Past Announcements

5th Annual Bob Scheurer Winter Classic

Join us for our 5th Annual Bob Scheurer Winter classic High School game! Sunday 12/15/24 @ Madison Ave Park Rahway 1333 Madison Ave. Kick Off @ 11AM There will be food and Winter Classic promotional T-shirts while supplies last. Its always a very fun day for us, so please come out and support our High School boys and watch some RUGBY! This is a recruiting event for our high school boys so if you or your player knows someone who is interested in Rugby please have them join us and check it out! There will be a food and coat drive during the event we will be accepting canned / dry food items for Rahway food for friends, and new or gently used coats in good repair. WE WILL ALSO HAVE MERCHANDISE FOR SALE, JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS. Coach meet-and-greet following the game at SUN TAVERN 600 Westfield Ave Roselle Park NJ. Come hang out with the coaches and other parents. Don't be shy! Adults only PLEASE. SEE YOU THERE

5th Annual Bob Scheurer Winter Classic

Good Evening, Apologies for not including the DATE, TIME, LOCATION on the last email. WINTER CLASSIC KICKOFF @ 11 AM MADION AVE PARK RAHWAY 1333 Madison Ave Rahway SUN TAVERN @ 2PM We will have a merch table JUST IN TIME for the HOLIDAYS! So you can stock up on MUDTURTLE GEAR! SEE YOU THERE

5th Annual Bob Scheurer Winter Classic

Hello, Please join us for our 5th annual Winter Classic. Our High School team will be playing a friendly match against a mixed side from other teams. This is a big recruitment day for our High School teams so come out and watch some RUGBY! We will have food and Winter Classic T-shirts while they last. After the game, please join the Coaches, other parents and people from the club at Sun Tavern 600 Westfield Ave Roselle Park to meet everyone. Adults only please.

Youth Tackle Sponsorship Opportunities

Good morning, As we prepare for the 5th Annual Bob Scheurer Memorial Winter Classic on December 15th, and the broader Tackle season this Spring, we wanted to make an ask of all Mudturtles. The Youth Tackle program does everything it can to run at the lowest cost possible to our players. We want to expand opportunities for the kids in our area, and sometimes that means operating at a loss. Sponsorships are a big help to the organization in managing our operating costs while keeping season dues low. The Youth Tackle program as a whole is always seeking sponsorships, and has the ability to accept sponsorship funding through a non-profit corporation account, which makes any sponsorship a tax deductible donation. If anyone within the club owns a business, or knows someone with a business, that would be interested in becoming a sponsor of the Youth Tackle program, please have them reach out to John McElroy, Youth Tackle Director, at elroy65@msn.com Thank you all for your time, consideration, and willingness to help us continue to grow our Youth Tackle program. Ryan 'Tree' Murphy, M.S., Rutgers YSRC Clinician, CYSA President, Union County Rugby Football Club Corporation Head Coach, Union County High School Boys Varsity Rugby

10/13/24 saint Auggies 7s tournament

Hello, I am passing along some information from the email coach Anna sent the team... 2 teams this weekend! Plan for a loong day of rugby (and driving) Schedule 6:30am Est. time of Departure 8:30am Players Arrive - St. Augustine Prep 611 Cedar Ave, Richland, NJ 08350 9:00am Latest time for cleats on and tape 9:10am Team Meet & Jerseys On 9:20am Warm Up Together 10:00am Union BLUE Match 1 vs St. Augustine 2 10:40am Union RED vs Match 1 vs Morris 11:40am Union BLUE Match 2 vs. Bergen Catholic 12:20pm Union RED Match 2 vs CBA 2 1:00-3:20pm Knockout Rounds Teams: Union BLUE: Christian, Kiernan, Jake, Harry, Jacobo, Ant, Braedan, Ish, Evan, Sean M Union RED: Gavin, Brady, Juwan, Eden, Alex, Noah, Sam, Lucas, Reagan, Chase, Sean J What to Bring Make sure you are prepared with your mouthguard, camo warm up tee, navy rugby shorts, union game socks, and cleats. Bring more WATER than you think you need, and FOOD for the entire day. Please bring a tent if you have one. Bring Chairs/ Blankets to sit on. Note: There will be no formal roster check this week but bring a copy of your ID just in case. See you all down there! Coach John

