On Saturday June 1, 2013, the NYPD Rugby Football Club played its annual match against FDNY. Every year, the match is played in remembrance of Police Officer James McNaughton and Firefighter Christian Engledrum. Both men lost their lives in defense of our country while fighting overseas in Iraq. The match honors the families of both heroes, and supports military veteran charities picked by the families.
This year’s match was played at Gaelic Park in the Bronx, which housed close to 1,000 fans. From the start, FDNY controlled the match. FDNY outgunned the PD side, winning every aspect of the game including the final score. The PD side played tough throughout the match, but weren’t able to fend off a veteran FD team.
Despite a tough defeat on the pitch, the PD team showed great efforts off the field by raising over $3,000 in ticket sales. The funds from this year’s match will go to a charity that provides K-9’s trained for disabled veterans.
-Thomas Delaney
