Premier high school rugby tournament coming to Alexandria this spring

A nationally recognized high school rugby tournament is relocating to Alexandria this April — arriving just as city leaders are leaning harder than ever into sports tourism as an economic driver.

The Gonzaga Rugby Classic — founded in 2010 and previously known as the Jesuit Rugby Classic — will hold its 14th edition on April 25–26 at George Washington Middle School. The tournament was most recently held at Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park in Aldie, Virginia, in Loudoun County.

The tournament's arrival comes one day after City Council's Tuesday legislative meeting, where Todd O'Leary, president and CEO of Visit Alexandria, delivered an update on the city's FIFA World Cup preparations during the City Manager's report — a sign of how central sports tourism has become to Alexandria's economic identity. Alexandria was announced in February as the official Team Base Camp for the Croatian national football team during FIFA World Cup 2026, with Croatia set to train at Episcopal High School throughout the tournament.

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Visit Alexandria recently expanded its marketing campaign to specifically target sports groups — an effort timed through June 2026 to coincide with the nation's 250th anniversary and the World Cup. The expansion came as Alexandria crossed $1 billion in annual visitor spending for the first time.

The Gonzaga Rugby Classic fits that strategic mold. According to a post shared on a community listserv recently, the tournament is expected to draw 24 or more teams — including at least eight girls teams — representing players and coaches from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, with an estimated 700 players and coaches attending, plus families.

Gonzaga College High School and the Gonzaga Rugby Boosters describe the tournament as one of the premier high school rugby events in the country, offering divisions for Boys and Girls Varsity, Boys JV, and Boys Freshman competitors. The 2025 edition drew more than 40 teams, including participants from South Africa, Canada, and Guam.

Expected participants so far include Alexandria City, Gonzaga, Fort Hunt, and West Springfield.

A "stay-to-play" model — and where teams will stay

The tournament operates under a mandatory housing policy with direct implications for local businesses. Per the tournament's official housing portal, managed by HBC Event Services, all non-commuting teams are required to book through HBC and are prohibited from contacting hotels directly. Booking through the designated service, the tournament states, supports partner hotels that help underwrite the event's costs and ensures teams receive negotiated rates — typically lower than standard available rates and often including breakfast.

The tournament's housing portal lists several Alexandria properties as official partner hotels, including the Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria on N. Saint Asaph Street, the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Alexandria-Historic District on Eisenhower Avenue, and the Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town South at Carlyle. Additional properties are listed in the portal.

Economic context

The geographic spread of the three partner hotels — from Old Town to the Eisenhower Avenue corridor — suggests the tournament's economic footprint could extend across multiple Alexandria neighborhoods.

Visitors to Alexandria spend approximately $790 million annually, generating more than $26 million in local tax revenue, according to Visit Alexandria. A 2023 study by the Virginia Tourism Corporation found that youth and amateur sports tourism across the Commonwealth generated $2.7 billion in direct spending in 2022, with food and beverage accounting for approximately 27 percent of that total. Those figures reflect statewide aggregates and cannot be directly applied to a single event.

Sponsorships available

According to the istserv post, sponsorship opportunities for local businesses are available. Interested parties can contact Tournament Director Michelle Boling at michellerb@gmail.com or Head Coach Peter Baggetta at pbaggetta@gonzaga.org.

Additional tournament details are expected to be posted to the official tournament page as they become available.