Having played
American football in his youth, he transitioned to
rugby union in school and was convinced to try
rugby league by the
Warrington Wolves head coach
Paul Cullen, joining the team's youth academy. Playing as a , his under 18s début initially was held back due to his classification as an overseas player, an issue finally resolved with special dispensation from the
Rugby Football League. In 2008, Welch was drafted onto Warrington's 19-man roster to cover for an injured
Chris Riley. Riley was cleared to play, however Welch had trained so well that he was selected to the 13-man playing roster ahead of teammate
Kevin Penny for the game against the
Castleford Tigers. He is thought to have become the first American to play for Warrington Wolves and the first ever to play in the
Super League. He has played for
Fylde Rugby Club,
Pays d'Aix RC in
Pro D2 and
Sale F.C., and applied for U.K. citizenship to enable him to count as a player in Super League. Welch subsequently relocated back to the
United States. He has continued playing rugby with the
New York Raiders of the
American National Rugby League and the
Chicago Griffins rugby union team, and has trained with the startup
Chicago Stockyarders. In October 2014, Welch signed with the semi-professional
Townsville Blackhawks for their inaugural season in Australia's
Queensland Cup. ==References==