Saint Auggies

50th Day Saturday October 12

Saturday October 12 in Unami Park will be "50th DAY" to celebrate 50 years of Union County rugby. The day starts at 11:00 with a Myths versus Legends flag match, open to any and all former players, fans, and family of Mudturtle rugby. Kegs will be tapped at noon. The men's A side will kick off at 1:00 against Bayonne, followed by a 3:00 kickoff of the B side also against Bayonne. After the matches there will be Hall of Fame Inductions inductees are as follows: Mike Sadowski Jim Brady Pat Burke Curtis Noel Billy Mac Will Galway Drink up will follow. Don't miss out on a great day to get together with old friends at Unami.

9/29/24 HOME TOURNAMENT at UNAMI

Hello, Union Rugby will be hosting a 7s tournament this Sunday @ Unami. Coach Anna has asked the boys to be at the field by 7am to help set up, we are running three pitches so there is a lot to do. We will be selling drinks and snacks to the other teams, our clubs womens team has volunteered to run concessions and merchandise for us. Please take a look at our signup sheet to see if your able to either donate or help out. As always thank you for your generosity and cooperation. Hope to see you all there Coach John

SIgn up sheet

CBA 7s Tournament 9/22/24

Hello, I am forwarding information from coach Anna. Prepare yourselves for another LONG Sunday Identification for Roster Checks The roster checks require that all players have a copy of their photo id (School ID, School Apps (Power School), Driver's License, Passport, etc.) or picture of same on their phone is fine) and that they have a photo uploaded to Rugby Xplorer (the website where you completed USA Rugby registration) No exceptions can be made on this. No ID, you cannot play. If you have not arrived by 8:10am to get in line with the team for roster checks you will not play.DO NOT BE LATE. Player Pool Available: (16) Anthony, Evan, Sean, Sam, Eden, Kiernan, Sean J, Lucas, Harry, Gavin, Jake, Brady, Juwan, Braeden, Ishmael, Noah What to Bring Make sure you are prepared with your mouthguard, camo warm up tee, navy rugby shorts, union game socks, and cleats. Bring more water than you think you need, and food for the entire day. Sunscreen and bug spray advisable. Please bring a tent if you have one. 7:50am Players Arrive - 850 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft, NJ 07738 8:10am Latest time for cleats on and tape 8:15am Roster Checks 8:20am Warm Up 9:00 Match 1 vs Greenwich 2 - Field 1 10:00 Match 2 vs Morris - Field 2 The Pitches are at the very end of CBA's property I have included a link. Please make sure your player has enough water and light snacks to get them through the day. Comfort is also key, if you have any folding chairs or lawn blankets it will give the kids a place to rest up in between games. See you there Coach John

CBA FIELDS

9/7/24 7s match

Hello, We will be hosting Franklin 7s at Unami Park Saturday kickoff 9:30 am. This will be a quick scrimmage the boys will be playing Three 7-minute periods. Please take a look at our sign-up genius and sign up to donate any items you can. As always, your generosity is very much appreciated. Also, the Womens team will be kicking off at 11am followed BY the 1st Men's game at 1pm and the 2nd Men's game at 3. Saturday will be a big RUGBY Day at Unami. Please come out and support the club by watching the games and cheering on our men and women. GO UNION! Coach John

sign up list

MUDTURTLE FLAGFEST SATURDAY JULY 20, 2024

Tomorrow Saturday July 20 is Mudturtle Flagfest at Madison Ave Park in Rahway. 1333 Madison Ave, behind the hospital. All are encouraged to come out and cheer on our future Mudturtles. There will also be an adults Myths VS Legends (MVL) flag game at the end of the Fest. All Mudturtles are invited to join in on the fun. MVL legends shirts will be available for $20 each, arrive early to get you shirt. MVL game starts after all flag games are over which is 11:30 to noonish in rugby time. There will also be a beer garden which opens during the MVL game and will stay open afterwards. Don't miss out this is always a great event which puts the fun into rugby.

