Trinity Rugby - creating a unique student rugby playing experience
01/04/2008

An update on what is happening in DUFC.

Rugby has been played in College Park by DUFC since 1854 and is firmly established as the oldest continuously playing rugby club in the world.

The Club’s ambition is to create a unique rugby playing experience for students that be will the envy of any rugby playing university in the world. Part of this ambition is to develop long term relationships with the top 15 universities in the world. Currently DUFC has fixtures against 8 of the top 15 universities. DUFC beat Cambridge, the Varsity match winners earlier in the season.

DUFC, enthusiastically led by Director of Rugby Tony Smeeth, fields six teams, which is more than most clubs in Ireland. The first team achieved Division 1 status in 2004 having been in Division 4 in 2000. The team now plays in Division 2 and has secured its place in this division for next season.

The Under 20’s won the All Ireland in 2 out of the last 5 years and is in the semi final of this year’s competition. Representative honours have been earned by many. The most recent of which is Jamie Heaslip, who presented his first Irish Jersey to the club at the recent Colours Lunch.

A 5 year plan was developed for the club in 2006 and will focus on a number of areas critical to developing this historic club, by providing a unique playing experience for students. Key areas include;

• Upgrading the pitch in College park to provide a more durable playing surface
• Establishing a DUFC Fund to provide a more sustainable financial base
• Developing the International reach of the Club by the establishment of an International Advisory Board under the chairmanship of Kingsley Aikins
• Reviewing the “DUFC “brand and deciding where to go from here. This is being led by Paddy Durkan.

The current President David W Duffy has been driving these initiatives over the past two years. He hands the “ball “over to the incoming President Sheamus Considine in May. They are ably supported by Ciaran Black, our treasurer and Kay Bowen the all knowing administrator.

If you would like to know more …. Contact Kay at dufc@tcd.ie

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