New Players

Curious about rugby? Join us for a practice; no experience necessary! We meet every Tue/Thurs, 6:30-8:30pm at Elings Park (soccer field #2) on the Mesa. Click here for a map.

What to Bring

Minimum requirements:

  • Athletic clothing

  • Athletic shoes

  • Water bottle

  • A superb attitude to tackle anything that comes your way!

If you have them:

  • Cleats (basic soccer cleats are fine, football cleats usually aren't; check here for full guidelines)

  • Mouthguard (simple style with no parts extending outside of the mouth)

  • Rugby shorts

Be prepared to take off jewelry (including piercings) to prevent injuries during contact.

How to Play

If you want to get a head start before coming to practice, check out some info on rugby basics here.

Who Can Play

We are a senior rugby club open to all 18+ adults! We encourage younger players to check out the Santa Barbara Stingrays Youth Rugby League, which has a coed under-18 team.

What to Expect

We are a welcoming group of young professionals, college students, moms, first-time players, and rugby veterans. Everyone is useful on the rugby pitch: We need small players, strong players, heavy players, tall players, fast players, scrappy players...and you! We don't require any prior experience with rugby, and encourage you to try it out for yourself (:

We will not tolerate any harassment or discrimination against our players for any reason.

We play full-contact rugby, which can be physically and mentally demanding. Please be open and honest about your abilities so that we can make sure that our practices and games remain safe and fun for everyone. Let the coach know ahead of time if you have any concerns. Some training sessions are more intense than others, and we are constantly mindful of our teammates' injuries and limitations.

COVID-19 requirements

Rugby is a high-contact sport, so we are requiring player vaccination in order to keep our teammates and community safe. All players need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to practice and play with the Mermaids. Vaccine information for Santa Barbara can be found here. Please contact us with questions; we will gladly help anyone navigate the vaccination process so that they can play with us!

Player Registration

  1. Take the Mermaid registration survey

Fill out this form with your contact/medical/size information and rugby experience/goals.

2. Register with USA Rugby (formerly "CIPP")

Register with Rugby Xplorer.

  1. Create an account: Enter your email, then click "Sign me up!" Fill in the necessary info, confirm your email, and create a password.

  2. Start registration: Log in and click "Register" in the upper left. Select "Find a club" and search for "Mermaid".

  3. Choose registration type: When prompted, input these values: Role = player, registration type = senior club, duration = season.

  4. Finish and pay: Fill in remaining info (you can skip the profile picture) and pay the fee.

3. Pay team dues

Dues help the team cover costs such as kits, practice field space, game day field/ref/admin fees, equipment, food/beer at socials, etc. If payment is an issue, you have a few options:

  • Set up a payment plan.

  • Help out admin with projects/events: $50-$100 off for each project you lead.

  • Recruit new players: $25 off for each new player you find, once they register!

4. Send photos of your IDs

Email a copy of your photo ID (driver's license, passport, school ID, etc.) and health insurance card to santabarbararugby@gmail.com.