Drury University Adding Rugby, Hiring Coaches
Drury University Adding Rugby, Hiring Coaches
Drury University in Springfield, Mo. has announced that it will be adding men's and women's rugby as club teams beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year.
This is part of a move to add more sports at the school. Clubs for lacrosse, hockey, triathlon, and STUNT (which is basically all the dangerous parts of cheerleading).
The University will be hiring full-time coaches for the men's and women's rugby teams.
"We're thrilled to launch these teams and continue the Drury tradition of offering a wide range of outlets for students' interests beyond the classroom," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Corey Bray. "At the same time, we're pleased to give students who might not have otherwise been aware of the university an entry point to a world-class education at Drury."
Each team will have a full-time coach, an operating budget and scholarships where rules allow. Coaches will begin recruiting immediately upon hire and will spend the next year building their programs ahead of the start of competition in fall 2022. The programs will use existing Drury and Springfield community facilities.
"At a time when many universities are cutting back on the academic and co-curricular opportunities they offer to students, Drury continues to invest," said President Dr. Tim Cloyd. "We are investing in new experiences such as marching band and club sports, new academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and new campus facilities such as the C.H. 'Chub' O'Reilly Enterprise Center and Breech School of Business."