For 60 years, the University of North Carolina Rugby Football Club has provided provided young Tar Heel men with an exception brotherhood and the opportunity to represent the world's greatest university in the world's greatest sport.

The Saturday is Rugby Day booster club was organized to advance the Club and improve engagement opportunities for the broader Club community. During Phase I of the #EarnOurBlues Strategic Plan, the booster club has set the following goals:

Improve student-athlete welfare by providing athletic trainer coverage for away matches.
Reduce pressure on student-athletes and reduce risk exposure on the club by providing 12/15-passenger vans driven by volunteers for away matches.
Fuel student-athlete success by providing nutritious meals on travel and match days.
Provide professional coaching to:
1. Improve the Club's administrative continuity;
2. Accelerate the development of student-athletes; and
3. Create new, high-performance program offerings alongside the existing club-style opportunity.
Expand rugby participation opportunities; including intramural, touch, and grades programming.
Revitalize Alumni Weekend by collaborating with the women's club to improve the planning and execution of the event; including earlier communications of dates and itineraries.
Create a new Parents & Family Weekend event; allowing the families of student-athletes to engage more directly with the Club.

Reaching our $110,000 Annual target will allow us to achieve all of our Phase I targets during the 2026-2027 academic year. A gift of any amount will make a meaningful, positive impact on a UNC Rugby student-athlete's performance and well-being.

$30 fuels a UNC rugger's performance with proper nutritious meals and snacks on a match day.
$500 ensures all UNC ruggers have attentive medical coverage for one away match.
$3,000 covers all expenses for one UNC rugger to train and compete for the entire academic year; including away match medical coverage, safe & low-pressure travel, and professional coaching.

As a supporter of UNCRFC, you will automatically receive privileges and perks as a token of our appreciation. The table below outlines each tier within the Booster Club and the corresponding level of giving.

The Saturday is Rugby Day booster club provides financial stewardship and oversight for all gifts. The board consists of Club alumni (Dan Dunn, Daniel Van Niekerk, Justin Eldreth), current Club executive leadership (Ethan West), parents of current Club members (Amanda Davis), and at-large experts (Johnathan Atkeison).

Non-Financial Ways to Advance UNC Rugby

Give Time & Talent: Sharing your time and talent can make a meaningful, positive impact on UNCRFC programs while defraying costs. Some ways to support the club with your time include:

Referee a 2nd XV Match: Officiating a 2nd XV match takes pressure off of the local referee society which is stretched thin. This allows us to schedule more matches for our 2nd XV. It also amounts to a $200-300 saving for the club per match. There is a World Rugby L1 Match Official certification class in North Carolina on 8 September. Contact Head Coach Joey Rasmus for more information (rasmus@unc.edu).
Serve as Assistant Referee or Fourth Official for a 1st XV Match: Because there is a scarcity of rugby referees in the United States, most matches are played without a full four-person officiating team. By working within our Club's community, we can ensure UNCRFC's 1st XV always has a complete officiating team for all home matches. There is a World Rugby L1 Match Official certification class in North Carolina on 8 September. Contact Head Coach Joey Rasmus for more information (rasmus@unc.edu).

Amplify the Annual Fund Campaign: By amplifying the campaign via your social media platforms and email – whichever you are comfortable using for this purpose – you can significantly improve the success of the Annual Fund Campaign. We have created this Resource Guide to make amplifying the campaign as easy as possible. Amplifiers who share Campaign graphics on social media drive an additional $450 in giving on average. Amplifiers who send direct emails to ten personal contacts tend to drive an additional $1,000-2,000.

If you do elect to make a financial gift today, you can also use the Campaign's integrated social media features to share your participation. This is just one more way to grow the audience investing in and enjoying the success of UNC Rugby and its broader community.

Important Notice: IRS 501(c)(3) Status Approved!

Thank you for supporting Saturday is Rugby Day and our mission to support UNCRFC student-athletes. Saturday is Rugby Day Inc. holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS. Your generous donations will be tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

If you previously contributed to Saturday is Rugby Day, your gift is also retroactively tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Thank you for your support!

Thank You to All Our Boosters: 1966 Club Honor Roll

26-27 Annual Fund Campaign

Advancing Men's Rugby at the University of North Carolina

Team Leaderboard

Team Members