The story goes back to late 2007, after the Rugby World Cup held in France. In that tournament, the Argentine national team, Los Pumas, delivered their best performance in history, finishing in third place. Inspired by that passion, during the winter holidays, a former Pumas player living in Key Biscayne decided to buy five rugby balls in his hometown of Mendoza to start playing with his children and their friends in Key Biscayne.
In January 2008, Pablo Cremaschi—the one who bought those balls—along with other parents excited about rugby, began gathering to play with their kids. At first, there were only a few of them: Pablo and Juan Cremaschi, Marcos Corti, Mariano Torres, and Gonzalo Cortabarría.
They soon set a consistent day and time to bring in more kids to enjoy those family-and-rugby Sundays. That’s how they started meeting every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Village Green in Key Biscayne.
As more and more players joined, they began organizing by age or size to create activities appropriate for each group, and the first teams started to form—even with very few players.
By the following season, better organized, they secured permission from Key Biscayne Community School (KBCS) to use its sports field for practices and games. Around the same time, two other rugby initiatives were starting to take shape in the Miami area: Miami Rugby and a small rugby school in Doral. Together, they began organizing match days and family-friendly gatherings.
The time came to formalize things further, and by the end of 2009 a proposal was presented to the Village of Key Biscayne to officially request a space for practice and recognition as a community activity. At that time, Mariano Torres García was appointed the first president of what became known as the Key Biscayne Rugby Rats.
The core mission of the founding parents and coaches has remained unchanged since day one: to promote a team sport where our children can share experiences, have fun, and grow through values rooted in healthy competition, with the community as their foundation. At Key Biscayne Rugby Rats, success is not pursued above all else—it is seen as the natural result of staying disciplined in our values. The kids who join KB Rugby Rats come to enjoy themselves and connect with others, and the coaches—mostly their parents—are completely voluntary, passionate, and motivated only by the desire to see their children grow in a positive environment.
At KB Rugby Rats, every child—from ages 4 to 19—has a place to have fun, make friends, and learn to embrace our values. Everyone, no matter where they come from or who they are, is welcome.
The greatest success of Key Biscayne Rugby Rats is not the trophies won, the finals played, or the players who made it onto select teams. The real success is that, by 2025, we have more than 200 happy and enthusiastic kids who share the passion for rugby and the values of KB Rugby Rats.