U16/U18 BBQ

Hello, Join us for our end of season HIGH SCHOOL team BBQ @ UNAMI park. SUNDAY 6/2 11am- 2pm. Please take a look at our volunteer sign up sheet and bring something if you can.

sign up list

50TH GALA TICKET SALES CLOSES MIDNIGHT FRIDAY MAY 24

We know the rugby lifestyle includes procrastination but this is it, ticket sales for the 50th Gala ends at Midnight Friday May 24. Click on the link below and order now or you will be missing the biggest event in club history.

50th GALA DINNER

End of SPRING Season

Good afternoon, Our U12/U14 teams just finished their last games today, our High School sides last week, signaling the official end of our Spring season. Thanks to the KIDS they worked hard! I just wanted to take a minute and thank all of our Parents for volunteering by bringing food and helping out at games. Your generosity is always appreciated, THANK YOU! I especially want to thank our coaching staff who are all volunteers and do what they do because of their love of the game and our club. They are all there week in and week out donating their time and passing on their knowledge to all of our kids. THANK YOU, COACHES!!! TREE, JOHN, ANNA, BOGDAN, NEIL, RALPH, ARIES, CARLOS, DANIEL, JACO, ROB, and DAN M. You all did a fantastic job this year! Parents please sign your kids up for flag Rugby (K-8 Grade) which will be starting soon, we have an amazing flag Rugby program. Take a look at the MANY Rugby camps that are available this summer. An email went out not long ago that listed them all. Please have the kids watch RUGBY as often as possible. Watching it they will learn more about the game. Watch it with them... Our club has a lot of great events, Golf Outing, the 50th GALA, Saint Patrick's Parade march, Mens and Womens games... get involved don't be shy come and hang out with us. Rugby is a sport but it's a very social sport, take advantage of what the club has to offer. GET INVOLVED! See you all around Coach John John McElroy Director of Youth Rugby Union County Mudturtles RFC

Level 1 Coaching Course

Good morning, The club is hosting a Level 1 Coaching Course in Clark on 7/14/24. This is the minimum requirement to be a certified Head Coach of a tackle program. If you are interested in becoming a certified coach, please consider registering as this is the closest course you will find. You can register here: https://usarugby.docebosaas.com/learn/course/internal/view/classroom/43/level-1-coach-course-formerly-l200 You will need a Rugby Xplorer account prior to registering for the course. Any club member (including parents of current or former players) who attends the course will be reimbursed for the cost of their certification by the club. If you register, please contact Tree for information on how to obtain your reimbursement on completion of the course. Please direct any questions on the process to him as well. You can get in touch with him via email: ryanjmurphy19@gmail.com

Coaching Course Registration

LAST HOME GAMES

Hello, Sunday is our last home games of the season. Everyone has been great volunteering and donating, we can't thank you enough for your generosity. we have our boys last home game of the season Sunday GOLD 1 PM, and BLUE 3pm. Please take a look at our sign up sheet and volunteer for something if you can. See you all Sunday @ UNAMI. Coach John

sign up list

SUMMER CAMPS

​ Good Morning, Some of you may be aware that in addition to the High School Head Coach, I am also Club President of "The Big Turtle". The Turtle is currently working to set aside some funds for players who would like to attend a camp or clinic this summer to help supplement the cost to the parents. It's only a good thing that the players get to participate in a wider range of experiences, and we want as many people as possible to attend camps in the summer. With this being the first time we are implementing this, we are unsure of the exact amount we can offer, but we are fairly certain we will be able to offer something. This is open to all tackle players, from U14 - U18, including graduating Seniors. Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity, especially if you were on the fence about sending your player. Once we have a better idea of the budget and the amount of players attending camps, we will be able to reach out for your camp purchase receipt and reimburse you the decided amount. ​ Ryan 'Tree' Murphy, M.S. President, Union County Rugby Football Club Corporation Head Coach, Union County High School Boys Varsity Rugby (he/him) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Camp form / List of camps

50th ANNIVERSARY GOLF OUTING

THERE ARE SOME SPOTS LEFT DONT MISS OUT!!! Don't miss out!! Click on the link below to register for the June 7 Mudturtle Golf outing. Do note website is used for purchase of Golf & Lunch, Lunch only, and club/gear rental. To be a Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze Sponsor which includes a foursome contact Mike "OG" Rotella (908) 578-4774 or Brian "Cyborg" Ludlum (908) 578-8746 direct. Also contact them if you wish to sponsor a hole or know a business that wants to sponsor a hole. This event is limited to 25 foursomes so register today before all slots fill up.

