Anyone who has ever been involved with grassroots rugby in the US is very much familiar with the hardships that come with the terrain. Changing either in a car next to the pitch, or on the pitch itself because clubhouses are things of fantasy for most senior clubs throughout the country. Taping PVC pipe to soccer goals to make uprights because the club’s home pitch is always changing. Having a match delayed, postponed, or even canceled because of a scheduling conflict with a U6 soccer game, that takes precedence over a senior rugby match. (Damn kids trying to enjoy childhood by playing a sport with their friends. The gall!)
Through all that, one of the best representations of American rugby witnessed so far was performed by a Canadian – who is familiar with the above all too well. To be fair, he is a US citizen now, but when the US and Canada play there is little doubt his red and white lacks blue. Ryan Ye—along with his brother Matt Ye and their friend Devin Vandepoele—hosts The Fantasy Ruckers (TFR) podcast, andruns TFR fantasy leagues. The story behind TFR is one that sounds eerily familiar. Ryan, Matt, and Devin love playing fantasy sports, whether it's for the NFL, NHL, NBA, or even dabbling in F1 or the UFC. Ryan and Matt developed their passion for rugby while growing up playing in Canada, and when Major League Rugby (MLR) came on the scene they saw a chance to combine their two loves. Since a North American-style fantasy—with drafts and waiver wires—for MLR did not exist, they created their own from scratch.
In the beginning, everything was done on spreadsheets with stats that Ryan could calculate on his own. To learn more about the progression of TFR and how it operates, click here. Through all the changes, the motto has stayed the same, “Making fantasy rugby a reality for all”. The three hosts agree that fantasy rugby is a great way to grow the sport to new audiences.
How many times has a story like this been told within rugby circles? Someone or someone’s kid wanted to play but there were no clubs near them, so they built their own. This has happened at every level from youth, to college, to senior sides. It is what gives rugby its pioneering spirit.
TFR is now in its fifth season, but it almost did not happen. All the uncertainty around the 2026 MLR season meant TFR had to hold back and wait. It was obvious that changes had to be made, but what exact changes needed to be made were uncertain until the league itself stabilized. By the time that happened, it was almost too late.
Just like the men and women who run and operate grassroots rugby, everyone involved with TFR is a volunteer doing everything for the love of the sport. They all have full-time jobs and loved ones. Case in point, Alistair Kirsch-Poole (AKP)—the person who manages the website—has a new job that requires more of his time. Combine that with the short deadline, the website was facing uncertainties for the start of the season.
This situation happens all the time in club rugby. Losing key figures in a club could and has had detrimental effects. This could be a coach, an admin, or important players who make up the leadership of the squad who have gained more “real-life” responsibilities. Hell, entire clubs have disappeared just because one person left. MLR is a perfect example of that.
With the website in question, Ryan explored backup options. Several ideas were put out there. One idea was to go back to spreadsheets and do things manually for the first week of fantasy, but eventually it was decided to just push the start date back a week. The hope was that the extra time would allow the website to be ready. With that being said, thechances of that happening were looking slimmer by the minute with the website guru overworked at his “real” job.
A decision had to be made. Ryan worked tirelessly—even taking time off from work—to teach himself how to code and make a web-based app! Ecstatic with his achievement, Ryan had a few fantasy members test it out, and all seemed to run smoothly. The next step was to open it up to all the members. After doing so, though, it soon became apparent that the financial resources that would be required to keep this up and running for a large and growing user base were just too unrealistic. Luckily, AKP was able to come in at the last minute to get the website up and running for everyone to use.
Situations like this are too common in the club scene. Having to pivot at the last minute because the pitch that had been reserved for home matches—well in advance—was no longer available because whoever owns said pitch decided it needed to “rest” during the winter and not be used. The scramble to find any type of usable surface can be hectic, to say the least. Every avenue is explored from fitting into the schedule for a school’s athletic field to staking one’s claim at a first-come, first-served public park. Hopefully getting there before those dastardly U6 soccer kids who are trying to make core memories.
Rugby in the US—whether it is club or fantasy—is not for the weak-willed. It is a struggle and a grind just to make a season happen. Players have to drive long distances for matches because the next closest team is several hours away. Coaches have to come up with multiple plans for practice because who knows how many people will show up. Fantasy managers have to borderline stalk teams and players just to get enough information to set weekly lineups. As the parallels become clearer, it becomes more evident just how representative this endeavor of Ryan Ye is of the American rugby community as both work tirelessly to promote, grow, and enjoy this great sport.