Asian American teen from Queens is inspiring women to fall in love with rugby

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — In honor of 50 years of Title IX and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Eyewitness News is shedding light on a young woman from Queens who is trying to level the playing field for the sport of rugby.

It’s an NCAA emerging sport, yet few women play. But Allisa Reach started a rugby team and when it folded due to the COVID pandemic, she set a goal of inspiring more women to fall in love with the sport.

“Women should be more empowered they should feel like they have the strength to be able to play any sport,” Reach said. “Just because we like to play in the dirt and mud doesn’t mean we’re not lady like. I think the image of what lady like is, needs to be redefined.”

Reach started playing rugby in the seventh grade. She said not a lot of people knew about the sport and she wanted to be different. So, Reach founded Play Rugby.

“Play Rugby USA is a sports-based youth development organization located here in New York City,” said Danielle Hunt of Play Rugby. “Out of 3,200 teams in New York City. There are three girls rugby teams right now. That is very crazy.”

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“The lack of representation in the sport … it doesn’t affect me too much it just means I have to work harder,” Reach said.

“I think to increase participation, one, there needs to be more female coaches and more representation just of getting coaches that look like the students that they’re coaching,” Play Rugby USA coach Ashley Allen said.

Hunt said she believes a lot of the opportunities she has been given were only available to here because of Title IX.

“I was able to choose the activities I want to participate in, I am a woman who is the CEO of a nonprofit organization that she feels very passionate about,” Hunt said.
She said the goal is to make sure all of her rugby players find and achieve success after high school.

“So for Allisa specifically, she has worked very, very hard and she has secured a scholarship to play Division I rugby at Quinnipiac University,” Hunt said.

Reach said her inspiration for playing rugby and her drive ties a lot into her family, who sacrificed a lot coming to America as immigrants.

My inspiration for playing rugby and my drive ties a lot into my family as they sacrificed a lot coming to America as immigrants.

“Every time I step out in the field, I’m proud because I feel like I’m representing not only my family, my club team, I’m representing myself, I’m showing what I can do and what I worked for as a player, a student athlete and just like a daughter,” Reach said.

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