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Keller City Council officials listened to an appeal from the Alliance Rugby Club to receive permission to use Keller Sports Park at a work session Jan. 6.
The organization was previously removed as a user at a regular council meeting Nov. 4.
In a nutshell
Mayor Pro-Tem Ross McMullin said Keller City Council will be in contact with Alliance Rugby Club if officials decide to take action on the appeal.
Brad Dulong, a representative who spoke on behalf of the club, said the youth rugby program has been in Keller since the group’s start in 2003. He said the adult rugby team didn’t start until roughly eight years ago.
“The kids grew up, they went to college, they came back, and they go, ‘We want to have a men’s team for Alliance,’” Dulong said. “That’s traditionally how rugby clubs grow.”
The youth program has 26 members total this year with a full high school team and full 13-year-old team, Dulong said.
Rugby has been one of the fastest-growing team sports among youth in America since 2010, according to the Texas Interscolastic Rugby Association.
The background
The rugby club was previously removed as a Keller Sports Park user because of concerns from other users about the damage on the fields from games, which Dulong disputed during the appeal.
“We haven’t seen any proof of damage, we haven’t had any complaints of the damage,” he said.
The city also removed Alliance Rugby Club because it was the only organization without a youth program, according to previous reporting. Dulong clarified during the work session the youth program was temporarily inactive because of construction at the sports park.
