Giving Day 2023

The Slugs had a fantastic 2022–23 season for both the Men's and Women's Rugby teams. With a large pool of returning veteran players and countless new rookies, our Women’s Rugby team put together a roster of 60 incredible students and placed second in the West Coast Rugby Conference for the second year in a row. Our Men’s Rugby team completed their inaugural season competing in the D1A conference, facing fierce competition, and the Slugs brought home wins against UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis. Now Slug Rugby is eager to begin the 2023–24 season.

With the momentum from last year, we are hitting the ground running! Both the Men’s and Women’s Rugby teams have many Slugs returning to play, with over 50 recruited players on both sides for a total roster of 120. To help our players realize their potential as passionate and skilled rugby players, we are running a tight practice regime three nights a week and Saturday afternoons in preparation for multiple preseason tournaments and scrimmages. Off the pitch, the Slugs have pledged to immerse themselves in a sport dedicated to inclusivity, acceptance, and community while maintaining academic excellence and strengthening our bonds among our wider Santa Cruz and rugby community.

Building on their performance from last year, the Men’s Rugby team will again be competing in the D1A California conference. With another year of strong recruitment, the team plans to field an experienced and developmental 15s team throughout the season. The men are committed to rugby excellence and have their sights set on placing third or better in their conference this year. On the Women’s Rugby side, the team has a goal to place first in their conference and go to Regionals for the first time in over 10 years, while establishing well-skilled experienced and developmental sides.

The Men’s and Women’s Rugby teams remain committed to raising funds for our club through outreach, volunteer work, and merchandise sales. However, rugby is not an NCAA sport and the university does not provide us with much financial support. Because of this, we rely on the generosity of alumni, family, and friends for the majority of our needs. 

Your support enables us to practice with quality equipment and training gear, travel across California and Nevada to compete in league competitions, host tournaments at UCSC, record and broadcast matches, engage in preseason and postseason competitions, and compete at the highest-possible level. Your donations not only ensure that both teams can compete at the top of their game, but also increase player recruitment and retention by decreasing the financial barriers to participation.

Inspired by the collaborative history of the UCSC Men’s and Women’s Rugby Club origin, we are now taking a unified, equitable approach to rugby fundraising. To that end, we created a joint foundation account that can support the needs of both teams. This new equitable funding paradigm puts rugby first and ensures that both teams have like opportunities and experiences.

To meet the travel, equipment, and recruitment needs for the upcoming rugby season, our goal is to raise a collective $60,000 for both teams in the 2023–24 season. With your support, we can continue to push Slugby to the top of collegiate rugby.

The most beautiful part of rugby is the enduring community of past and present players, coaches, and supporters. Together, we can gather the funds to support the UCSC Rugby Club the same way we always do—as a team. 

Go Slugs!