Hounds Partner with Midwest Thunderbirds to Form U-19 Academy

CHICAGO, IL- The Chicago Hounds announced today a partnership with the Midwest Thunderbirds Rugby program. With the new partnership, the Hounds will work with the Thunder Birds to form the first-ever Hounds Under-19 Academy team.

“From High School to the Hounds, we are excited to announce our partnership with the Midwest Thunderbirds U-19 program,” said Hounds CEO and GM James English. “The Thunderbird Program enables us to grow our footprint as we continue to build an integrated pathway for players across the Midwest.”

The program will be run by Thunderbird’s Head Coach Eddie Abel, working closely with the Hounds management and senior coaching staff. In an effort to identify talent across the Midwest, the U-19 Academy will be running identification camps across the area from January to March.

Hounds x Thunderbird Rugby Talent Identification Camps:

• Feb 10th – Michigan Open Camp
• Feb 17th – Cleveland, Ohio Open Camp
• Feb 18th – Chicago, SeatGeek Open Camp
• Feb 24th – Wisconsin Open Camp

Athletes interested in participating in the Talent ID camps can expect news and updates regarding these events through the Thunderbird Rugby Facebook page, found here.

The competitive fixtures for the Hounds Academy will include a regional All-Star tournament in Nashville and an MLR U-19 Academy Tournament in Washington D.C. Both of these tournaments are scheduled for this June.