By Liam O’Brien
Managing Editor of Sports
For years, the rugby program has served as the cornerstone of the club sports landscape at Newton South.
Following the ruling by the MIAA, however, that will no longer be the case.
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association announced in early May that rugby will be admitted as an official MIAA sport for both boys and girls after a vote ruled in favor of the change, becoming the tenth and 11th official spring sports at Newton South.
For the club, which is affiliated with Newton North, this announcement represents a major step forward in the growth of its sport within the state.
Not only will the alteration help attract some much-needed recognition from students and faculty to the sport here at South, but also it will allow the team to acquire valuable resources that it didn’t have access to before.
“Well, in the future it’ll allow us to actually be affiliated with North and South, and hopefully allow us to get some funding for our programs, games, and equipment,” said senior Tiffany Balram, a veteran of the Newton Girls Rugby Club. “It will also allow us to reserve more space for practices/games at South and North.”
Formerly, lacking the representation from the schools, all of the equipment, field space, and referee expenses were covered by the program and its members. Now, having gained recognition from the school, the team will now be cushioned by a yearly budget allotted by the athletic department.
“Previously, every person who joined the team paid $135, which covered the cost for the referees and some equipment,” said Balram. “Some companies sponsor us, which allowed us to get new jersey’s last year.”
Now sponsored by the school, the team could potentially acquire new talent interested in the sport that may not have even been aware of its previous presence.
The change could also help attract those intrigued with the opportunity to try something new, or those fascinated by the physical intangibles of the sport.
Despite enjoying some success on the field over the past few seasons, the rugby team has constantly been out-numbered by more established programs. However, now being recognized by the MIAA, this is subject to change, according to the team.
“[The number of players] honestly varies year to year with the amount of returning players that we have,” Belram said. “Only one team has been able to beat us this season and they have about 35-40 players which is double than what we have,” a factor which exemplifies the team’s previous struggle to coax new talent into joining the team, according to Belram.
The change could also affect the accessibility of games for students, parents, and faculty to come see. With more of the games occurring at Newton South or North fields rather than miscellaneous parks around Newton, it will be easier for people to come support the team.
“I do think if the majority of our games are at South or North, people will be able to get there with a lot more ease so that will help the turnout,” Balram said.
