Philadelphia Whitemarsh RFC
Encyclopedia
Philadelphia Whitemarsh Rugby Football Club is a rugby union
team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, USA. They are currently members of the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union
, the organizational body for the sport in eastern Pennsylvania, and currently play in USA Rugby
Men's Club Division III.
logo and Whitemarsh's wallaby
. Also included are the founding dates: 1961, 1967, 1985.
Philadelphia Whitemarsh played in the Rugby Super League, the country's highest level of rugby union, from 1998 to 2008, when they withdrew.
The club, looking to rebuild its foundation, moved to Division 3 in Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union
beginning in the fall of 2009.
Things turned around for PWRFC however in the spring of 2011. The young players in the club brought in college and high school teammates, Conway Maraki came in as a player-coach and the club began to reform. That spring, the new PWRFC went 3-2 in exhibition matches, both losses coming by a combined 4 points.
In the Fall of 2011, PWRFC ran the table in EPRU Division 3, going a perfect 8-0 and won the EPRU D3 crown. They will be the #1 seed in the MARFU playoffs in the Spring of 2012. The top 2 teams of the 8 MARFU qualifiers will advance to the USA round of 16.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, USA. They are currently members of the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union
Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union
The Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union is the Local Area Union for rugby union teams in Eastern and Central Pennsylvania, as well as Delaware and parts of New Jersey...
, the organizational body for the sport in eastern Pennsylvania, and currently play in USA Rugby
USA Rugby
USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. It is divided into seven territorial Unions: Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Pacific Coast, Southern California, South, and West...
Men's Club Division III.
History
Philadelphia Whitemarsh RFC formed in 1985 as the result of a merger between the former Philadelphia (Founded 1961) and Whitemarsh clubs (Founded 1967). Prior to the merger, both clubs were facing a decline in membership. The Philadelphia club had a secure home ground in Fairmount Park and the Whitemarsh club had a good clubhouse, so the clubs merged with the hopes of becoming a more successful club. The club colors became red with blue stripes, and the new logo was a combination of Philadelphia's Liberty BellLiberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
logo and Whitemarsh's wallaby
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
. Also included are the founding dates: 1961, 1967, 1985.
Philadelphia Whitemarsh played in the Rugby Super League, the country's highest level of rugby union, from 1998 to 2008, when they withdrew.
The club, looking to rebuild its foundation, moved to Division 3 in Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union
Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union
The Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union is the Local Area Union for rugby union teams in Eastern and Central Pennsylvania, as well as Delaware and parts of New Jersey...
beginning in the fall of 2009.
Current Club
Philadelphia Whitemarsh struggled to rebuild in its first two years in Division 3, sometimes not having enough players to field a side. In the fall of 2009 the club finished 2-5-1 with 11 leauge points for a 10th place finish in the 12 team league. The next year, they finished 1-7-0 with 8 league points for an 11th place finish.Things turned around for PWRFC however in the spring of 2011. The young players in the club brought in college and high school teammates, Conway Maraki came in as a player-coach and the club began to reform. That spring, the new PWRFC went 3-2 in exhibition matches, both losses coming by a combined 4 points.
In the Fall of 2011, PWRFC ran the table in EPRU Division 3, going a perfect 8-0 and won the EPRU D3 crown. They will be the #1 seed in the MARFU playoffs in the Spring of 2012. The top 2 teams of the 8 MARFU qualifiers will advance to the USA round of 16.