GOLF OUTING

June 7th Mudturtle Golf Outing

Don't miss out!! Click on the link below to register for the June 7 Mudturtle Golf outing. Do note website is used for purchase of Golf & Lunch, Lunch only, and club/gear rental. To be a Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze Sponsor which includes a foursome contact Mike "OG" Rotella (908) 578-4774 or Brian "Cyborg" Ludlum (908) 578-8746 direct. Also contact them if you wish to sponsor a hole or know a business that wants to sponsor a hole. This event is limited to 25 foursomes so register today before all slots fill up.

Mudturtle Golf Outing 2024

Youth Car Wash 4/13/24 9am-2pm

Hello, We will be holding our annual Car Wash fundraiser for our youth teams at Brad Pak 124 South Ave Garwood Saturday 4/13 9-2 The kids at practice Thursday were given 10 tickets each @ $10 per ticket. Please have them pre sell what they can and return any money and unused tickets in an envelope with their name, tickets sold, balance unsold, at practice Thursday 4/11. (Ex. $50 / 5 unsold tickets ) This is an important fundraiser for us so please let your friends and family know. They can show up day of and get their car washed. We will also have Mudturtle Merchandise on sale for everyone who is interested. We hope to see all of you there. The teams will be working the car wash as scheduled U12. 8:00- 10am (set up) U14 10:00- 12pm (Coach will assign HS teams for car wash) HIGH SCHOOL (1) 12:00- 2 pm HIGH SCHOOL (2) 1- 3 pm ( break down) Please be early for your shifts Thanks see you then Coach John

March Schedule

Good Morning, For the rest of MARCH EVERY TUESDAY and THURSDAY. Practice at Rahway River Park HIGH SCHOOL 6-8 PM U12/U14 6:30 - 8 PM SUNDAYS this month 3/10 HIGH SCHOOL AWAY GAMES Doylestown PA U12/U14 Rahway Rec center 9-11am 3/17 & 3/24 MADISON AVE PARK RAHWAY HIGH SCHOOL ( TBD) U12/U14 9-11 3/31 EASTER SUNDAY OFF **** DAYLIGHT SAVINGS THIS SUNDAY 3/10/24 CLOCKS 1 HOUR AHEAD, SPRING FORWARD **** AS ALWAYS BE ON TIME ( 10 MIN EARLY) HAVE YOUR CLEATS ON BE READY TO GO , HAVE YOUR MOUTHGUARD AND WATER WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES. GAME SCHEDULES WILL BE ON WEBSITE SOON. MARCH WITH US THIS SATURDAY 3/9 UNION COUNTY SAINT PATRICK'S PARADE.... I hope to see a lot of you there. Coach John

Mudturtle Pub Crawl 2024

All adult Mudturtless are welcome to join this years pub crawl. Assembling at Unami Park at noon this Saturday March 2 pub crawling from there, rain or shine. Players, fans, parents of flag and youth players, all are welcome. The more the merrier see you there!!!

practice tonight 2/29/24

Practice tonight RABKIN PARK UNION ( Swanstrom pl E Union NJ) please DRESS for the cold. as always... mouthguard and water High School teams 6pm-8pm U12/U14 teams 6:30- 8pm see you tonight!

No practice Sunday 2/11/24

Reminder there is no practice tomorrow Sunday 2/11/24. See you next week.

Practice canceled for all teams Sunday

Hello, Unfortunately we have to cancel practice on Sunday 1/28/24. We do not have access to the Rahway Rec center. We will resume Sunday practice the following Sunday 2/4/24 same times. Please encourage the kids to watch some Rugby and workout on their own. Please make sure to sign up on our website for notifications for your child's team ( U12, U14, U16, U18), I have been including flag teams on notifications but I am going to stop that. Please sign up and make sure you're in the loop. Thank You Coach John

