First item of business: We’ll play at the Tidal basin Saturday at 9:30am. High 70s, high humidity, partly cloudy, almost no chance of rain. A great day to play rugby. And we’ve got permits for tomorrow so we won’t be chased of by any other sports teams.

Second item of business: Permits cost money. I think we all take pride that this is a pick up group where anyone can come play, any time, at no cost. The National Park Service moved into the 21st century and added the fields around the mall to their recreation.gov website. This makes it much easier to see availability and reserve permits. Unfortunately that means it’s easier for EVERYONE, meaning there is now always a chance that someone will reserve the field out from under us (even though it’s well known that we are there every weekend). We probably only have to worry about competition during the nice summer months, and for that reason we should get permits roughly roughly April-October to ensure that we always have the field for our Saturday morning game.

I don’t want to start dues, a costly sign up, or per game fees. I’m suggesting a quarterly donation of $10 from everyone that plays regularly. This will allow us to pay permitting fees, replace destroyed cones, buy a ball when necessary, and have a general rainy day fund. I’m not going to hunt people down or keep a tally on who is or isn’t donating, but if you value Saturdays on the Tidal Basin pitch this gives back to the National Park to maintain it, and ensures that we keep it as our regular spot. I would say this is the first month to start donating, and then I’ll pass the collection basket around again in October. I don’t think I’ll post the Venmo on this site, so see me on the field for details to donate.

*Side note: If you are new or play infrequently, please don’t feel guilty about not donating. Keep coming out to play or feel free to come see what DC Touch is all about.