Press Release
Boston Irish Wolfhounds join AMNRL

The AMNRL is pleased to announce the formation of a new team in the Boston area. The team will be affiliated with the Division I National Champion rugby union club, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds. Boston Wolfhounds RL will play a limited schedule in their inaugural season and will join the league fully in the summer of ’06.

The Wolfhounds will open the doors to interested players from other area clubs, and are fielding inquiries from all over the RL world from players interested in joining the team. Though the season schedule will be modified initially, expectations are high that Wolfhounds RL will immediately be competitive.

Sean Kelly, President of Boston Irish Wolfhounds (BIWRFC), sees the establishment of a Rugby league team in Boston as a “win-win situation for all. It will give the multitude of sports fans in the New England region an opportunity to view a sport that is both very physical and very fast. It will also help the Boston Rugby Union playing community hone their handling skills, as well as improve their fitness levels. Rugby League tends to be a faster game and therefore requires a higher work rate than Rugby Union”. Sean and former Club Captain, John Dalton, have been the driving force in the development of RL at the club, working with Rich Portale of the AMNRL and Jim Walker, who will head up Rugby Operations at the Club.

Jim played and coached club and college rugby in the UK before moving to the States some years ago, and has been eager to help with the expansion of the game into the Boston area. “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with a first-class organization like the Wolfhounds and to help with the development of our game in America” Jim related to amnrl.com.

Boston is to host a key match-up between The Raiders and the Wildcats on June 25; a game that will be held under floodlights at the new South Boston Stadium.

David Niu, AMNRL President, welcomes the addition of another team, highlighting the “tremendous excitement within the league, and from overseas” at the prospect of the game expanding into the Boston area. The AMNRL is even considering Boston as a venue for next year’s international between USA and Ireland.

Interested players should contact Jim Walker at jimwalk64@yahoo.com or contact the League directly