Male students who are interested in playing rugby will have an opportunity to play on a competitive team starting in spring of 2016.

The team is expected to start with seven men and increase to 15 in the fall of 2016. The team will join the Lone Star North Conference and compete in Division II.

The idea of starting a rugby team on campus came when Juan Escobedo, sophomore nutrition and exercise science major from Round Rock, was accepted to ACU. Aware that ACU did not currently have a rugby team, Escobedo began to recruit potential players his freshman year.

“I had an itch to play rugby here, so I found students who shared that desire, and plans moved quickly,” Escobedo said.

The team’s secretary, Mariana Cedillo, said the team is starting from the ground up.

“We are starting without any equipment and hope we will receive funding to secure equipment before the start of the season,” said Cedillo, a sophomore convergence journalism major from McAllen.

Cedillo said the team doesn’t have uniforms at this point but will soon receive them.

The team anticipates playing schools such as the University of Texas at San Antonio, Sam Houston State University and Hardin-Simmons University. Cedillo said the team expects to have shared practices with the Hardin-Simmons rugby team and hopes to learn more skills from them.

Escobedo said he has aspirations for his team beyond rugby.

“I want to build a good foundation for the rugby members so that when they leave, they will have determination in life,” said Escobedo.

Cedillo said ACU will benefit from a having a rugby team on campus.

“I’m hopeful that ACU will value the presence of a rugby team because of the unity the sport fosters,” she said.