For Immediate Release
January 21, 2008

Chicago Lions RFC, Chicago Hope Academy Announce Unique Rugby Partnership

CHICAGO, Ill. - The Chicago Lions Rugby Football Club and the Chicago Hope Academy officially announced today a ground breaking partnership to jointly develop a youth rugby program and a new dedicated rugby pitch for play at youth and senior levels in Chicago.

“This is a rare opportunity for two non-profits to work together, contribute to a common goal - the development of our youth - and benefit the surrounding community by providing a safe haven for athletes,” said Bob Muzikowski, the founder and president of the Chicago Hope Academy and former NYC Old Blue rugby player.  “This partnership will also help promote the advancement of the great sport of rugby within urban youth, and speaks directly to the mission of Hope Academy as a co-educational college and life preparatory school dedicated to nurturing the whole person—mind, body and spirit.”

The partnership will be introduced on Saturday, January 31 at the first ever “Lions for Hope” banquet. The event, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will be held at the ‘Gut Heil’ house near the field at 2431 West Roosevelt Road, just west of Western Avenue.

The ‘Gut Heil’ house was built in 1896 as a German athletic and social club by the Forward Turners and has a rich history in Chicago. It was one of 11 similar buildings constructed in the latter part of the 19^th century and is the last to survive. The building was scheduled to be torn down in 2007, though it was on the orange list of potential landmarks. That, in turn, attracted the attention of Bill Lavicka and his son, Kelsey, who are noted Chicago-area preservationists. They undertook a complete restoration of the building, which is scheduled to be concluded this spring, and will include private residences and a clubhouse with showers, lockers and meeting room space.

The event will feature tours of the facility, food and drinks, live and silent auctions, rugby related merchandise and a special performance by the Chicago Hope Players. Attendance is expected to be high and include local celebrities and officials, academy supporters and Chicago-area rugby players, both past and present.

This partnership also includes the establishment of a permanent field at a former scrap yard on West Roosevelt Road, which has already been redeveloped into a regulation rugby pitch. The Chicago Lions played two “friendly” matches there in the fall and will play their Rugby Super League games there in the spring. To date, partners have invested $125,000 in the acquisition, scraping, seeding and sodding of the field to get it ready for play.

“Rugby is a truly global game,” Keith Brown, President of the Chicago Lions said. “To be successful at an international level, we must introduce the game to younger players in the U.S. Our partnership with the Chicago Hope Academy is bringing the game to urban youth and providing the coaching, equipment and mentoring necessary for their success. It also creates a purpose-built rugby field that can be used for competitions of all types and can serve USA Rugby and international sides that come to Chicago in the future.”

The Chicago Lions RFC is one of the oldest and most successful rugby clubs in the U.S., dating back to its founding by a stalwart group of Chicagoans in 1964. Now playing in the Rugby Super League, the highest level of competition in the U.S., the Lions reached the semifinals in 2005, 2006, 2008; the finals in 2007; and also won the National 7s Championship in 2007.

“Rugby is an ideal fit in that it requires a minimum amount of equipment, is suited for players of all shapes and sizes, and builds team play and interdependence,” Muzikowski added, “The partnership is already underway, as the Chicago Lions have provided equipment and several of their players to lead pre-season training for Hope students. The teams are also holding joint indoor practices at the Hope Academy gym.”

The Chicago Hope Academy was established in the summer of 2004 when a group of Chicago businessmen purchased the shuttered St. Callistus school from the Archdiocese of Chicago and began a full renovation, leading to an August 2005 grand opening. At present, the school has 200 students and offers a challenging college preparatory curriculum that successfully balances physical, mental and spiritual development. This year, the Hope Academy football team finished 8-2, including a state 1A tournament loss to the eventual champion, in their highly publicized premier in Illinois High School Association competition.  

The Chicago Hope Academy is a private, non-profit 501c3 organization and more information is available on their website www.chicagohopeacademy.com. The Chicago Lions are also a non-profit organization and their website, www.chicagolions.com, contains information about the club and the spring schedule.

For more information, please call Bob Muzikowski (312-781-2739) or Keith Brown (312-952-1028).

 

 

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