The
Philadelphia Fight are a
semi-professionalA semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
rugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. They are the current champions of the
USA Rugby LeagueThe USA Rugby League is a semi-professional rugby league football competition based in the United States. The league was founded in 2011 by clubs that had broken with the established American National Rugby League , plus expansion franchises...
. They play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium in
Conshohocken, PennsylvaniaConshohocken is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry in recent years Conshohocken has developed into a center of riverfront commercial and...
.
Originally known as the
Philadelphia Bulldogs, the team began play in 1998 as a charter member of the
American National Rugby LeagueThe American National Rugby League is a rugby league football competition for semi-professional clubs in the United States. It is the country's first domestic rugby league competition...
(AMNRL). In 2007 the Fight reorganized, merging with another AMNRL team in the Philadelphia area, the
Delaware Valley MantaraysThe Delaware Valley Mantarays were a semi-professional rugby league football team based in the Delaware Valley area of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The team played for seven seasons in the American National Rugby League , the United States' major competition, from 2000–2006...
, in hopes of establishing a more competitive franchise for the future. During their run they made a total of six playoff appearances, advancing to the Grand Final in 1998 and 2000. In 2011 the Fight became one of seven teams to depart the AMRNL to form the USA Rugby League. They went on to win the league's inaugural Grand Final on August 27, 2011.
History
The Fight were founded in 1998 by Jeff Preston, and were originally known as the Philadelphia Bulldogs. That year they became a charter franchise in Super League America, the predecessor to the modern
American National Rugby LeagueThe American National Rugby League is a rugby league football competition for semi-professional clubs in the United States. It is the country's first domestic rugby league competition...
. One of several teams to have been based in the Philadelphia area, they participated in the first ever War at the Shore event, an early attempt to introduce rugby league to the United States. They experienced significant success in the league's early years, going to the playoffs in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002, and advancing to the Grand Final in 1998 and 2000. They further won the 2002 Mother's Day Sevens Championship. However, their on-field prominence declined through the 2000s as the AMNRL continued to expand. In 2007 the Fight and another team in suburban Philadelphia, the
Delaware Valley MantaraysThe Delaware Valley Mantarays were a semi-professional rugby league football team based in the Delaware Valley area of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The team played for seven seasons in the American National Rugby League , the United States' major competition, from 2000–2006...
, announced they would be merging in order to build a more competitive franchise for the future. The merged franchise was restructured with a constitution and recognized Board of Directors and CEO, forming a Limited Liability Company. They made further playoff runs in the
2009The 2009 AMNRL season was the 12th season of the American National Rugby League . The Boston Thirteens joined the league as an expansion team, bringing the number of teams to eleven...
and
2010 seasonsThe 2010 American National Rugby League season was the 13th season of the AMNRL. The Pittsburgh Vipers are the newest team to enter the competition and the Bucks County Sharks have withdrawn from the competition.-Teams:...
.
On January 12, 2011, the Philadelphia Fight were one of seven teams to leave the AMNRL to form the new
USA Rugby LeagueThe USA Rugby League is a semi-professional rugby league football competition based in the United States. The league was founded in 2011 by clubs that had broken with the established American National Rugby League , plus expansion franchises...
. On January 13, 2011, the league announced that Philadelphia Fight chairman Peter Illfield would be the league's first Chairman.
The Fight finished third over all in the 2011 regular season. After defeating the
Washington D.C. Slayers-Home and practice fields:The Slayers' home field is Duke Ellington Field near Georgetown University Hospital in Washington. Their practice field is Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park downtown.-Statistics and records:*AMNRL Championship titles: 0...
in the semi-finals, they hosted the
New Haven Warriors-Stadium:The Warriors home ground is Ken Strong Stadium at West Haven High School in West Haven, Connecticut.-Statistics and records:Biggest winning marginBiggest losing marginMost points for the clubMost points in a match...
in the inaugural Grand Final. Philadelphia won the game 28-26, taking home their first ever national championship.
The Philadelphia Fight currently play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium in
Conshohocken, PennsylvaniaConshohocken is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry in recent years Conshohocken has developed into a center of riverfront commercial and...
. The local
Kildare's Irish PubKildare’s is an Irish Pub-themed casual dining restaurant chain and drinking establishment in the United States. It was named after county Kildare, located in Ireland, and it specializes in Irish American cuisine.- History :...
in Manayunk serves as their official clubhouse. Thirteen players have represented the USA in International matches playing for the Tomahawks, the
United States national rugby league team-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
. The Fight has a strong charity involvement with the ALS Association of the Greater Philadelphia Area, to help fight Lou Gehrig's disease.
USARL season summaries
C=Champions, R=Runners-Ups, F=Finished first, P=Playoff Appearance, L=Finished Last
(Brackets Represent Playoff Games)
Competition | Games
Played | Games
Won | Games
Drawn | Games
Lost | Ladder
Position | |R | |P | 2011 USARL season The 2011 USARL season is the inaugural season of the USA Rugby League . The league was formed in January 2011 as a breakaway competition from the American National Rugby League . The regular season kicked off on June 4 and ended on July 30; the Jacksonville Axemen won the minor premiership with the...
| 6 (0) |
5 (0) |
0 |
1 (0) |
3/8 |
C |
|
|
P |
|
Peter Illfield |
Ryan Douglas |
|
Logo and colors
For the 2009 season the club adopted a similar uniform to that of the Australian
National Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
team the
South Sydney RabbitohsThe South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
; that being the colors of
RedRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
and
GreenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
hoops. Until 2010 the club's badge used the Rabbitoh's colors as well as featuring a stylized
Liberty BellThe Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
as the design on a ring worn by a clenched fist. Behind the fist trailed a representation of the
Delaware RiverThe Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
. In 2010, the club, along with other AMNRL teams, adopted a new badge that retained the fist of the earlier design.
Current squad
Stadium
The Philadelphia Fight currently play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium, 11th and Harry Streets,
Conshohocken, PennsylvaniaConshohocken is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry in recent years Conshohocken has developed into a center of riverfront commercial and...
. The local
Kildare's Irish PubKildare’s is an Irish Pub-themed casual dining restaurant chain and drinking establishment in the United States. It was named after county Kildare, located in Ireland, and it specializes in Irish American cuisine.- History :...
in Manayunk serves as their official clubhouse.
Honors
- AMNRL Championship titles
The American National Rugby League is a rugby league football competition for semi-professional clubs in the United States. It is the country's first domestic rugby league competition...
: 0
-
- 1998, 2000 Grand Finalists
Playoff appearances: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2009, 2010
International caps
- Marlon Steele
- Stephen Siano
- Louis Tulio
External links
Official websites