LIFE LOVE RUGBY : April 2015

For Immediate Release
Submitted by USA Rugby
April 24, 2015
MIAMI – Executive members of the top-6 ranked rugby nations spanning North and South America met in Miami, FL this week to discuss the creation of a new International Championship set to begin in 2016. The tournament, which has yet to be named, would be a groundbreaking endeavor strengthening rugby competition across two continents.
“This is a historic moment for rugby in America,” said Agustin Pichot, former Argentinean captain and current Pan American Rugby Association President. “We have had great meetings and we believe that the American championship will be a complete success for the development of rugby in the region.”
Echoing Agustin’s statement, Sebastian Pineyura, Uruguay Rugby President said, “We are very happy with the progress made in the meeting today. The goal of this tournament is aligned with our plans as a Union and we are sure it will be a great development tool for rugby in the Americas.”
During initial tournament conversations, all six nations agreed the International Championship would be developed under the guidance of the Pan American Rugby Association (PARA). The competing nations – Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Uruguay and the United States – will each play five matches annually, giving Rugby fans across the Americas a chance to see top-tier international competition on a regular basis.
Agustin Danza, CEO, Brazil Rugby Union was also in attendance at the meeting, saying, “We are very optimistic about the future of rugby in America. The collaboration we achieved in this first meeting showed us that by having more of these meetings, we will be able to accelerate the growth of the region.” Brazil is the host nation for the 2016 Summer Olympics, in which rugby will make its triumphant return with a sevens tournament.
Executive members representing each nation’s rugby unions have agreed to work together and develop a fixture schedule spanning over fi years, determining home and away matches for each nation. “We had a great meeting in which all the invited countries collaborated enthusiastically to make progress and reach agreements," said Sebastian Bianchi, representing Chile, “the dream of a tournament with the six nations is closer every day.”
Initial talks of an Americas Championship tournament were so successful that plans for expansion were also discussed. “It is an excellent development that the leading rugby countries of the Americas are discussing the future of international competition,” said World Rugby representative Tom Jones. Any creation of further tiers of competition would allow for potential promotion and relegation to the top-tier.
USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville joined in World Rugby’s excitement, saying, “This is an exciting time for Rugby in the Americas and an American Rugby Championship will be an important step forward for international rugby in the region.”

North America’s other representative, Rugby Canada CEO Graham Brown, shared similar sentiments, saying, “Rugby Canada believes strongly in working with our partners across the Americas. A competition that provides high-quality, consistent fixtures annually will help further ensure the growth of the game in both North and South America.”

Work will now continue in order to develop the Championship ahead of the 2016 launch.

Over the years I have always played close attention to the competition that happens in one of Americas hot beds for rugby, as a player a coach and a supporter I have always wanted to know the answer to some questions. This week Mark Carney of newly rebranded Rugby Norcal was gracious enough to answer a few questions exploring many topics, reason to changing the name and new media exposure this season.
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LLR- When was Rugby NorCal founded and how many players and teams were there registered?

MC-Rugby NorCal was founded at Northern California Youth Rugby (Association) in 2010. The numbers are a little hazy and proper tracking was not really kept back then, but from what we can tell, we had roughly 1,500-2,000 registered players.

LLR- Why the change from Northern California Youth Rugby Association to just Rugby NorCal ?

MC- The SRO’s in the rest of the country (for the most part) are starting to unite under a common term for their SRO’s; that is Rugby “fill in the blank”. We thought that it was a good idea to try and unify the entire country around similar terms from State to State; in California’s case, regions within the State, so that is why we decided to re-brand. We also wanted to get away from all the Acronym’s associated with our organization. By re-branding, we are hoping to make it easier to secure corporate contributions, and grant money, as the re-brand also came with a complete organizational overhaul that included a new mission, vision, strategic plan and goals for the organization.

LLR- Does rugby NorCal provide any form of assistance to their clubs and how ?

MC- Rugby NorCal attempts to assist clubs by reaching out to local schools and organizations around the area, run rookie rugby clinics in PE Classes, and try to put rugby front and center in the school systems. After the daily programs conclude, we invite the kids to provide contact info so we can put them in touch with their local clubs who are recruiting.

We do not offer any financial incentives right now, as we run on a pretty tight budget as it is.

Rugby NorCal has also been working to put together a new club packet which will be send out to every club at the beginning of the season. This will detail best practices from around the league, country, and world to assist them in everything from coach education, sponsorship/fundraising, parental awareness, and training plans for the season.

LLR- Some of the biggest problems with youth rugby in many parts of the country is the lack of officials for games which leads to coaches or parents having to step in. Is Rugby NorCal active in this department and what is being done to assure that there is proper and plenty of officials for matches?

