The Kansas City Blues Rugby Club, established in 1966, has been a proud member of the Sporting Club Network (SCN), presented by Price Chopper, since the program’s inception in 2011. Throughout the Blues history they have continuously elevated their rugby knowledge and skill level to become one of the most dominant teams in the United States. Since 1993, the Blues have participated in two Division 1 National Championship Final Fours (15’s rugby) and been a familiar face in Rugby’s 7 National Championships having most recently placed 3rd in 2014.
Despite the regional & national success on the field though, the Kansas City Blues have continued to made it a priority to stay involved in its local community through nonprofit work and fundraising. The Kansas City Blues are again partnering with River of Refuge, a local nonprofit aiding homeless families, for an extreme fundraising stunt. Nearly 20 months after raising over $30K for the River of Refuge through Rooftop Blues, the KC Blues Rugby players will again sleep on the roof (rain, snow or shine) of the River of Refuge transitional living center to raise money and show support for the city’s first-of-its-kind comprehensive transitional housing facility dedicated solely to homeless working families living in motels. The entire Blues team will go up on the roof of the three-story building on the afternoon of Monday, November 9th through Tuesday, November 10th.
In partnership with the Blues, the River of Refuge is promoting the Blues’ inclusion in the inaugural Rugby Gold Cup competition, a premiership level tournament featuring the top men’s clubs from the Midwest and Red River Competitive Regions (CRs). The Kansas City Blues RFC will host Rounds 1 & 2 of the CR cross-over tournament on November 13th – 15th, 2015, at the Championship Stadium of the Sporting Kansas City Training Facility at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, MO.
River of Refuge is marketing the Gold Cup to its network of media and supporting organizations, and is offering complimentary tickets to the matches to all donors who contribute to this latest River of Refuge Rooftop Blues campaign. Additionally, the Blues will donate 50% of all walk-up ticket sale profits from Friday night’s matches to River of Refuge. "We created a strong relationship with River of Refuge last year and are excited to be working with this organization again," said Kansas City Blues Rugby Club President, Derek Mannell. "In 2014 we were able to raise tens of thousands of dollars in a similar fundraising stunt. We’re happy to get involved again this year to do what we can to help open the doors of River of Refuge so they can better serve homeless Kansas City families.”
About River of Refuge
Wiley founded River of Refuge in 2009 after he witnessed a group of children loading a school bus from the parking lot of an old, run-down motel near his home in Raytown, Mo. River of Refuge was created to specifically address thousands of working families who have become trapped in pay-by-the-week motels throughout Greater Kansas City and into the suburbs. For more information, please visit www.riverofrefuge.com.
About the Rugby Gold Cup
The inaugural Rugby Gold Cup Championship will feature four teams, with normally scheduled CR League fixtures amongst the teams also counting towards the overall Cup standings. The 2015 Midwest CR ChampionKC Blues are joined by 2015 USA Rugby Division 1 National Championship Runner-up and Red River CR Champion Austin Blacks Rugby, 2015 Red River CR runner-up Dallas Rugby Football Club (the “Reds”), and 2015 Midwest CR runner-up Metropolis Rugby Football Club from Minneapolis, MN.
Click Here for the official press release by USA Rugby
Click Here for the Rugby Gold Cup Facebook Page
About Kansas City Blues Rugby Club & Sporting Club Network
As a member of the Sporting Club Network, the Kansas City Blues Rugby Club gets to enjoy exclusive access to a professional soccer organization. In 2015, SCN and the Blues partnered to teach children in the Kansas City community ways to stay active whether it is playing rugby or soccer.
To learn more about the Sporting Club Network click here.
