The Boston Irish Wolfhounds Youth Rugby (RFC) is a non-profit youth organization founded in 2002. We play home games and hold trainings at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton MA. Practices are held Wednesdays and Friday for K-8th grades starting in the spring from 5:30pm to 7:00pm and run to the end of June. High school teams follow the same practice schedule but begin at the end of May/beginning of June and run to the end of July. Following Friday practices, many families retire to the ICC's outdoor tent for a casual dinner, drinks, and live music. What a great way to start the weekend as a family!
The Wolfhounds Youth K-2, 3rd/4th, and 5th/6th grade teams play no contact flag rugby while the 7th/8th grade team adds more complex techniques and some limited contact including tackling to what they previously learned. The high school teams play full tackle rugby.
While our K-2, 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, and 7th/8th teams are currently co-ed, our high school teams are not.
Youth rugby builds character and athleticism while fostering sportsmanship and community in a fun, safe and inclusive atmosphere. Youth from elementary to high school are welcome. Our coaches foster camaraderie, sportsmanship, integrity, respect, having fun, and place an emphasis on TEAMWORK.
Our tackle coaches are certified at a minimum of World Rugby Level 1 Coach through USA Rugby while our flag coaches are certified as non-contact coaches at a minimum. USA Rugby certifications emphasize safety, require participation in SafeSport, and require background checks of coaches.
Kindergarten to grade 2 players play a flag version of rugby and focus on learning how to pass and the basics of the game.
From 3rd grade through 6th grade, players continue playing the flag version but gain proficiency in their skill set and add new skills.
7th & 8th grade players add controlled scrumdowns and lineouts to the game as well as tackling.
High school girls play the full version of rugby which includes tackling.
High school boys play the full version of rugby which includes tackling.
Please reach out to us at info@wolfhoundsyouthrugby.org if you cannot find an answer to your question. Also check out our Registration FAQs.
Kids age 6 through high school can play in the Hounds Youth Rugby program. While we want your children to start playing rugby as early as possible, we find that typically kids under the age of 6 are not ready for the length of the practice and do not yet have the physical skills necessary. Kids generally play in age groups of 6-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and high school ages.
Unfortunately, we do not currently have a fall season though sometimes we do have fall or winter clinics. We start in the spring and play until the end of June or July depending on the age group and participant availability.
For practices, all that is needed is shorts, a t-shirt, a mouth guard (required), and sneakers or cleats (preferred - molded plastic soccer cleats work best for youth rugby). Rugby cleats cannot have a single center front cleat.). For games, each player wears the "kit": a Wolfhounds jersey, rugby shorts, rugby socks, cleats or sneakers, and a mouth guard. Please leave watches or jewelry at home. Don't forget your water bottle! See the Equipment section on our Play page.
No problem! Most kids come to our team without any kind of experience. We welcome all newcomers to the sport regardless of whether your child is starting in Kindergarten or High School.
Absolutely! Girls are awesome ruggers, and colleges are increasingly recruiting women rugby players. We are adding a girls high school team in 2025 and plan to continue adding separate teams for girls as we have the numbers of girls and coaches to do so.
While you don't have to be Irish to play on the Wolfhounds, it is certainly not frowned upon! The men's Wolfhounds team embodies the international nature of rugby, bringing together the closely linked communities of Boston and Ireland, with players from all over Ireland, the United States, New Zealand, England, Australia, Argentina, Canada, South Africa and Venezuela. We embrace that diversity on the youth team as well!
Flag rugby is played through the age of 12 and is touch only. Tackling in rugby begins when kids are in 7th grade and is carefully taught to promote safety above all else.
In flag rugby, players do not make contact with each and are not allowed to dive on the ground - even when attempting to score.
All rugby coaches must undergo training certification developed by USA Rugby, the US governing body of the sport, which includes training on safety in the game.
Middle school rugby begins to include contact but still has modifications to the game to provide less contact for the younger players. High school rugby is a contact game.
With all contact games there is always some risk of injury. However, player safety is paramount. The laws prohibit deliberate contact with the head or neck of player, making contact with a player while the player is jumping other than to compete for the ball, and tacklers are responsible for the safety of the player they are tackling. Referees are empowered to sanction, sin bin, or send off players they deem to be playing dangerously or recklessly. These same instructions are used all the way through rugby to the highest professional levels.
USA Rugby's SafeSport program was created with the U.S. Center for Safe Sport to provide guidance and rules for all who participate in rugby to keep kids safe on the field and off the field. All coaches are required to do SafeSport training and have background checks per USA Rugby rules.
Boston Irish Wolfhounds Youth Rugby Football Club
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