All-Americans to France, and a new arena for NU

Head coach Ed Tubridy is leading a group of NCR conference All-Americans to France this summer as Director of Rugby, for a tour of exhibition matches against the French university all-star team. The tour celebrates the Olympic final in which the USA fifteens beat France for the gold medal, the last time fifteens was part of the games. Supporting Ed is high-level exposure for the Maddog program and helps him broaden his recruiting reach. Eric Graham is traveling with the group and leading the fundraising, and we want FONUR to be the leading supporting club.

This fall we’ll also be looking for individual sponsors for the next era of Maddog jerseys, carrying our traditional NURFC logos.

A new arena

NU has announced that Matthews Arena has come to the end of its amazing life, and plans to replace it with a 290,000-square-foot building with an arena and a fieldhouse with turf, basketball courts and more. It’s years away, but Maddog rugby will undoubtedly benefit. With that news and FONUR’s long-term vision built on Ed’s recruiting, the alumni board is looking for NOBs to help drive communication, awareness and fundraising, organized by five-year eras. If you’d like to lead your era, please get in touch.

— Richard Hilton, FONUR president