Fiesta") is an annual festival held in April in San Antonio, Texas, and is the city's signature event (along with some events held in the following surrounding cities: Boerne, Schertz, Windcrest, Balcones Heights, ...
”. Rugby sevens is played at the Fiesta Tournament, and is usually played in some type of
round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero ...
format. Teams from across
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, and the nation, participate. In addition, teams from Europe, such as British Caldonia, Twickingham, Imber Court, England's Royal Engineers, Ireland's Arklow, and The Old Hirelings of France have traveled to San Antonio and played in the tournament.

Commandant's Cup Trophy
Although the Fiesta Tournament is a rugby sevens tournament, Alamo City RFC invites three of the
United States military academies The United States service academies, also known as the United States military academies, are United States federal academies, federal academies for the undergraduate education and training of commissioned officers for the United States Armed Fo ...
(
United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...
,
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
, and the
United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
) to participate in a
round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero ...
for the Commandant’s Cup. Each military academy enters a full rugby union (15-a side) team to compete for the cup.

External links

Alamo City Rugby Football Club Official SiteTexas Rugby UnionUSA Rugby
{{San Antonio Sports clubs and teams in San Antonio Rugby clubs established in 1983 Rugby union teams in Texas