JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Jacksonville\u2019s only girls rugby team is expanding and is still looking for girls between 12 and 18 years old to join. <\/p>\n
The team started with just two players in 2023 now boasts 20 ahead of its new season. The first practice is scheduled for January 6 at Westside Middle School. (WJXT)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are hoping that they are learning self-confidence,\u201d said Melissa Butler, who is the head coach of the Duval Tides. \u201cThe skills that they are gaining from rugby, teamwork, and just having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team started with just two players in 2023 now boasts 20 ahead of its new season. The first practice is scheduled for January 6 at Westside Middle School.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville\u2019s only girls rugby team\u00a0is expanding and is still looking for girls between 12 and 18 years old to join. (WJXT)<\/p>\n
Syrianna Sidey is a forward on the team.<\/p>\n
She is 17 years old and loves the sport. Sidey says she has seen it make a change in her life off the pitch. <\/p>\n
\u201c[Rugby] helps me build my confidence,\u201d Sidey said. \u201cIt helps me put myself out there. It has helped me at school so much. Those projects that people don\u2019t want to speak up about, but still needs to get done. I have learned that I am a lot more aggressive than it seems. I always tell myself that I was always like a meek person at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palmer Vitale is new to the squad. She is 12 years old and is now teammates with her older sister, Lily. <\/p>\n
Vitale says rugby is building their relationship and her own character.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville\u2019s only girls rugby team\u00a0is expanding and is still looking for girls between 12 and 18 years old to join. (WJXT)<\/p>\n
\u201cI have known that I am a lot louder and I am fine being around people and playing,\u201d Vitale said. \u201cThe sport I usually play, [karate], I\u2019m by myself. This sport I am with a bunch of people, so it is getting easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butler played rugby in college at UCF and then started the women\u2019s club rugby team in Jacksonville 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is growing so much in college,\u201d Butler said of the sport. \u201cIt gives these girls a chance to go into college and get scholarships. When they go into college, they have immediate friends and teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacksonville\u2019s only girls rugby team\u00a0is expanding and is still looking for girls between 12 and 18 years old to join. (WJXT)<\/p>\n
The Duval Tides will practice at Westside Middle School every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. <\/p>\n
Melissa Butler played rugby in college at UCF and then started the women\u2019s club\u00a0rugby\u00a0team in Jacksonville 20 years ago. (WJXT)<\/p>\n
Butler says she and the players have been inspired by Ilona Maher, who is a rugby star.<\/p>\n
United States’ Ilona Maher, enter gets past the tackle of Brazil’s Gabriela Lima, right, during the women’s Pool C Rugby Sevens match between the United States and Brazil at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, France, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo\/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<\/p>\n
Maher made history by helping lead the United States to a bronze medal during the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024. It was America\u2019s first medal in the sport for women. <\/p>\n
Since Maher competed on \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d and even has her own Barbie.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is all about body positivity,\u201d Butler said about Maher. \u201c[Maher] is about getting girls out to try something new, to not be scared, to learn how to use their bodies. Everybody can be athletic at any size or shape.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have really found my home here,\u201d Sidey said about being a member of the Duval Tides. <\/p>\n
The team has at least five games on its schedule this season.\u00a0
\nIt will play other squads from Wellington Florida, Charleston, South Carolina, and the Cayman Islands. (WJXT)<\/p>\n
The team has at least five games on its schedule this season. <\/p>\n
It will play other squads from Wellington, Florida, Charleston, South Carolina, and the Cayman Islands. <\/p>\n
If you are interested in joining the Duval Tides, you can send an email to Jaxgirlsrugby@gmail.com. <\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Jacksonville\u2019s only girls rugby team is expanding and is still looking for girls between 12…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117,54161],"class_list":{"0":"post-104539","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-jacksonville","9":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","10":"tag-jacksonville-news","11":"tag-rugby"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}