Rugby could draw crowds in Butler
While Historic Pullman Park is out of commission for updates to be made to its baseball field and facilities, another sport could rise in popularity in Butler to fill the gap left by the stadium’s baseball hiatus.
The Butler Blue Field, an artificial turf football field in Butler’s Pullman Center Business Park, operated by Butler Township, hosted the semifinal playoff games for National Collegiate Rugby — bringing four teams from three different states to Butler County. The rugby matches took place Saturday, Dec. 6, a cold time for outdoor sports, but the stands were still filled with cheering fans throughout both matches.
While many of the people watching the games were likely fans who traveled to watch their school play, some of the audience was likely made up of Butler County natives. Without any other local sporting events, people in the area may have turned up to watch a rugby match, which is an uncommon sport to see in Western Pennsylvania.
The Butler Blue Field has lines for different sports, including football, soccer and lacrosse. Some of those sports are more niche than others, but still have fanbases of their own. Rugby can be one of those niche sports that eventually builds a following in the area, and it has the perfect opportunity with the new field.
And rugby is an exciting game. If you have never watched the sport, do yourself a favor and find a professional match online or even a college-level match. You may find the action involved in the sport is fast-paced and highly entertaining.
It’s possible that the availability of the Butler Blue Field could lead to more college rugby matches taking their games to Butler County, and if that happens in the coming months or years definitely check out a match if you can.
— ET
