ABOUT THE TEAM
Founded in the spring of 2017, the Crescent City Rougaroux RFC is Louisiana’s first gay and inclusive rugby team. Team members come from a variety of backgrounds but share a common bond: a love of the sport and deep commitment to building a community that will have a strong impact in the Greater New Orleans area for years to come.
We seek to create a safe space that fosters team and community building. It is our goal that this space will cultivate growth through mentorship and camaraderie for people who are often isolated and underrepresented—while fostering openness and support among the team, both on and off the field.
Our players are deeply committed to community service and giving back to the people of Louisiana. To date, the team has volunteered with organizations such as CrescentCare, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Loud: New Orleans Queer Youth Theater, Rugby Relief, Son Of A Saint, The Morris Jeff Community School, Project Lazarus and more. Your support will allow us to continue to have an impact on many causes and communities.
OUR HISTORY
The Crescent City Rougaroux was officially founded in 2017, with the first team event being a Rugby 101 on March 11, 2017. Since then, the team has experienced explosive growth as it continues to formalize, develop and improve.
The wheels were put in motion a few months earlier, back in 2016, to create a team in New Orleans. The idea for the team came from Jason Anderson, a member of the Atlanta Bucks, an established International Gay Rugby (IGR) team.
On December 3, 2016, Patrick Button (Past President) visited Atlanta for the weekend and attended Rugby 101 with the Atlanta Bucks. It was his first time playing Rugby, and he enjoyed it. There was an overwhelming sense of community amongst the team. Patrick commented to Jason the if he lived in Atlanta he would definitely join their team. In return Jason suggested that it would be great if New Orleans had their very own International Gay Rugby (IGR) team.
Jason took the initiative to start putting a team together, reaching out to prospective players and individuals in the Rugby community, both in New Orleans and elsewhere, that could help. Several enthusiastic people came forward to help the team. Jason, along with the help of Jeremy Dykes (a member of the Nashville Grizzlies) served as mentors and helped answer the overwhelming number of questions the new recruits had. Several people in the New Orleans Rugby community provided support, especially Danny Reed and Scott Lytell of the Crescent City Blues Rugby Team. Nathan Hagan designed our amazing logo and jersey kit.
Most importantly, Jason recruited Jessica Mallindine as our first coach. Jessica coaches the Tulane Women's Rugby team. Several players from the team help act to serve as assistant coaches for the Rougaroux team. In addition to coaching, Jessica provided significant advice regarding group structure and leadership that helped the team form both as an entity in addition to just on the pitch. Jessica has the gift for facilitation team growth and development. The Crescent City Rougaroux Rugby Team is the fourth team that Jessica has helped to establish.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our previous Assistant Coach, Hayley Alexander, became our new Head Coach, facilitating safe play in accordance with health and safety standards necessary to maintain the team’s future and growth. Following her years as a player for Tulane Women’s Rugby, and tutelage under Coach Jess, she took on the role as Head Coach to continue her development within the rugby community and to help maintain continuity with the Roux’s future goals and prospects.
We are registered members with the USA Rugby Union; and while we still have a long way to go until we are a fully established and competitive IGR team, we are proud of how far we have come, and thankful to all the many people that have help us to get this far.