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
Hello, We are hosting a FREE Rugby skills clinic This Saturday 11/9 & next Saturday 11/16 from 10-12 at Unami Park Cranford. BE ON TIME (15 minutes early) cleats on and ready to work! The skills clinic is free, but all participants MUST BE REGISTERED WITH USA RUGBY (see link below) we strongly suggest all current and future players attend. No experience necessary. Please try and make both clinics. Please make sure your player is registered, has a mouthguard, and water. Cleats are strongly suggested. The USA Rugby registration page will bring you to Rugby Xplorer, register there. After you register your player, please take a screenshot of their profile page with the registration number and give it to the coaches. See you there Coach John And the U12 U14 coaches Dan Jaco and Neal
Remember this Saturday October 12 at Unami Park will be "50th DAY" to celebrate 50 years of Union County rugby. Last Saturday saw a big crowd come out to cheer on the Mudturtles, first the ladies who posted a 38-5 win over Long Island rugby. The men followed with a 24-5 win over Central Jersey Rugby. With these victories both the men and ladies continued their Fall season unbeaten streaks. This weekend 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. Dust off your boots and show us you still have moves. 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 Maclaney, and Will Galway. Drink up will follow. Don't miss out on a great day to get together with old friends at Unami.
Join the Mudturtles Sunday October 27 to watch the NJ Devils take on the Anaheim Ducks, puck drop at 7:00. Ticket are $55.00 per person, limited amount so see link below and purchase your tickets today.
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.
Hello, We will be hosting a free CO-ED youth Rugby clinic 10/5/24 from 11am -12;30 @ Unami park Cranford. This is a GREAT opportunity to come out and give tackle Rugby a TRY! no experience necessary. Bring a friend! The clinic is free, but all Participants MUST be registered with USA RUGBY to attend. There is a link below to register with USA RUGBY via RUGBYXPLORER. Registrations are good from 8/31- 9/1 of each Calander year. There will also be a MENS team game after the clinic the kids are welcomed to stay and watch. 10/5/24 11am-12:30 (get there early and be prepared) all participants must have a mouthguard, and water. Cleats are STRONGLY encouraged Come out, have some fun, and give Rugby a try! We hope to see you there Coaches John, Dan and Jaco
Happy Monday Rugby Family! We have some left over Myths vs Legends t-shirts from Mudturtle day. We are selling them for $15 each or 2 for $25. If your interested in purchasing please contact Jess. You can email her at jessieb.mk@gmail.com or text her at 908-42-3448.
Hi flag families! Many of you were able to attend the Rugby (tackle) demo at Mudturtle Day in Rahway this past weekend and several of you expressed interest in learning more about the program. For those that are interested, please follow this link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjwgRg1sgGnvPr9MpWWJUJszCJyDLpWgteVj1HGJuA3_ymiA/viewform) and provide us with some information, and we will be in touch about the upcoming 2025 season for our U12 and U14 programs. Enjoy the rest of your summer! Jess
Thank you so much to each and every one of you who came out to make the 50th Anniversary Celebration a night to remember. We were honored to give the early members of our club a celebration for all of the hard work and dedication to the Mudturtle family, and to look forward to the future of rugby at home and in the USA at large. Thank you again for your patience as we corralled everyone for photos. As promised, please check out the link below. We hope the album offers you some treasured keepsakes. Note that any photos that you download will not have the image watermark. Simply enter you email address to view albums. Let us continue to keep Union traditions strong and keep growing as both a rugby club and a part of the Union County community at large - Here's to another 50 years!
Happy Monday! Just a quick reminder that the deadline for the Girls Rule T-shirt design contest is this Wednesday 6/26. The only requirement for the design is that "Girls Rule" be somewhere in the design. Please send your submissions to jessieb.mk@gmail.com. Good luck girls!!
Hi all. I hope everyone is staying cool! I wanted to let everyone know that there is one thing that needs to be on the t-shirt design for the girls rule match t-shirts. If your daughter decides to submit a design the words "Girls Rule" needs to be in the design somewhere. Other than that they a free reign on the design. Don't forget the deadline is June 26th. Designs can be submitted to the email address jessieb.mk@gmail.com. See you all on the pitch!!
Hello Flag Families!! As some of you know at our last tournament of the season we have a Girls Rule game and the girls who play get a shirt for that special match. This year we are asking the girls to submit there design ideas for the the Girls Rule t-shirts and the winning design will be printing on the match shirts for Flag Fest on 7/20. Any girl who plays flag rugby can submit a design! Designs must be submitted no lated then Wednesday June 26th. They can be submitted to Jessica Blessing at jessieb.mk@gmail.com. The Women's rugby team will be picking the winning design!!