MC- All across the country, it is clear that we lack many qualified referees. We struggle with it just as much as any other SRO/Region, but we do place a big emphasis on educating as many referees as possible. The biggest challenge is getting the referees we educate to actually pick up the whistle on a weekly basis and participate. We have educated over 500 referees in the last 3-4 years, and I would estimate that only about 150 of them actually referee at one level or another. This is a challenge that all of us will face over the years to come, but I think the biggest thing that can help is educating the spectators/parents on the laws of the game, and trying to get them out of the mentality that it is OK to verbally abuse the officials from the sideline when calls don’t go their teams way. This is all too prevalent in the American youth sport psyche, and something that needs to change if we are to start, and retain top quality officials, and will also help our sport develop into a legitimate American sport alternative to the big three-four US Sports at youth and HS.

LLR- The women's side of the game is experiencing some amazing growth at the high school and college level in America. What is being done to help contribute to the growth and how is the game expanding the game for young girls in northern California?

MC- You are absolutely correct in that we have experienced huge growth and interest in the girls/women’s game. Here in NorCal, we now have 20 High School programs, and many girls playing at the Middle School level and below.

Growing the girls game further is a critical component to our success as an organization. Next year, we are looking into the possibility of starting a Girls JV league. Currently, we just have Girls Varsity HS Programs. We are also looking at a long term plan to start a Girls Middle School league. This is a few years off, but we are considering 7s or 10s as an option to overcome the lower numbers of girls playing at that age level right now so that it can be sustainable.

LLR- Similar to the previous question, rugby in general is growing by leaps and bounds. How does rugby NorCal help grow the game at a young age and keep not just high school but u8-u14 clubs from folding?

MC- This year we brought on a part time Youth Development Officer, whose sole job is to go into local schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA’s, after school programs, etc. and start the education process about the sport, and introduce it to as many kids at the youth level as possible. It is a long term growth strategy, but until we find some more money to bring that person on Full-Time, and add another YDO, we are facing a tough battle, as we are spread incredibly thin, not just here, but all across the country when it comes to youth development and growth.

LLR- Last few questions, Rugby NorCal has done a pretty good job over the years in handling disciplinary action toward players, but going over the list that is provided on your website there’s a few teams with multiple player penalties. Is there any disciplinary actions taken against the teams that have multiple players in trouble with yellow and red cards?

MC-We strictly follow the World Rugby and USA Rugby guidelines when it comes to disciplinary issues. If one club is seen to have a history of repeat offences, we analyze it and usually have a conversation with the club and their coaching staff. A red card is no longer just an automatic one week suspension, every red card must go through a disciplinary procedure, which is headed up by one of our regional disciplinary chairs (we have one for Sac Valley, one for Bay, and one for the Central Valley). A lot of it comes down to coaching, and education of the law; we spend a lot of time educating coaches and players on U19 variations, and on safety to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all.

LLR- Last few questions, Rugby NorCal has done a pretty good job over the years in handling disciplinary action toward players, but going over the list that is provided on your website there’s a few teams that have multiple player penalties. Is there any disciplinary actions taken against the teams that have multiple players in trouble with yellow and red cards?

MC- We strictly follow the World Rugby and USA Rugby guidelines when it comes to disciplinary issues. If one club is seen to have a history of repeat offences, we analyze it and usually have a conversation with the club and their coaching staff. A red card is no longer just an automatic one week suspension, every red card must go through a disciplinary procedure, which is headed up by one of our regional disciplinary chairs (we have one for Sac Valley, one for Bay, and one for the Central Valley). A lot of it comes down to coaching, and education of the law; we spend a lot of time educating coaches and players on U19 variations, and on safety to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all.

LLR-This past year we saw an increase in media exposure for Rugby NorCal and some of its clubs with the section now provided in SportStars, going forward what else does Rugby NorCal hope to accomplish to get more exposure for the teams and the game going forward?

MC-We are actively searching for partners within our region, whether it is a corporation, association, or individual for grants, sponsorship and media exposure. Our partnership with SportStars Magazine this year was a great first step, and throughout the course of the season, they have beefed up coverage and communication to the entire region, making rugby more visible, and a top tier sport.

We are hoping to utilize social media more over the coming years, and work on targeted ads to reach new markets and spread the word of the sport, and what we are doing to make an impact in our player’s lives. Rugby is about more than the sport; it is about the camaraderie, sportsmanship, respect, teamwork and other values that become building blocks in these player’s lives, and allow them to go on to be productive members of society. That is the message we are trying to get out there, and one we are confident we can back up.

LLR- And lastly how exciting is it to have a eagles test match in northern California 2 years in a row and not just that but double headers in both the San Jose and Sacramento sites. What does that say about the support and future of Rugby going forward ?

MC- Having our National team playing back to back weekends in the various areas of our own back yard is huge. The more exposure to the sport that the region can get, the better. Putting these matches in top facilities is a critical component, and in the Avaya Stadium in San Jose, and Bonney Field in Sacramento, we have found that. I think the state of rugby in general in the USA is in good condition; obviously we would like to see more investment in the youth, and making sure that there is a clear pathway from HS to College or Club. I think the College game is in great shape right now, as evidenced by its increasing exposure on television and mass media

*This weekend begins the 11th Northern California invitational tournament & Rugby NorCal playoffs and championship. Stay tuned for updates on winners from each division.

LIFE LOVE RUGBY

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Friday, April 24, 2015

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