Parents meeting tonight for Spring Rugby

Good morning, Juat wanted to remind everyone we will be having a parents meeting tonight to prepare for our Spring '24' Tackle Rugby season. It's a great opportunity to get any questions you might have answered about the upcoming season, and meet some of the coaches. Parents new to the program are strongly encouraged to make it tonight. There is a lot of information to go over. Tonight 7-9 pm Cranford Community/Rec Center 220 Walnut Ave. Coach John

Practice Canceled for 1/7

Due to the weather, and some people expressing having issues making practice tomorrow we are canceling. We were looking forward to our first practice... We will see you all next Sunday same time same place... Register with USA RUGBY if you haven't yet, and WATCH SOME RUGBY ON TV , YOUTUBE... WHATEVER! See you next week! Coach John

Important dates

Good Morning, Just wanted to remind everyone that our indoor practices start this Sunday 1/7 @ Rahway Rec Center 3 city hall dr ( off E Milton Rahway) U16/U18 8am to 10 see Coach Tree U12/U14 9:30- 11am see Coach Dan and Coach Jaco Please register with USA RUGBY ( LINK INCLUDED) players MUST be registered. Please be ready to go at your appointed time. Bring mouthguard and water. PARENTS MEETING Cranford Community Center 220 Walnut Ave Cranford. 1/18/24 7pm Please make sure to attend especially if its your first season with us. It's a great opportunity to meet some of the coaches and get any questions you might have answered. See you all soon Coach John

USA RUGBY Membership xplorer

REGISTRATION for SPRING SEASON is open NOW!

Hello, We just wanted to announce that spring tackle registration is open! You can register your player for U12, U14, U16, U18 at any time on our website. please keep in mind that you need to be registered with USA RUGBY (LINK INCLUDED) before you can register with the club, it's a two-step process. OUR FIRST PRACTICE will be indoors at Rahway Recreation Center ( 3 City Hall Plaza off E Milton Ave Rahway) SUNDAY 1/7/24 U12 / U14 9:30 am to 11 am. U16/ U18 11 am to 12:30 pm Please be ON TIME there and ready to START by 9:30 / 11am we have a tight schedule and need to get everyone as much practice time as possible. make sure you have water and a mouthguard. SEE YOU THERE.... Coach John

USA RUGBY REGISTRATION XPLORER

ANNUAL BOB SCHEURER HIGH SCHOOL WINTER CLASSIC 12/10/23

Tomorrow is the big day! It's probably going to be rainy but warmer out, don't forget your foul weather gear and umbrellas. If you have volunteered to bring food and/or help set up THANK YOU, and please be there no later than 10. We are planning on one full match kicking off promptly at 11am. see you tomorrow!

SIGN UP SHEET FOR THE BOB SCHEURER WINTER CLASSIC

Hello, This event came up quick! Please take a moment to look at the signup sheet, we need help with food and labor for the day. All of our parents are always excellent and generous with time and donations of items, lets please keep that going. Hosting is a very important part of Rugby, we want to be great hosts and hold others to the same standard. The Classic is always a lot of fun for our kids and for other teams, it's a no pressure day of Rugby and comradery. So please sign up and help wherever and however you can. Thanks and see you all there! Coach John

Bob Scheurer Winter Classic sign up

UNION RUGBY SWEATSHIRTS

Hello, I will have sweatshirts for sale tomorrow at CBA. The sweatshirts are the exact same ones we gave the kids last week. We only have 11 in various sizes We will be accepting cash but would rather use our venmo account. The prices are S-XL $25 XXL $27 See you tomorrow. Coach John

Union Rugby Crewnecks

Hello, A few parents asked about the crew necks we gave the team and asked if they were available. I should be able get an order printed by Friday, we can have them for the tournament. Please fill the google doc form ( below) out by this afternoon as soon as you get this. S-XL $25 XXL $27 Thanks Coach John

UNION RUGBY CREWNECK

Jersey fundraiser

The women's team is auctioning off our retired Blue Jersey set as a fundraiser. If you are interested in a jersey, please see the form below for the list of available numbers and corresponding sizes and to place a bid. The auction will end after our home game on October 7th (11am KO if you want to come support!) See link below.

Jersey Bids

Game shorts kit

Hello, Just wanted to get this out to everyone. Team game shorts and socks kit, all players should have these as part of their uniform. When buying please select the U19 LOGO.

