Peter Farrell’s rugby roots extend back more than 35 years, having played rugby in high school, college and with Boulder RFC (pictured above). Peter says rugby introduced him to some of the best friends of his life, so he now chooses to give recurring gifts to USA Rugby Trust to ensure future generations of athletes have the same opportunities in the future.

Read on to learn more about Peter.

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USA Rugby Trust: Tell us a little about yourself.

Peter Farrell:I’m 59 years old and have been married for 30 years. I have two grown daughters. I live in Florida now and run a courier company, but I grew up in Maryland and lived in Minnesota after I got married.

USART: What is your connection to rugby?

PF: I played rugby in high school, then went on to play at the University of Maryland. After that, I played for the Boulder Men’s team for almost 10 years. I got travel with a lot of the rugby guys from the western part of the United States. I made some of the best friends of my life out there.

USART: Why do you choose to donate to USA Rugby Trust?

PF: Rugby has always been really important to me. I’ve always had fun playing and I’ve learned so much from it. It was a great experience. It gave me the chance to travel the world. I felt [giving to the Trust] was a good thing for me to do to be able to give back and help the players who are coming up now.

USART: You give recurring gifts to USA Rugby Trust. Can you tell me why you decided to give your gifts in that way?

PF: It’s just easier! I don’t need to be reminded to give, it’s just an automatic thing. It’s more convenient.

USART: In addition to your recurring gifts, you also gave a gift in response to the Olympic call to action. Can you tell me why you chose to give during that time?

PF: Going to the Olympics is virtually every athlete’s dream. I wasn’t good enough and the opportunity wasn’t available to me when I was younger, but holy cow, what a cool thing to be able to do. If I can help someone achieve that goal, it’s a small price to pay.

USART: Why do you think supporting, promoting, developing and growing the sport of rugby in the United States is a worthwhile mission?

PF: I think, like most sports, rugby is good for the community, and it helps individuals learn teamwork, leadership skills and more. I choose to support rugby because it’s close to my heart. I think the whole concept of youth rugby is really important. I got to play in high school, and that’s when I got hooked on it.

Also, I’ve made some of the best friendships of my life through rugby. I’m actually heading to Cuba in about a month to go play rugby with my former teammates from Boulder. There’s an international tournament for the Old Boys down there with teams from South America, Australia, the United States and other places around the world going.

USART: Living in Florida now, how have you kept in touch with these guys over the years?

PF: Most of the guys still live in Boulder, but I’m in regular contact with them through email and social media. I also fly out sometimes. We go on trips together now and then. Every so often, I’ll go back to Boulder and go up for Aspen Ruggerfest. It’s one of my favorite things to do. Now, going to Cuba, it’ll be the first time in five years I’ll be putting my cleats back on. I’m just going to try not to get killed!

You can make an impact on the game by making a recurring gift to USA Rugby Trust, just like Peter. Click here to set up your recurring gift today.