Braintree High School Getting A Rugby Team

BRAINTREE, MA — Braintree High School is adding a new sport this spring.

The Wamps will have a co-ed rugby team, following the school committee unanimously supporting its creation at its meeting Monday night.

The team's creation was proposed and organized by student Joe Driscoll, who has been trying to get Braintree rugby off the ground since last year.

"I played sports my whole life, mainly hockey and football, but I watched rugby for a long time with my dad," Driscoll said. "There's a clear interest in it even without an announcement from the administration."

Driscoll said he got 25 students to sign a petition to create the team. And now, there's more than 30 interested students for what will be a 23-person roster, Athletic Director Chris Coblyn said.

Coblyn said the team will cost around $9,200 to run. The money to pay for the team will come from student athletic fees, gifts to Braintree Athletics and an unused junior varsity cheer coach stipend.

"This is an opportunity to make a program without impacting the budget," Superintendent Jim Lee said. "The money is here. The opportunity is here."

School committee member Matt Lynch commended Driscoll for his work organizing the program and made some suggestions to ensure the program's success. He said when his father started the school's lacrosse program, he got the youth involved. Lynch suggested Driscoll reach out to middle school students so that they know this program exists.

"It's great what you're doing," Lynch said. "You could start something big and keep this lasting for a while."