San Francisco Golden Gate RFC
Encyclopedia
San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Football Club is a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 club based in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

. SFGG's first side competes in the Rugby Super League. The club also fields a developmental squad in the Northern California Rugby Football Union
Northern California Rugby Football Union
The Northern California Rugby Football Union is the Local Area Union for rugby union teams in Northern California, as well as northern Nevada. The NCRFU is part of the Pacific Coast Rugby Football Union , which is one of the seven Territorial Area Unions that comprise USA Rugby.The NCRFU is...

's Division II. The SFGG Youth Program includes high school age Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Frosh-Soph teams. SFGG also fields nationally competitive Rugby Sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...

 squads over the summer. The SFGG Old Boys team, the Señors, feature in occasional matches, usually to correspond with home Rugby Super League games.

SFGG is the 2009 Rugby Super League champion, after defeating Life University in the Grand Final 23-13 .

History

San Francisco Golden Gate RFC formed in 2001 as the result of a merger between the former San Francisco and Golden Gate rugby clubs. Golden Gate had been a founding member of the Rugby Super League in 1996. Since its creation in 2001, SFGG has qualified for RSL playoffs every year, winning its first championship in 2009. The club had previously advanced to the Finals in 2004 and Semifinals in 2007. Prior to the merge the Golden Gate Rugby Club had advanced to National Division I finals in 1999 and semifinals in 1996 and 2000 but not reached RSL playoffs.

Since its inception, SFGG has remained an amateur club. It is common practice that most, if not all, kit and travel costs incurred in-season is covered by club, but all other financial responsibilities reside with the players. .

Rocca Field

San Francisco Golden Gate RFC leased land and a former PX building from the city of San Francisco on Treasure Island in the summer of 2005 for the purpose of building a field and clubhouse. The facility was opened in November 2005 with a Grand Banquet/Dedication featuring former All Black captain Reuben Thorne
Reuben Thorne
Reuben David Thorne is a New Zealand rugby union player, and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks.-Super 12:...

 and former US Eagle captain Dan Lyle
Dan Lyle
Daniel Joseph Lyle is an American rugby union footballer. A 1992 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, he took up rugby union aged 23 in an attempt to keep fit. He had been invited to train with American football team Minnesota Vikings and had a trial with the Washington Redskins...

. The pitch is named for former club President and current Director Greg Rocca.

Rocca Field hosted the 2008 National Rugby Sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...

 Championships on August 9-10, 2008, and has signed to host again in 2009 and 2010.

Rugby league

SFGG have previously been in talks to field a rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby 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 in the Western American National Rugby League (WAMNRL);however, as of now (2011), these talks have subsided.

Notable current players

{|
|valign="top"| Daniel La Prevotte
Daniel La Prevotte
Daniel La Prevotte is an American rugby union player. Danny plays flank for San Francisco Golden Gate RFC. He was selected to tour with the USA national rugby union team, the USA Eagles XV, for the Autumn 2010 tour of Europe. Danny is yet to earn a cap playing for the Eagles XV.-External links:* *...

 Aaron Latzke Saimone Laulaupeaalu Samuela Manoa Jone Naqica Shaun Paga Thretton Palamo
Thretton Palamo
Thretton Palamo is an American rugby union player of Samoan origin who plays as a centre or fly-half. He is the youngest ever player to have made an appearance at the Rugby World Cup...

 Mose Timoteo HUNTER JOHN AAHHHH BBBBAAAAY Kev
Kev
Kev can refer to:*Kev Hawkins, a fictional character.*Kevin, a given name occasionally shortened to "Kev".*Kiloelectronvolt, a unit of energy who symbol is "KeV".* Krefelder Eislauf-VereinKEV can refer to:...

 P 90 Steve DWAK

Club honors

  • Rugby Super League
    • Champions: 2009, 2011
      2011 Rugby Super League season
      The 2011 Rugby Super League season will be the sixteenth season of the Rugby Super League, the United States' premier division of rugby union. The regular season will commence on March 12, 2011 with the Utah Warriors playing the Denver Barbarians. On April 30, 2011; the regular season will end...

    • Runner-up: 2004 & 2010
    • Semifinalists: 2007

  • US Men's Division I
    • Semifinalists: 1996, 2000, 2010
    • Finalists: 1999

Notable former players

{|
|valign="top"| Brian Barnard Nathan Couch Tony Daly
Tony Daly
Tony Daly is a former Australian rugby union footballer who represented Australia in 41 Test matches. He played for Eastern Suburbs, Randwick, Manly, Brothers and Saracens at prop. He represented Australia between 1989 and 1995...

 Philippe Farner Robbie Flynn Oloseti Fifita Jay Hansen Britt Howard
|width="45"| 
|valign="top"| Mike MacDonald Fifita Mounga Shawn Pittman
Shawn Pittman
Shawn Pittman is an American rugby union player. Shawn plays prop for the USA Eagle XV side. He has also represented his country at under 19 and under 20. He was selected to tour with the USA Eagles squad for the Autumn 2010 tour of Europe. Shawn plays his club rugby for London Welsh...

 Mark Scharrenberg Matt Sherman Paul Still Grant Wells Jay Wilkerson
|width="45"| 
|}

Sponsorship

Notable primary sponsors include Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...

and New Zealand Rugby Apparel. The club also has several secondary sponsorships from local and regional businesses.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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