
Warriors Announce Launch Of The Utah Warriors Rugby Foundation
Herriman, UT — The Utah Warriors today announced the launch of the Utah Warriors Rugby Foundation (UWRF) and the 501-c-3 non-profit’s goals and plans to grow the grassroots rugby community in Utah and the surrounding states.
The goal of the UWRF is to introduce more than 50,000 youth in Utah to rugby and provide opportunities for underprivileged youth through the sport. The foundation supports the Warriors’ pathway and plays an integral role in making an impact in the community with rugby by partnering with state rugby governing entities like Utah Youth Rugby and other sports and non-profit organizations like Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, VisitSLC, and others.
“The launch of the Warriors Foundation is something that has been a long-time coming,” says CEO and GM Kimball Kjar, “As we’ve worked to build out our Pathway and the opportunities for local rugby players, we wanted to ensure we can work more closely with the UYR and other sports and non-profit organizations to provide more playing opportunities to underprivileged kids across the state. Whether that’s at the Jr. Warriors level, the High School Academy, or even with the Selects, we want to get as many boys and girls playing this great sport as possible through the efforts of the Warriors Foundation.”
Leading the efforts of the UWRF is newly-appointed Director of Community & Business Development, Emily Harker. Harker, who first played rugby while at Brigham Young University and who helps coach the Provo Steelers Girls High School Team, started working with the Warriors on the ticket sales team in 2020 and is passionate about helping grow the sport at the youth levels through the Warriors Foundation efforts.
“It’s extremely exciting to be in a position to use rugby to change the lives of youth,” Harker said. “Rugby doesn’t just teach great values and work ethic, it opens doors for these kids. It’s a way for some of our youth to get a degree or to play at the professional level.”
Harker concluded by stating that Utah’s rugby community is uniquely positioned to grow and build opportunities for youth on and off the rugby pitch.
“The rugby community is a tight-knit family,” she said. “There is already a lot of support within Utah teams to grow this sport beyond its current setup, but we want to help spur that growth more aggressively through the efforts of the Warriors Foundation. I see the Utah Warriors Rugby Foundation creating staple programs and partnerships in Utah that will produce a strong pathway and network for players of all ages and backgrounds.”
The inaugural fundraising program for the UWRF is the Warriors Circle, a monthly or one-time donation group that will help build the Warriors Foundation’s goals of getting more kids playing the sport of rugby.
Following the establishment of the Warriors Circle fundraising plan, the Warriors Foundation will look to host a series of clinics and events throughout the year to support the goals of the UWRF.
Most notably, the UWRF will host the following key events in 2021:
-
- Rugby Alumni Weekend & Old Boys Game: July 10, 2021, @ Zions Bank Stadium (Herriman, UT)
- Rugby Golf Fundraiser: September 25, 2021, @ Mulligans Golf Course (South Jordan, UT)
- Utah Rugby Hall of Fame Gala: TBD (Nov/Dec 2021)
Further details regarding these events will be provided in the near future. Please stay tuned for more information as it becomes available via the Utah Warriors’ website and social media accounts.
For more information on the Utah Warriors Foundation, please visit www.WarriorsRugby.com/foundation/. You can also email [email protected] or call 801-477-7652 to connect with Emily Harker and others about the Warriors Foundation.
Recent Posts
Warriors fall to NOLA Gold on the road
NEW ORLEANS — A lack of overall aggression and too many missed
Hodgson talks coming to Utah and facing NOLA
HERRIMAN, Utah — Much like most foreign national players, Joel Hodgson grew
W Nation: Ep 81 | Out of the Bye Week, Into New Orleans
On this week's episode of W Nation, Jarom Jordan and Banksy recap
W Nation: Ep 80 | Utah Spoils Chicago’s Home Opener
This week on W Nation, Bansky recaps the thrilling 14-10 win over
Warriors take down the Hounds in Week 3
CHICAGO — Utah Warrior players and coaches left the field on Sunday
News Tags
Archives
- March 2023 (7)
- February 2023 (8)
- January 2023 (4)
- December 2022 (3)
- November 2022 (5)
- October 2022 (6)
- September 2022 (7)
- August 2022 (8)
- July 2022 (7)
- June 2022 (2)
- May 2022 (10)
- April 2022 (13)
- March 2022 (16)
- February 2022 (13)
- January 2022 (11)
- December 2021 (2)
- November 2021 (5)
- October 2021 (4)
- September 2021 (3)
- August 2021 (9)
- July 2021 (18)
- June 2021 (30)
- May 2021 (23)
- April 2021 (15)
- March 2021 (13)
- February 2021 (3)
- January 2021 (2)
- December 2020 (3)
- November 2020 (12)
- October 2020 (13)
- September 2020 (5)
- August 2020 (8)
- July 2020 (1)
- June 2020 (4)
- April 2020 (3)
- March 2020 (7)
- February 2020 (13)
- January 2020 (3)
- December 2019 (3)
- November 2019 (7)
- October 2019 (8)
- September 2019 (1)
- August 2019 (1)
- July 2019 (1)
- June 2019 (3)
- May 2019 (10)
- April 2019 (12)
- March 2019 (5)
- February 2019 (6)
- January 2019 (4)
- December 2018 (3)
- September 2018 (1)
- August 2018 (1)
- June 2018 (3)
- May 2018 (8)
- April 2018 (5)
- March 2018 (6)
- February 2018 (6)
- January 2018 (3)
- December 2017 (8)
- November 2017 (5)
- October 2017 (2)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (1)