Revitalization of the Spartan HS rugby club

My family, friends, and friends of friends, I am in need of some assistance. As some of you know I have taken up the role this year as the head coach for the Spartan high school Rugby club I grew up in. I LOVE this club. For 20 years now this club has taught young men and women about this amazing sport. This club is now the last of the original high school programs in West TN, due to other teams evolving and circumstances changing.

This club founded by Tony Brooks and others in the heart of our city, has had hundreds of student athletes come through and some of which go on to play collegiate rugby at D1-D2 programs all over the US. This game and club allow for collegiate opportunities for socioeconomically marginalized youth, and also teaches invaluable life skills of teamwork, resilience, and overall physical/mental health and well-being. An outlet, for some kids who would otherwise find less desirable habits and distractions.

All that being said, we need help. The club is not, and has never been in place to make money. Coaches have always volunteered until the Memphis Inner City Rugby program kept us afloat when they didn’t have to during a coaching transition period when Coach Tony retired. But in order for us to keep serving this community of young athletes and their families, we have to grow and improve. And that takes funding.

Every season, we will have to financially cover:

-Referee/trainer fees

-Van rentals

-Tournament/field fees

-Gear: pads, tackle dummies, balls, jerseys, shorts, socks, team shirts/jackets, mouthpieces, kicking tees

-Kids also still have to cover their state registration

I need help so me and the other coaches don’t have to front the money for the club personally. Without kickstarter funds, the club suffers time constraints and missed opportunities for tournaments and travel that will give our kids better exposure to colleges and the game. I suffer the stresses of running the operation without funds.

One day I would also LOVE for us to be able to afford to pay something back to the amazing volunteer coaches who I would not be here without.

If you have ever benefited from this sport in any way, or if you believe me or our mission to better these young men’s lives and provide them with opportunities, please donate what you can to help us revitalize this program. ANYTHING helps.

-Jacob Scott