Welcome all to another season for Mudturtle Flag Rugby!! We would like to take a moment to remind all parents and guardians that there is no world cup of flag rugby. Flag rugby is for the players to run around and have fun. Please take a moment to review the Mudturtle Code of Rugby on the link below. In rugby we respect our opponents, referees, and all volunteers as without them we have no game. We especially like to remind all that our referees are the same kids who played flag in the past few years. Yes, calls may not be made, mistakes may happen, so when this does occur just let the game "play on". We do work each week with the refs, in particular the new ones, to train them in different aspects of the game so all can improve. If you do see an area in which we can improve please bring it to your program's head person. They will pass along to our referee committee. Thanks and let's all have a fun summer!!!!!!
Anyone interested in refereeing for our flag season please TEXT Dorella Sullivan at 917 299 2505. Requirements are, must be in High School, Played Flag Rugby for us or Played Tackle for more than one season. Training session coming soon so get your name in.
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.
Be warned time is running out to sign up for the Mudturtle's 50th events. Last day to register for golf is this Sunday May 19. Last day to register for the Gala is next Thursday May 23. Click on link below to go to events page and register today. Thanks.
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
Flag rugby registration is open, don't miss out on summer fun for the whole family, click the link below to sign up your players. Also tell your friends, neighbors, and family all are welcome to come join the rugby lifestyle. All of our players stay active, learn team building, and all participate each week. Rugby is one of the few games you can play for your whole life. Over the years we have had flag players move on to youth tackle, the go off and play in college, to return and play on our men and womens teams. All while making lifelong friends along the way. Practices start the first week of June. We also welcome adult participation join the fun and help coach no experience needed we will teach. Looking forward to another summer of flag rugby!!!
The celebration of the Mudturtles 50th Year is less than a month away, being held 6:00 PM June 8, 2024 at the Galloping Hill Golf Club. This is a formal event including cocktails, dinner, awards, and dancing. Don't miss out on what promises to be one of the most memorial nights in club history. Use the link below to register. Should anyone traveling out of town require lodging for the weekend, there is a block of rooms reserved for our group at the Kenilworth Hotel. Please call the hotel directly at 800-775-3645 to make a reservation and request to book under "Union County Rugby Club 50th Anniversary Room Block." There will be shuttle transportation to and from the Gala for anyone utilizing the club room block. Finally, if you have any photographs or memorabilia you would be willing to contribute to the event, please reach out to a.e.gildea@gmail.com Thank you.
We need to give final number for the golf outing next Monday. Registration will close Sunday!!!! 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. Any and all Mudturtles are welcome to attend. Don't miss out!!!
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.
Apologizes to those who tried to sign up for golf and may have gotten a sold out message seems we had a bug in the programming. This has been corrected spots are still open click the link below and register. Thank you.
Good morning flag family!! Registration for the 2024 flag rugby season is open!!! Please spread the word and invite a friend to try flag rugby this season! See you on the pitch! Jessica Director of Union County Youth Flag Rugby
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.
Don't miss out on what is surely to be one of the best golf outing you will ever attend!!! Register now to join the Mudturtles as they take over the course at Ashbrook on June 7. See link below, once on page scroll down for details and to purchase tickets. Not a golfer purchase a lunch ticket and join in on the fun!! Current players, old boys, ancients, parent in flag or youth program, fans, and friends all are welcome to attend.
Good things happened for the Mudturtles this past weekend. The men went to South Jersey posting a 44-19 win. The women went to and secured their first ever victory over Morris!!! This weekend Saturday April 13 is a full day at Unami with the Ladies B side playing Montclair U at 11:00, followed by the Men D3 kicking off against Brooklyn at 1:00 and D4 kicking off against Bayonne at 3:00. We encourage all Mudturtles to come out and support lets fill up Unami Park!! Also do not forget to first drop by the Mudturtle car wash that is being run by our youth tackle program. Location is at Brad-Pak 124 South Avenue Garwood, NJ.
Rosie Zbeda who has been heading up our Berkeley Heights Flag program for years will be part of a team for Women Unite to fundraise for Covenant house that supports teenage homelessness, this Friday April 12 at Giants stadium. Click on the link below to support Rosie a good Mudturtle doing good work!!!
Help support the youth tackle program on Saturday April 13 from 9:00AM-2:00PM as they will be running a carwash at Brad-Pak 124 South Avenue Garwood, NJ. For a $10 donation you can get a nice shiny ride!!!
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!!!
Save the date March 9 2024, the Mudturtles will be marching in the Union County St. Patrick's Day Parade. All flag, youth tackle, adult players, old boys, and ancients along with parents, spouses, friends and fans are welcome. Details to follow shortly, thanks.
Hello, Just a reminder U12 and U14 will be at Rabkin Park Union tomorrow 9am until 11am. Please enter field through dugout entrance by snackbar/ tennis courts. make sure to have water and a mouthguard with you. Dress appropriately. See you tomorrow. Coach John ***HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS WILL BE AT RAHWAY REC CENTER 8am.***
Hello, We were able to secure a practice spot for tonight we are going to keep it short one hour from 6-7pm Apologies for the short notice , we were having issues getting neccesary paperwork from USA RUGBY. We have it taken care of , so the upcoming schedule will be. 2/22/24. 6-7pm 2/25/24 9-11am 2/27/24 6:30-8 2/29/24 6:30-8 ALL @ RABKIN PARK UNION NJ enter from Stahuber Ave / Conlon soccer field to Swanstrom Dr. Please enter the pitch from the baseball dugout near the snackbar/ tennis courts. We realize this is very short notice and if you can not make it we understand. The Schedule for March will be on the club calander soon. In March we are at Rahway River Park. See you tonight Coach John
Reminder there is no practice tomorrow Sunday 2/11/24. See you next week.
