TheBoston Bears (former known asBoston 13s RLFC) are arugby league football team based inBoston, Massachusetts, U.S. The team plays in theUSA Rugby League, and were founding members of the formerNorth American Rugby League.

Boston Bears

Club information
Full name	Boston 13s Rugby League Football Club, Inc.
Nickname(s)	13s, Thirteens, B-13s, B-One-Three, Bears
Colours	Red &Black   British Racing Green   Metallic Gold
Founded	Friday, February 13, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-02-13)As Boston Bears, May 3rd, 2024
Current details
Ground(s)	Nickerson Field,Boston, Massachusetts (10,412)
Coach	Peter Lupton
Competition	USA Rugby League
Records
Premierships	1 (USARL) (2015)
Runners-up	1 (USARL) (2012)

The Boston Thirteens were founded in 2009 as anexpansion team of theAmerican National Rugby League (AMNRL). The league had been attempting to form a rugby league team in Boston for several years, due to the comparatively strong presence ofrugby union in the area. The Thirteens played in the AMNRL from 2009 & 2010, going to the league semi-finals in their inaugural season. In 2010 they became one of seven teams to depart from the AMNRL in order to found a new governing body: the USA Rugby League (USARL), before moving onto theNorth American Rugby League in 2021.

TheAmerican National Rugby League had been attempting to establish a team in theBoston area for years, hoping to gain a foothold forrugby league in an area with a comparatively strongrugby union presence. The Boston Storm competed in the first season of American domestic competition in 1998, but folded after a single season.

In 2005 overtures by the AMNRL and rugby league supporters drew the interest of some local rugby union players, and a local union club, theBoston Irish Wolfhounds, fielded a rugby league side that joined the AMNRL on a trial basis. The Wolfhounds played an abbreviated two-game exhibition schedule to build interest in the sport in Boston, with the intention of playing a full schedule for the 2006 season.^[1] The next year the team ended its association with the Wolfhounds, adopting the name Boston Braves.^[2] They played through the2006 season, winning only one game; they suspended operations at the end of the year.

In 2009 a new leadership group led by Mikhael Nizam Shammas established a new team, which was named the Boston Thirteens. The club was incorporated as aC corporation (under the name of the "Boston 13s RLFC, Inc.") on Friday, February 13, 2009, and began play in the2009 AMNRL season.^[3] They went to the playoffs that year, advancing to the semifinals before being defeated by theJacksonville Axemen.^[4] They failed to qualify for the playoffs in the2010 season.

On January 12, 2011, the Thirteens became one of seven teams to depart from the AMNRL to found the newUSA Rugby League.^[5][6][7] The new league began in 2011.

The Thirteens finished their first season in 6th place, not qualifying for the playoffs. They only achieved two victories, both over their Boston rivalsOneida FC. Boston made the Grand Finals in 2012 before falling in a close contest to the Jacksonville Axemen. In 2015, Boston won their first national championship defeating the South Conference champion Atlanta Rhinos 44–12.

In March 2021 the Thirteens resigned from the USARL to become one of the founding teams of the new professionalNorth American Rugby League.

In 2024, the Boston Thirteens andNorth Sydney Bears formed a partnership with plans to enter a team in USARL under the Boston Bears name and to provide player exchange and study opportunities.^[8]

The team was named the 13s reflecting the 13 original colonies of America, the thirteen players on the field in rugby league, plus the fact that the club is the thirteenth RLFC to be founded in the United States. For their inaugural season they adopted the colors of black and gold, and white and gold, with a logo incorporating the number 13 and a stylizedMetatron's cube in the shape of arugby football.

In 2010, and in conjunction with the re-branding of the American National Rugby League logo and those of all affiliated clubs, the Thirteens adopted a new logo which depicted the numeric symbols of "1" and "3" merged to form the letter "B" forBoston. Additionally, the color ofBritish racing green was added to the existing colors of white and gold, reflecting the Boston area's strongIrish heritage.

• Scott Rosner, D.C
• Peter Lupton

^[9]

• AMNRL Championship titles: 0
• USARL:

Winners (1): 2015,

Runners up (1): 2012,

•   Shane Begin (2014)
•   Mike Elias (2017)
•   Marcos Flegmann (2015-2016)
•   Lance Gaines (2009)
•   Curtis Goddard (2015)
•   Tyler Ierardi (2016)
•   Urban Iyo (2016)
•  Matt Shipway (2013, 2017)
•  Peter Lupton (2022)

Coaching Staff

•  Robin Peers (2016)

•  Peter Lupton (WAL)
•  George Aroyan (LEB)
•  Kane Bentley (FRA)
•  Mike Elias (LEB)
•   Marcos Flegmann (MEX)
•  Mikhael Shammas (LEB)
•  Ronny Palumbo (ITA)
•  Kyle Winter (IDN)

• Rugby league in the United States
• List of sports clubs inspired by others

Official websites

• Official website
• Boston 13s Twitter
• Boston Thirteens at usarugbyleague.com