Jyväskylä Rugby Club (JRC, also Jyväskylä RC) is a rugby union club in Jyväskylä, Finland, founded in 2000. It has a men's team, the Badgers (Mäyrät), and a women's team, JRCL (Koppelot). The club's motto is "Täyttä kontaktia jo vuodesta 2000!" ("Full contact since 2000!").
History
The club was founded in 2000 by Klaus Flörchinger, a rugby enthusiast who had moved to Finland from Germany. It started with only a handful of players in Mattilanniemi park. In its early years the club's main and only opponent was Helsinki Rugby Club, which the club calls Finland's other rugby club.
The men's team won the Finnish championship in 2004 and 2005. Women's rugby began at the club in 2005, after Outi Puupponen took up the idea of a women's team. Since 2002 the club has held an annual Snow Rugby event, which it calls its great yearly tradition.
In 2013 the women won the Finnish championship, beating Warriors Rugby Club of Helsinki 10–5 in the final. In December 2015 the club and the Jyväskylä American football club Jaguaarit announced joint junior activity from the following January. In April 2017 the Badgers finished second in the winter sevens series, and in October 2017 they won the men's Finnish championship, beating Helsinki Rugby Club's Big Guns 25–24 in Pori; the club called it its third men's title. The women won the Finnish championship again in 2018, against Tampere in Kuopio.
In 2025 the men played in the three-team Division 1 with Oulu Rugby Club and ESCR. They won the division and then beat Tampere RC, last in the SM-sarja, 27–26 in the promotion play-off. The same year the women played in the SM-sarja and reached the final, which they lost 29–0 to Tampere RC. In summer 2026 both the women's and the men's teams play in the SM-sarja.
Honours
Honours by the club's count, with the 2025 results:
- Finnish men's champions (SM gold): 2004, 2005, 2017
- Finnish women's fifteens champions (SM gold): five titles by the club's count, including 2013 and 2018
- Men's winter sevens series runners-up: 2017
- Men's Division 1 winners: 2025, followed by a win in the SM promotion play-off
Runners-up: 2025 Finnish women's championship (SM-sarja), women.
Ground
The club's 2026 summer matches are played at Palokka, Rovastintie 6, 40270 Jyväskylä, where its summer training also takes place on the Palokka grass pitch (Palokan nurmi). In spring 2026 the club also trained at Vehkahalli and on the Halssila artificial pitch. In summer 2025 it trained on the Hippos grass pitch.
Teams and training
The men's team is the JRC Badgers and the women's team is JRCL. In winter the women's team plays in the Talvi 7s tournament series. In February 2026 the club hosted the second tournament of the national sevens series at Huhtahalli. The club's junior activity is paused until further notice.
Training is always open to new players, and the club welcomes everyone over 16. As of August 2026, summer training runs from 2 June to 24 September 2026:
| Day | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 19:15–20:45 | Palokan nurmi |
| Thursday | 19:15–20:45 | Palokan nurmi |
Beginners need only training clothes and trainers; the club recommends boots and a mouthguard, which can be bought later. Each autumn and spring the club runs a free beginners' course that covers the basics from the start. Some beginners' course announcements also carry English text. In 2025 supporting membership cost €25.
Club life
The club's values are team spirit, discipline, enjoyment, respect and sportsmanship. It aims to promote and spread rugby, to improve its members' fitness and health, and to foster true sporting spirit and a lasting interest in the game. The club uses the line "It's only ruck and maul but I like it!"