This past summer, Alan Whelan received a call from a dear friend and fellow rugby coach asking if he was interested in coaching at Hofstra University; there was an opening, so he took it.
After reviving rugby at St. Francis Prep in the spring of 2013, Whelan felt less than satisfied. He wanted to continue to teach and coach, so when his friend called him, Whelan saw it as an opportunity to fill the void.
“I said ‘why not,’ let’s give it a shot,” Whelan said with a smile. Challenge accepted.
Whelan arrived in the U.S. from Ireland in 1965. He brought a resume of teaching and coaching rugby to young students who had been interested in playing. Rugby has been part of Whelan’s life since he was 10 years old.
Through the years as a coach, Whelan watched the greatest – and even the smallest – of talents grow before his very eyes.
That’s nothing new for Whelan, who believes the sport is equivalent to an international passport.
“It is a super international sport,” Whelan said. “It is the international social debit card and opens doors to the world. Kids get to pass, run, tackle and score – like football.”
Since 1935, rugby has been played at Hofstra. It gives students the opportunity to be part of a rich tradition with a historic cultural background.
With a new coach, the Division II program in the Tri-State Conference looks to take the next step towards development and credibility.
“I want to see more freshmen come out,” Whelan said.
“I want to introduce rugby to the campus in general – to the whole student body.”
Hofstra rugby made the playoffs this past season, but lost in the opening round to the best team in the tri-state area.
The team is very talented and the skill level is there, but turnout has been the only concern for Hofstra’s newest coach. His message is clear.
“Everyone will get the chance to play regardless of experience,” Whelan said. “We teach everyone the skills. It’s a wonderful sport. You can play it whenever and wherever.”
There are many different variations of rugby.
Both men and women can play rugby union or rugby league.
It can be played 5-on-5 or 7-on-7. At Hofstra, they stick to rugby union and Whelan has noticed a big change.
“Over the last 20 years, the sport is growing like wild fire,” Whelan said. “Probably around 700 colleges have rugby teams for both men and women.”
Noel Shewjattan, a junior engineering major, believes that other students should try out, regardless of experience levels; he even cited Wayne Gretzky’s quote: “you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
“If people are afraid to come out, you should still give it a try,” Shewjattan said.
“If you’re committed to it, it’s better because you improve by putting in the effort.
But, if you’re busy we understand and we encourage you to still come around and have fun.”
In addition to seeing more of a turnout for his team, Whelan would also like to see more students involved with rugby and has propsed a intramural touch rugby league here at Hofstra.
