Gracing Major League Rugby as one of the competition’s latest expansion sides, the New England Free Jacks have come from entirely off-radar to headline-stealing. Officially announced in late September, the team has already gotten an exhibition game under their wing and announced a major series of matches in the spring against the Irish provincial development sides. Yet the team won’t actually officially play their first MLR game until season three, expected to get underway sometime in January 2020, if the start of season two was any indication. But the side has also drawn plenty of questions, namely, what in the world is a Free Jack?

The team’s logo showcases a Paul Revere type rider holding a lantern, and the secondary logos also emphasize heavy on the lantern. Their kit colors, at least through early possibly unofficial iterations, features your standard patriotic red, white, and blue. They played in red tops, white bottoms, and blue socks in their exhibition against the newly rebranded Toronto Arrows. The team has also showcased a gorgeous looking red, white, and blue striped top. So clearly the theme here is a revolutionary, patriotic one.

But searching densely through known texts and deep dives on Wikipedia (for example did you know that 25,000 American patriots died in the American Revolution, which via population ratios makes it the second-deadliest American war, trailing only the Civil War) I found tons of info, but what was lacking in the revolutionary research was a reference to free jack. So what exactly is it on about?

While observing at the Free Jacks’ first talent combine, I got a chance to talk about things ranging from the drills, which players the staff liked, and a little bit about the team. And while talking to Free Jacks’ CEO Alex Magleby, I got to peer underneath the curtain to hear a little bit about the team name.

“Among many other things,” Free Jacks is a reference to the freedom earned from the UK’s Union Jack. Freedom hard-fought and deeply earned through the grueling American revolutionary fight between 1775 and 1783. Massachusetts is, of course, deeply entrenched in the history of that country-defining conflict. Just take a stroll down the roughly 2.5-mile Freedom Trail through the heart of Boston and you’ll be faced with 16 historical sites, all with major implications in the unfolding of the war. In the greater Boston area, there are simply too many to even attempt to quantify, including the kicking off point of Lexington and Concord, commemorated by Minute Man National Historical Park, a quick 20-mile jaunt out of the city. But before attempting to overly bore with a history lesson, it suffices to say name Free Jacks has deep revolutionary connotations, albeit accomplishing so in a unique title.

But the Free Jacks’ name also has more than just literal meanings. It also has metaphorical in regards to the rugby community it hopes flourishes in the wake of its launch. The Free Jacks, at last, provide the pathway for the likes of rugby players, coaches, and other vital staff members to realize they now have the freedom to chase that dream to the highest of levels in their own backyard. And they hope to, at least for the meanwhile, provide that opportunity in combination to the entire New England region, who also share equal weight among history for partaking in the revolution.

Those dreams are already coming true for those currently working with the team, including head coach Josh Smith, who played for UMass-Lowell, Mystic River Rugby, and Middlesex Barbarians before coaching at Bentley College, Middlesex, and Mystic.

“To be part of the MLR in the Boston area, where I’ve grown up and my family has lived my entire life, means so much,” Smith said. “Dream come true, right. Boston boy getting the chance to coach an MLR side in his hometown, this is what it’s all about; this is why you grind and work all those extra hours.”

It’s a dream and opportunity he’ll get to share for hopefully countless years going forward as both MLR and the Free Jacks grow into flourishing entities in World Rugby.

But hopefully, you learned a little something here today, both in historical context and for MLR’s budding new side.