When to Start
New players are welcomed at the beginning of both the fall and spring seasons. Fall opens with the traditional fifteens game; spring brings the faster sevens format. Either is a fine place to begin, and coaches expect — and enjoy — teaching the fundamentals from the ground up. Come to the first few practices, meet the team, and try it before you decide.
What the Commitment Looks Like
- Practice roughly four days a week during each season.
- Matches on weekends through both the fall and spring terms.
- No experience required — beginners train alongside veterans and learn the game together.
- No special gear to start — bring athletic clothes, cleats if you have them, and a water bottle.
What the First Month Actually Feels Like
Expect the first few weeks to be spent learning to fall, to bind, and to pass backward while running forward — none of which is intuitive, and all of which is taught from scratch. Soreness in the first fortnight is ordinary and eases as conditioning catches up, and the tackle technique that keeps the game safe is drilled patiently long before anyone is asked to use it at full speed.
Learn Before You Go
If you'd like a head start, a short introductory rugby video and a good beginner's primer will walk you through the basic rules and positions. Our own Rugby 101 field guide covers the essentials — tries, scrums, lineouts, and the difference between forwards and backs — and the official beginner's guide from World Rugby is an excellent, friendly starting point.
Why Beginners Thrive
Rugby has a position for every body type and temperament: powerful forwards, quick backs, brave tacklers, and cool-headed decision-makers. Because nearly everyone starts new, there's no assumption that you "should" already know how to play — just a shared project of getting better together. Many players describe their club as the thing that most shaped their college years, and the alumnae network that follows lasts for decades.
Welcoming newcomers is also an explicit goal of the wider women's game. World Rugby's September 2026 account describes Rugby Rising Play, a programme for girls aged 11–18 with 10 sessions leading toward non-contact T1 Rugby. It reports 25,162 girls reached in the programme's first two years and 63 unions supported worldwide. Separately, 68 unions have committed to a global participation goal of 3.4 million women and girls by 2029, a 50 per cent increase. For a beginner walking onto a college pitch, it is a reminder that the whole sport is making room for newcomers.
Take the First Step
The hardest part is showing up to the first practice. After that, the team takes care of the rest. Read Rugby 101 to get your bearings, check how a season is structured, and come find out why so many people who "were never going to play rugby" never stopped.