Old Glory Adds Prop Bart Vermeulen

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Nov 21, 2025 - 4:00pm

Old Glory has announced their first new international signing of 2026 with Bart Vermeulen, a Netherlands-born Belgian loosehead prop. The 26-year-old comes into a position left uncertain by departures and rule changes.

Born in the Netherlands but raised in Belgium, Vermeulen picked up rugby at the age of 12. In 2017, he played for the Belgian U18 team for a three match tour. He attended Trinity College in Ireland, joining the All-Ireland League and accumulating 60 caps there. After graduating in 2021, he joined Connact's Academy side.

In 2023, he signed a training contract with Old Glory DC, staying with the team for four months. He then joined the NOLA Gold academy team in the American Rugby Premiership, which earned him a spot on the senior Gold squad for the 2024 season.

His debut MLR season saw him play in 5 matches for a modest 141 total minutes, a role which expanded to 12 matches for 411 minutes last season. However, at NOLA he was still very much a backup player, with just 4 starts last season.

The loosehead position at OGDC is in an interesting place, with the top player from last season, Jack Iscaro, taking a job overseas and the other primary player, Cali Martinez, now classified as a foreign player. Martinez is currently expected to take over as the starter, but the there is ample opportunity for challengers.

While born overseas, the team has confirmed that Vermeulen will count as a domestic player. That positions him well to be the primary option on the bench. If prior signings are anything to go by, the team will probably also sign another young American qualified player to drive competition on the bench.