National Collegiate Rugby CEO Jeremy Treece has published an open letter to the US Rugby community pitching an idea to partner with USA Rugby on training and recruiting referees.

The letter comes as referee organizations continue to try to find their way in a game that a) isn't playing much, b) has a variety of organizations and ouncils overseeing competitions, c) has NCR and USA Rugby seemingly at odds, and finally d) where referees do not have a national organization representing their interests.

"NCR believes that a NGB that partners and empowers its community groups is the best path forward for  the growth of rugby in the United States. Creating shared partnerships to grow the game, with independent organizations like NCR, NIRA, MLR, LROs and USA Youth & High School Rugby, we believe, is essential to the development of the game at all levels," wrote Treece.

He added that recruiting, training, and helping referees is a crucial part of the game and "NCR welcomes a partnership with USAR to assist them in these important areas."

So NCR has formally proposed to donate $52,000 to USA Rugby to be used in referee and coaching development.

USA Rugby and NCR have been in a bit of a back-and-forth about how they can live under the same roof. A major part of this discussion is money. USA Rugby has said that they won't sanction competition between NCR teams and USA Rugby members. NCR has argued that their teams should be treated the same as USA Rugby members, but the sticking point is the part of the Ted Stevens Act that says such equality comes thanks to a "reasonable fee" paid by the non-member group or teams.

What that reasonable fee might be has not been settled on, but it has been clear that NCR's idea of reasonable is small than USA Rugby's. NCR has budgeted for a business model that sees them keeping the dues they charge, not giving them away, and not asking for teams to pay more.

So this proposal appears to be a compromise. It is essentially $3.50 per player (based on estimates of how many players might be with NCR once rugby begins - this breakdown is a correction from earlier when we used the wrong total NCR membership number). The question is, will USA Rugby see this as sufficient (unlikely) or at least a reasonable opening gambit?

Longtime coach and NCR Boardmember Steve Lewis posted on Twitter that this was an olive branch from NCR and will help what is still a cash-stressed USA Rugby.

Big olive branch here offering @USARugby $ for refs in their (USAR) hour of need. @djcoil @RugbyWrapUp @goffrugbyreport @AmericaRugbyPod @EarfulOfDirt @CurmudgeonlyLuv @ThePatClifton @johnjbroker @daveclancy11 @DanLyle8 @gandycoach @RefJK @JMOASCHY @paulsantinelli Grow the game? https://t.co/7CrsyWuWkI

— Stephen Lewis (@lizardrugby) January 14, 2021

He actually called it a "big" olive branch. We'll see what USA Rugby thinks.