Glendale’s Summer Of Rugby

by Laura Lieff

Infinity Park is the place to be this summer as a variety of rugby matches and camps will be going on in the heart of Glendale. In addition to the high school state finals, which happened in May, the Denver Onyx home games, high school rugby camps, and the RugbyTown 7s tournament are all on the docket throughout the next few months.

“Whether you’re a longtime rugby fan or new to the sport, this summer is packed with all types of action for everyone to enjoy,” says Director of Infinity Park Operations Kieran Nelson. “Our stadium is a great place to spend the afternoon with friends, family, or coworkers. Also, high school kids can sign up for opportunities to experience rugby at our state-of-the-art facility throughout June and July.”

Last month, the 2026 Rugby Colorado High School State Finals yielded exciting results as the third place matches took place on the Infinity Park Turf Pitch and the State Championship matches were played inside the Infinity Park Stadium.

Third Place Matches

• Valor 2 defeated Glendale/Brighton/Denver North 53-10 in the Tier 3 Boys match.
• Hammers edged out Palmer Terrors 29-27 in the Tier 2 Boys match.
• Glendale/Regis/Valor won against Denver East 22-17 in the Tier 1 Girls match.
• East 1 shut out Monarch 1 53-0 in the Tier 1 Boys match.

State Championships

• East 2 defeated Monarch 2 28-14 in the Tier 3 Boys championship.
• PAC won against Arvada 18-10 in the Tier 2 Boys championship.
• Monarch/Lumberjackies defeated Summit 28-10 in the Tier 1 Girls championship.
• Valor 1 won against Regis Jesuit 29-15 in the Tier 1 Boys championship.

Denver Onyx

For the second consecutive year, the Denver Onyx will call Infinity Park home as the team trains regularly on the turf pitch and will play their five regular-season home matches inside the stadium. The Onyx compete in Women’s Elite Rugby, the first-ever professional women’s rugby league in the United States. Last season, the Onyx finish­ed the regular season with a 9-1 record on their way to winning the inaugural Legacy Cup where they defeated the New York Exiles 53-13 in the 2025 Grand Final.

“We’re excited for year t

wo,” says Denver Onyx Head Coach Sarah Chobot. “Infinity Park is the best venue and facility in this entire women’s professional league and the class of the staff is bar none the best.” She continues, “Everyone from the City of Glendale has shown the desire to have rugby in this community ­— the energy and vibes are thrilling. It was a packed crowd on Mother’s Day and we couldn’t be more excited.”

At press time, the Onyx were two matches into their 2026 campaign with a 1-1 record after dropping their season opener on the road to the Bay Breakers 36-19. However, they bounced back with a 54-29 win over the Twin Cities Gemini on Mother’s Day in front of a lively crowd at Infinity Park. Coach Chobot was delighted with the team’s comeback victory over the Gemini. “I was very proud of how the team responded after a disappointing loss in the Bay Area in Round 1,” adds Chobot. “The desire the team played with in Sunday’s win, even when the game was well in hand, was pretty exciting.”

The Onyx are scheduled to play four more matches at Infinity Park in 2026 – see schedule below. If they finish the season in first or second place, they will host a home playoff match at Infinity Park in August.

• Sunday, June 7 vs. Chicago Tempest

– Gates open at 6 p.m. | Kickoff at 7 p.m.

• Saturday, June 13 vs. Boston Banshees

– Gates open at 4 p.m. | Kickoff at 5 p.m.

• Sunday, June 21 vs. New York Exiles

– Gates open at 2 p.m. | Kickoff at 3 p.m.

• Sunday, July 12 vs. Bay Breakers

– Gates open at 4 p.m. | Kickoff at 5 p.m.

High School Rugby Camps

Offering one of the best high school camp experiences for both boys and girls in the southwestern United States, Glendale Youth Rugby is hosting two, four-day camps during which the attendees will be treated like professional athletes. With access to a full-time athletic trainer, Infinity Park’s state-of-the-art weight room, and recovery room, campers will receive instruction from coaches and players with international rugby experience.

“Our summer rugby performance camps are excellent for any high school rugby ath­lete,” says Glendale Youth Rugby Direc­tor Andie Hammon. “We’ve put on a quality program for high school girls for over a decade and have recently built out a high-performance boys camp over the last two years.” She continues, “We always have a top-tier staff from around the country to provide these athletes with some of the best coaching they’ll ever receive in their high school rugby careers. We hear from the athletes who attended in the past that it’s a week of fun and learning that they don’t find anywhere else in the region.”

In addition to the low player-to-coach ratio — which will ensure the best ­coaching possible — attendees will get the full professional experience as it is a four-day sleep-away camp. By spending three nights in a hotel near the facility, athletes have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in rugby. The high school girls camp is planned for June 21-24 and the high school boys camp is scheduled for July 14-17.

RugbyTown 7s

Returning to Infinity Park for its 14th year, the RugbyTown 7s tournament will host 21 teams from all over the world who will compete to win the title of RugbyTown 7s Cup Champion and the $10,000 grand prize. Taking place August 21-23, the tournament attracts top teams for a weekend of fast-paced, high-scoring matches. Additionally, this tournament is where the branches of the United States Armed Forces vie for their rugby championship.

In 2025, All-Army defeated the Department of the Air Force in the U.S. Armed Forces Final to secure their 10th United States Armed Forces Championship. All- Navy Rugby won their first title in 2021 and the All-Marine Rugby 7s won the inaugural United States Armed Forces Championship in 2012. Both the Department of the Air Force and Coast Guard Rugby are still searching for their first Armed Forces Championship.

Also in 2025, the Heat Rugby secured their first RugbyTown 7s Cup when they defeated NAV 7s 33-7 in the Cup Final. This summer, they will attempt to make history by being the second team ever to win back-to-back RugbyTown 7s Cup titles. Denver 7s Selects is the only team to accomplish this feat with wins in both 2015 and 2016 before securing their third title in 2024 making them the only team that has won the tournament three times. Additionally, the only two teams that have won the RugbyTown 7s Cup twice are the Ramblin’ Jesters (2019 and 2022) and the USA Falcons (2012 and 2014).

Fans attending the tournament can expect to see 57 matches played over the course of three days in August. The Early Bird Special for 20 percent off weekend passes and single day tickets will be available July 13-3 and regular tickets will go on sale August 1. More information on the Denver Onyx can be found at DenverOnyx.us. For additional information about RugbyTown 7s, visit RugbyTownUSA.com. Those interested in learning about the Glendale Youth Rugby high school camps can visit GlendaleYouth Rugby.com/high-school-camps.