USA College Rugby

USA Rugby has a unique opportunity to develop new sustainable structures and programs to develop the game and move USA Rugby in to the top nations in world rugby. There are 63,000 registered players at all levels and we are experiencing significant expansion in participation. Youth / high schools / colleges and clubs players are the backbone of USA Rugby. We must and will focus our major effort on putting the best structures and support systems to support them. We need to change the way we are structured, how we fund and resource the game around the US.

College rugby (a version of rugby union) is played throughout universities in the United States of America. Unlike most university sports, college rugby is not governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and is instead governed by USA Rugby and the International Rugby Board. Often called a club sport, each individual team is administered by either the athletic department or the student club department.

History

On May 14, 1874, Harvard University hosted Montreal's McGill University, in Cambridge, Mass., for what would be the first recorded rugby game on American soil. It was the first of three games proposed by McGill. And, under the rules of "The Boston Game", Harvard won 3 - 0. Those first two games were to be played in Cambridge, one under Harvard's rules, the other under McGill's rules. The third game would be played in Montreal under McGill's rules. The next day the two teams played to a scoreless tie under the McGill rules. Harvard was so taken by McGill's rules that they adopted them. And, that Harvard/McGill series sparked an interest on college campuses nationwide. As American rugby's popularity began to grow, rugby was soon included as a sport in four Olympic Games (1900, 1908, 1920, 1924), and the United States claimed victories in both the 1920 and 1924 Games.

U.S. National Teams

The United States national rugby team, the Eagles, competed in the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. They compete annually in the Churchill Cup. The semi-professional domestic Super League was established for the country's top clubs. In 2006, the International Rugby Board (IRB) sponsored North America 4 competition was introduced, with two American teams participating; that competition was replaced in 2009 by the Americas Rugby Championship, with an effective USA "A" national team participating. The women's United States national team was established in 1987, and is a world power; winning the Women's World Cup in 1991, and finished runners up in 1994 and 1998.

There are over 60,000 players registered with USA Rugby; including over 20,000 high school students. The 570 clubs in the United States are governed by seven Territorial Unions and 37 Local Unions.

Popularity

The International Rugby Board has also announced that a record number of countries have formally expressed an interest to host IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009. IRB Member Unions Arabian Gulf, Australia, Hong Kong, Kenya, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia and USA have all informed the IRB of their interest to tender for the tournament that will incorporate both a men's and a women's competition. For the first time women will have their own Rugby World Cup Sevens, taking place alongside the men's event in the same host city. Indeed USA College Rugby is getting all the popularity.