KU Men’s Rugby Thrives on Alumni Support, Women's Team Seeks For Visibility

Kansas men’s rugby team has been around since 1964 established for 61 years the team thrives off alumni support and access to resources. Meanwhile, the KU women's rugby team struggles to secure the same level of financial support and visibility, despite its efforts to grow on campus. 

A major factor in this disparity is the men’s team’s strong alumni network, which provides financial support and key resources for the club. These include a home field, ability to pay their staff, and funding for travel opportunities. 

 “We have a really good history to the club and because of that we have people who still contribute and provide the guys with opportunities,” Blake Dreyer, vice president of men’s rugby said. 

These opportunities extend beyond Lawrence. Last summer the team was able to travel to Australia, where they learned about rugby culture and played with other teams. This trip was a once in a lifetime experience that would not have been possible without the financial support from alumni and donors. 

Beyond monetary contributions, the men’s team has established a strong presence in the Lawrence community, largely due to their social media presence. Griff Hastings, the team’s paid social media manager, has helped the club grow its Instagram following to over 3,000 followers, allowing them to engage with alumni, potential new players, and people on campus.

This support has helped them create a strong roster of around 40 players, a mix of both newcomers and experienced high school athletes. In contrast the women’s team consists of only 10 players, all who have never played the sport prior to college, making recruitment and retention an ongoing issue. 

“We just don’t have as big of an alumni base to support us, and there’s not people who stick around in Lawrence who have been a part of the team,” KU women’s head coach KJ Abel said. “So that is the biggest difference I see is the alumni and history is not as strong for us since we haven’t been around for as long.” 

Despite this resource gap, both teams recognize the importance of building a strong community for rugby at KU. While the men’s program continues to benefit off of decades of alumni support, they work to support the women’s team where they can. 

“In my experience the men’s team love to see women play rugby and the KU women's team prosper,” Whited said. “A couple years ago there was maybe more of an elitism as rugby as a man's sport but I think nowadays the community is a lot more welcoming for women.” 

As KU rugby moves forward, the men’s team remains a model of what strong alumni support can achieve, showing the women a path of where they hope their club can go.