The University of South Carolina Men’s Rugby Club was founded in 1967 and is the University’s oldest sports club. The program includes more than 1,000 alumni and is supported by the Carolina Rugby Foundation, a non-profit board that advances and supports the program. 

Members of the Foundation also support the Jeff Smolka Endowed Rugby Scholarship Fund. The Endowment, established in 2016, has provided financial support totaling more than $500,000 to more than 30 student athletes.

We are the only club at the University of South Carolina to be led by a coach that is a University of South Carolina employee. Our coach, John Roberts, has won three national championships, finished runner up three times and took over the team last August. He is a USC alumnus, has a rugby stadium named in his honor, and is building a top program.

The University of South Carolina Men’s Rugby Club has a robust communications and social media presence. Through Instagram, team posts typically reach 3,000 accounts monthly. A post on our platform will reach between 500 to 1,000 unique accounts.

Last year, the club launched a YouTube Channel that has been gaining traction. The page includes two steady features: Carolina Try Time, which features short interviews with players, and The Ruckin Rooster’s Show, which includes stories about South Carolina Rugby history and lore.

This fall, the club began live-casting games on the Youtube channel and will be finetuning and promoting that broadcast going forward. Our webpage is well maintained and updated frequently. During the playing season it generates 3,000 page views per month.
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For our club, community service is a priority. Each year we raise funds to support cancer research. Each year, we participated in the Families Helping Families Adopt a Family program, an effort to bring Christmas to economically disadvantage families.

With a roster of more than 50 students, we are the largest club sport at the University. We compete during the fall and spring. So, rugby is played year-round.

Our club receives limited funding from the University. So, we raise funds to support our coach’s salary, scholarships, travel, and equipment. Your sponsorship supports those initiatives while giving you a presence on our growing platforms.

Your sponsorship will also be directed to the University of South Carolina Rugby Endowment and will be credited as a gift to the University. So, it is tax deductible.

Sponsorship Levels

Gold -- $5,000 annually

If you are a restaurant or other service business, we’ll direct our team to patronage your business twice a year. We’ll promote your business to our visiting families and area alumni. This package also includes:

• team photo at your business (suitable for framing and social media promotions).

• logos and links included in our videos, email communications and on our website.

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Silver -- $2,500 annually

• team photo at your business (suitable for framing and social media promotions).

• logos and links included in our videos, email communications and on our website.

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Bronze -- $1,200 annually

• logos and links included in our email communications and on our website.

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​If you interested in sponsoring our program, please complete the form below or contact Coach John Roberts at jsr7@mailbox.sc.edu or 864.982.5470.

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