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ALTON - The Alton-based Mercenaries Rugby Club is looking for new members, with a welcoming roster of current players and coaches who make the team an ideal starting place for new and experienced athletes alike.
Head Coach Charles Hicks and fellow club member Keegan appeared on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to share more about what the Mercenaries Rugby Club is all about - including its name, which stems from the acronym for Metro East Rugby Club (MERC).
Hicks emphasized that while there’s no prior rugby experience needed to play, all interested club members must be 18 years of age or older to participate. Even if you’ve never played rugby before, the Mercenaries have you covered with a helpful coaching and training staff of former rugby players, as well as former college wrestlers, football players, USA Rugby certified officials, and other seasoned athletes.
Keegan said that while his rugby skills were rough starting out, he’s had a little help from his fellow teammates and has steadily improved since joining the Mercenaries.
“I’m like 160 pounds, 5 foot 9 - even though I really suck at tackling, from the beginning of my first year of adult rugby, playing with Mercenaries since last year until now, the club and team have really helped me improve my rugby skills,” he said.
The Mercenaries Rugby Club is classified as a D3 team, the lowest ranking eligible to compete all the way up to a national championship. Hicks added that travel expenses for championship games are covered by the MidAmerica Rugby Union and USA Rugby. But he also said the D3 ranking is perfect for new players as a lower-pressure environment where “nobody’s looking to hurt anybody.”
“We all understand that none of us are pro,” Hicks said. “This is a passion, not a profession.”
Beyond the rugby field, Hicks described the club as a sort of “family” which helps each other in times of need.
“We had a player who recently had a child who was very sick, and everybody - without hesitation - everybody stepped up to help that player and his family and that child,” he said. “A couple years ago, we had another player who was having some troubles and we helped him get a service dog … it becomes almost a family.”
The Mercenaries Rugby Club practices every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. at Northside Park in Alton. Hicks said they’re scheduled for a Sept. 7, 2024, tournament followed by five Saturday matches through the end of September and throughout October. After that, the team takes a break for the off-season before returning in the spring of 2025.
To learn more, sign up, and/or get involved with the Mercenaries Rugby Club, visit their Facebook or Instagram pages, or show up to one of their practices at Northside Park.
The Mercenaries Rugby Club is also a 501(c)(3) organization which is always accepting donations from those looking to support local rugby enthusiasts. Hicks said these donations go a long way helping the team purchase things like new uniforms, which they’re currently looking into getting.
To learn more about the Mercenaries Rugby Club and how to get involved, see the full interview with Charles and Keegan at the top of this story, on Riverbender.com/video, or on the Riverbender.com Roku TV app.
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