Rugby Illinois State Select Side Program is Announced

In line with the growing interest in youth sports development, we’re thrilled to announce the HS Boys Rugby Tornados Programming for the 2025 Season.

We are excited to announce that Kyle Grossheider will serve as the Director of Rugby and U18Boys Head Coach and Sal Carfagno will serve as the Head of Operations. 

Over the past 6 months, with feedback from experts in the Select Side Rugby Space, we have a spring training program for all levels of high school boys rugby. We will host a series of skills camps, combines, and player identification camps with the dual goal of improving overall rugby skill and team selection. The Tornados Academy will announce rosters and conduct practices in order to participate in two select side tournaments. The Buckeye Invitational on June 14th and the Midwest Select Invitation on June 21st.

About Kyle

Kyle started his career playing for the Lincoln-Way High School Rugby team, and was on the first Tornados team, which helped him to play for the US under 18s team. After that he played for the Chicago Griffins during 2006/2007, the Midwest Thunderbirds, where Scott Lawrence recruited him to Life University. Kyle then played with the Under 20’s US side, and helped Life win the Division 1 championship in 2008. During his time at Life University, he was a 4-time All-American, and in the pool for the US sevens team, being a resident at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California .Kyle is eager to bring back what he has learned to give back to Illinois rugby. He believes very strongly that Illinois is a hot bed for talent and wants to maximize player potential and open doors for players aspiring to play at a higher level.

About Sal

Sal’s love and passion for rugby began during his Senior Year in high school at Saint Augustine Prep in New Jersey, where he won a State Championship in XV’s. Sal is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, with a Bachelors and Master’s in Healthcare Administration. During his time as a student of Loyola, he was a member and Executive Board Member of the Men’s Rugby Team he then became the Head Coach of the Men’s Rugby Team where he created a Nationally Recognized Program, advanced the growth of the team, and improved overall team operations and performance. Carfagno is a certified World Rugby Coach and Referee, a graduate of the Chicago Hounds Coaching Academy, and training to be a Certified Community Judicial Officer through USA Rugby.