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
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
Don't forget practice tomorrow For U12 & U14 at Rahway Rec center ( 3 city hall dr ) off E Milton. Get there before 930 Dressed in gym clothes and ready to work. We have a lot to get to. Make sure you have your Mouthguard and Water at every practice. See you tomorrow Coach John
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
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
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
Hello, Please join us for our annual High School team winter classic, this is always a really great day for everyone involved. The Bob Scheurer Winter Classic is a chance to have fun, play some off-season Rugby, and showcase what Rugby looks like to prospective players. We will have Food, Hot Chocolate, and of course Rugby! There will also be AWESOME club merchandise for sale, JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! One stop shopping! If you know someone on the fence about trying Rugby, or someone who is just interested please bring them. High School Players for Union Rugby, and prospective players they bring will get a free commemorative T-shirt, while supplies last! So please Join us. KICK OFF AT 11AM MADISON AVE PARK RAHWAY We hope you can make it! Coach John
Players from our womens team will be hosting a Free GIRLS RUGBY Clinic for girls grades 5- 12 , on Saturday 11/4 @ Unami Park ( back pitch by circle) from 11:30-1. Please bring water and a mouthguard , cleats are strongly recommended.
We will be on the back pitch near the bathrooms.
Hello, Please make sure to register your player with USA Rugby , they will not be able to do any contact without being registered. Please fill out the Google sign up sheet link below. Coaches will be there at 10:30 am so get there early and Please be completely ready to participate at 11am. Everyone needs to have a mouthguard no exceptions, and water. See you Saturday Coach John
Come support the lady Mudturtles as they defend their Empire GU title this Saturday October 21, kicking off at 11:00 for this championship match versus Long Island Womens Rugby. Put on your Mudturtle swag and come out to cheer on the ladies.
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.
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.
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.
Hello, On September 9th 2023 Union County Rugby will be playing Rugby as part of the UNION COUNTY CELTIC FESTIVAL. The festival will be held at Oak Ridge Park in Clark NJ. We need 25 Hawks/Eagles from ANY of our Mudturtle Flag teams, to play one game showcasing our flag rugby program. Slots are filling up quick! This is a great opportunity to get the word out about our program. Come join us and let's show everyone what Flag Rugby looks like. In addition to a Flag Game there will be High School 7s, Women's team game, Men's A and B side games. RUGBY ALL DAY! I will be emailing a discount code for player's family members to attend. Players are free to get into the festival. Please sign up and buy the discounted tickets asap. Ticket code will be taken down before festival. Players must be there at the field/track NO LATER THAN 12PM game will start 1pm. Hope to see you there! Coach John
Please note it is just Westfield who does not have fields tonight, all other programs who practice Thursday are on unless otherwise advised, Thank you.
As we kick off another Flag Rugby season we would like to ask all to take a moment and review the Code of Mudturtle Rugby on the attached link. In short flag is a fun program where we teach the basic skills of the game and more importantly the rugby culture which is to respect all which includes team mates, opposition, and the referees. Without all three there is no game. We do remind all the referees for flag are former flag players, some have more experience some are just learning to ref all are kids. Do refrain from commenting to the refs during games. If you feel any particular ref can improve do see you town head or coach afterwards and let them know your thoughts. They will give this feedback to the referee committee who in turn will let all the referees know what points they need to work on improving for the next week. Thank you.
The referee training that was scheduled for tonight has been cancelled to do the air quality. See you on Saturday!
Monday, May 15th is the last day to place your orders on the Mudturtle Club Store for our 50th Anniversary gear. Don't miss out! Get your orders in now. For those who have made purchases, we thank you for your patience as we did extend the sale.
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.
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.
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.
Spring is here, weather is warming, and Flag Rugby registration is open. Our season starts the week of June 5th, with first games on Saturday, June 10th. The season wraps up Saturday, July 22nd with our annual Flag Fest. We look forward to all joining us for a summer of Flag Rugby and FUN. Register today!
With the forecast calling for a cold front and high chance or rain tomorrow we are moving the youth tackle carwash date to Saturday April 29. Thanks for understanding.
The Mudturtle Shop is running a March sale, included in the shop is a 50th Anniversary 63" X 63" blanket with youth logo. Perfect item to keep in the car to break out during a chilly game, or spread out and sit on to enjoy the sun on a warm day. Browse the shop on the link below, thanks.
This Sunday, March 5, you have a chance to watch a legacy of Mudturtle Rugby play professionally as Michael "Chicken" Dabulas and Old Glory of Washington DC travel to New York to take on RUNY. See link below for game and ticket information.