Alumni Weekend is Oct 23 to 25 in Harrisonburg. Ahead of the 52nd Annual Reunion, we are sharing the five-year plan for JMU Rugby and the alumni membership that funds it.

JMU Rugby has a history worth honoring and a future worth building. The plan sets one goal for the next five years: give the program the off-field structure it has always deserved. The alumni are here, the community is here, and the tradition is here. The plan is the system that connects all of it and makes it last.

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What the plan does

It formally founds the JMU Rugby Alumni Association with a defined leadership structure and tiered membership, stands up jmurugby.com and the CRM, and builds toward funded coaching, growing scholarships, transportation to every away fixture, and the JMU Rugby Clubhouse. Effective January 1, 2027, the Association becomes the independent nonprofit that runs the program day to day, including membership, governance, the annual reunion, and events. The John Carr Memorial Rugby Fund, which has driven capital giving since 2021, continues to back the program alongside it. Together the Fund and the Association have invested more than $280,000 into the program over five years.

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The five-year roadmap

The first phase, through 2026, built the strategy off the back of the 50th anniversary and established the All-Decade Teams and Hall of Fame. The 2026-27 phase founds the Association, launches the membership tiers, and stands up the website and CRM. From 2027 to 2029 the plan elevates the program with youth camps across the Mid-Atlantic, a growing capital fund, deeper alumni giving, and consistent national-level competition. From 2029 to 2031 it expands the footprint, deepens the youth pipeline into JMU, grows the scholarship program, and advances the clubhouse goal. Page through the full plan below.

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Six strategic pillars

The plan rests on six pillars:

• Strengthen the Alumni Association. Build the foundation everyone else stands on, with defined leadership, membership tiers, and a rolling five-year plan.
• Connect every era of JMU Rugby. One community from the first class to the current team, through a unified digital platform, MOB on Tour, and an annual return to Harrisonburg.
• Build a financial foundation that outlasts us. A dedicated capital fund, a clear giving ladder, sponsorships, and transparent reporting.
• Elevate JMU Rugby. A clubhouse, funded coaching, growing scholarships, and university recognition that puts the program among the elite.
• Make JMU Rugby the destination. Recruitment pathways for youth, transfer, and international players across Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the Tri-State area.
• Build champions on and off the field. Mentorship that connects current players to alumni careers, and a culture that develops the person, not just the player.

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Our scholarships

The program carries two named scholarships. The Luis De Souza Pinto '02 Memorial Scholarship honors a Brazilian-born captain who embodied JMU Rugby on and off the field, and supports international student-athletes making the same journey to Harrisonburg. The Hank Mozingo Captain's Rugby Scholarship honors JMU Rugby's 1988-89 captain, awarded each year to a player who reflects his humility, perseverance, and commitment to teammates. The plan grows both over the next five years.

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Why membership matters

Membership is what makes the plan work. Dues anchor the Association's $40,000 annual operating budget. Over five years the plan brings in $512,125, and as membership grows from 183 to 310, funds available for club support reach $64,791 a year by 2030-31. Members get a voice and a vote, including electing the Association's board this November and December, plus recognition on the website and in the reunion program and JMU Rugby swag. Page through the financials below.

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Become a member

The next five years will set the stage for the next fifty. Join at jmurugby.com and be part of it.