CLAYTON, NC – The growth of rugby in the Clayton area has been rapid and exciting to say the least. A sport that was largely unknown in the area just three years ago now has almost 200 active players from ages 6-55. With teams in every age group from youth to adult, the time has come to take the next step so as to better prepare for what is expected to be a bright future for rugby in the area. With that, the Clayton Rugby Football Club and the Clayton Copperheads are proud to announce the launch of the Johnston County Rugby Foundation (JCRF).
Founded in the Winter of 2015 by program leaders from both the youth and men’s clubs, the JCRF will serve as the non-profit entity tabbed with supporting the growth of the sport of rugby in Clayton, Johnston County, and surrounding communities. Effective March 9th, 2015 the Johnston County Rugby Foundation is recognized as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization through the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation is also registered as a non-profit with the State of North Carolina.
“As rugby continues to explode in the area, the Foundation comes along at the right time,” said Ted Hardy, President of the Clayton Rugby Football Club. “We have so many wonderful things happening here in Clayton that it is time to start reaching out to other communities and sharing this great sport of ours. The Foundation will play a large role in supporting the programs that already exist and growing rugby across Johnston County.”
The immediate goal of the JCRF is to make rugby the pre-eminent sport for youth and adults available to everyone in Johnston County and North Carolina. With programs alive and well in Clayton, the JCRF will begin to look at other areas and use the model established by the Clayton Copperheads to expand the sport.
“Players of all ages, races, athletic abilities, and economic backgrounds deserve to have the opportunity to share in the many positive life skills developed through playing rugby,” added Hardy.
There are a number of long-term goals for the Foundation including establishing a college scholarship fund, working with at risk youth, and providing coaching and player development opportunities. Chief among the Foundation’s long-term goals is to obtain property, design, develop and operate a state of the art rugby facility in Johnston County.
With rugby growing so quickly in the area, obtaining field space for games and practices is already becoming an issue. Developing a rugby facility in Johnston County is going to play a vital role in the continued growth of the sport in the area.
To learn more about the Johnston County Rugby Foundation, please visit their website. If you are interested in making a donation, please contact the JCRF at [email protected] . All donations to the JCRF are tax deductible. Donations may be targeted for a particular program, project, or simply donated for general use in the support of rugby in the area.