Union County shorts and sock kit

High School Fall 7s tournament 9/17

Hello, We will be hosting our Fall 7s tournament at Unami Park on Sunday 9/17/23. We will be there early setting up from 7:30 am on through the day until the tournament is over. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into a tournament like this. We take hosting duties seriously at Union Rugby! There will be over 100 kids playing, a lot of teams , a lot of 7s rugby, and a lot of hungry kids to feed. Please take a look at the sign up genius sheet and sign up to bring items or volunteer to help out. Some slots have been added to help serve the food. Thank you in advance. If anyone has any questions please contact Coach Anna or Myself. Thank you Coach John.

Sign up sheet for Fall 7s at Unami

LAST DAY FOR CELTIC FEST DISCOUNT

For our fans who plan on attending the games at the Celtic Fest this Saturday Sept 9, do remember today is the last day to pre-purchase discount tickets for the event, see link below. $10.00 today, if you pay at the event is it $25.

CELTIC FEST FRIENDS AND FAMILY DISCOUNT

Rugby at Union County Celtic Fest Saturday Sept 9, 2023

Saturday, September 9th is the First Annual Union County Celtic Festival, hosted at Oak Ridge Park in Clark (136 Oak Ridge Road Clark, NJ 07066). The Festival will be featuring rugby games during the day and the Mudturtles will be involved in ALL of them. This is the the schedule of games: 10:00am - High School Boys 7s 11:00am - Women vs Long Island 1:00pm - Youth Flag 2:00pm - D3 Men vs Morris 4:30pm - D4 Men vs Princeton While players will be admitted to the festival free of charge, there will be a fee for all others. Friends and family can use the following link to get discounted tickets to the festival for $10 rather than $25 at the gate. https://fevogm.com/event/UnionCountyCelticFestivalPiper The code is good through Wednesday, 9/6 at midnight. For $10 the event will be well worth it. There is a lot on the festival grounds but it may be better to operate under the assumption that it will be full. Everyone should expect to park in the overflow area or additional offsite lot so allow a little extra time to arrive. A shuttle will bring us to the game and it isn’t far away. That this is an unfortunate, unavoidable downside to an otherwise awesome event.

RUGBY FAMILY CELTIC DISCOUNT LINK

High School Fall 7s Registration open now!

High School 7s registration is now open. Please make sure you are registered with USA rugby as a player before registering for 7s. All players must be registered. Register on our website. www.mudturtlerfc.com

USA RUGBY

Youth Tackle Board AGM - Monday, June 6th 7:30 pm @ Brad-Pak

We will be having our Youth Tackle Board AGM on Monday, June 6th 7:30 pm at Brad-Pak, 124 South Ave Garwood. The board will be going over several items parents and coaches are welcome to attend. Agenda Recap of the year for 7s, U12/U14 , U16 U18 teams. Budget present/ future. Plan for next year ( 7s, Winter Classic, fundraising, recruitment, and our plan for next year) Bylaws Coaching If there are any other items that should be added to the agenda please email me unionflagrugby@gmail.com See you there, Coach John

Correction: Youth Tackle Board AGM - Monday, June 12th 7:30 pm @ Brad-Pak

Correction: We will be holding our Youth Tackle Board AGM on Monday, June 12th 7:30 pm at Brad-Pak, 124 South Ave in Garwood. Please update your calendar. Apologies for the mistake. Thank you, Coach John

Sean MacLaney

Sean MacLaney has been playing rugby for 16 years since he started in First grade with the Westfield Owls. This upcoming weekend, he is playing in the Division1A National Championship game - Navy vs. Cal on May 6, 2023, which can be watch on therugbynetwork at 7:30 pm. During the playoffs, he was voted the "Man of the Match" in Navy's win over Army when Sean lead his team with their opening try of the game.

Watch On The Rugby Network

Car Wash April 29th Cancelled

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate yet again. We are cancelling the car wash for tomorrow, Saturday the 29th, but will try to reschedule for a later date. If you have purchased tickets, please hold onto them. Thank you.

Car Wash April 29th 9am-2pm

Get your car washed and help support our Youth Tackle program this Saturday, April 29th from 9am - 2pm at Brad-Pak, 124 South Avenue, Garwood, NJ. A fun fundraiser for all! Don't miss out.