In recent years, the ISU men’s Rugby Club has been evolving from more than just a social club for rugby enthusiasts.

The Rugby Club has been on campus for more than 50 years — and in that time the club has had its ups and downs. Yet, Malcolm Robertson, who is entering his 10th season as the club’s coach, believes that its recent success is due to the ever-growing popularity in the sport and his team’s emphasis on building a competitive club.

“I’ve seen big changes since I’ve been here,” Robertson said. “In the early days it was more of a social-club sport. I reframed that and told my guys, ‘This is a sport. You guys are working hard; we train hard, and we’re doing this for ourselves.’”

Robertson’s focus on the game has allowed the club to improve through the years and helped develop interest in the sport at Iowa State.

However, this interest isn’t limited to just Iowa State. Many rugby programs have been started in high schools throughout the Midwest, helping players get experience that can make them more competitive players when they reach the college level.

“Since my freshmen year and on, everyone is coming in with high school rugby experience,” said team captain Allen Tessmer, senior in marketing. “The club has evolved as the popularity of rugby has evolved, so it is more of a serious approach rather than a social approach now.”

This “serious approach” to the game has aided in bringing the club together as a more cohesive unit.

“When I first got here, there were cliques in the club,” said Brandon Bay, junior in aerospace engineering and the club’s vice president. “But we are a family now. We have to come together every time if we are going to win.”

Alumni funding is also giving the club a boost in its ability to contend.

“[The bluc] peaked in about 2007,” said Anthony Frien, junior in history and club president. “We had a couple dry years in the late 2000s, but right now we started getting all that alumni funding — and it really has boosted us back to the level that we were before.

“It’s the little things that we couldn’t have before, like new balls and appeal. [Alumni funding] really helps legitimize us.”

This season will be the second year the club has competed in the Heart of America Conference. The conference contains eight members, with most of the schools coming from Big 12 universities.

“I feel very confident about this season,” Bay said. “We have a lot of momentum coming in. We have some good guys coming in with great experience, too.”

The rugby club will kick off its season against Nebraska on Aug. 31.