LAFAYETTE, CO. - USA Rugby has today opened voting for an official unified hashtag to support the vision and representation of its union. Fans across the United States are encouraged to use one of three options on their social media channels before Sunday, Sep. 30 to vote on which phrase they feel should be selected.

Each of the three options fits a set of criteria established by the union to be both uniquely identifiable and serve as a purposeful depiction of what the organization represents. The objective is to create a singular phrase that fans, athletes and the community can use in support of national teams; and by extension, the growth of rugby in America.

After an initial period of conceptualization, a multitude of options were measured against the following:

• Must include the word "Eagle" to align with the union's nickname and mark

• Cannot be too general so as to allow unrelated organizations to duplicate its use

• Should be broad enough to encompass many uses across digital and social media

• Should not be longer than three words to keep it simple and memorable

• Must be a positive and engaging portrayal of the union and rugby's core values

Following this preliminary stage, USA Rugby provided a final round of options to representatives from each senior national team to gauge interest and relatability. With athlete feedback, the below three options were selected to carry forward into Phase Two of fan and community voting.

• #EaglesUnited

• #EaglesRise

• #EagleTerritory

The first option, #EaglesUnited, has been used previously and spreads a message of cohesion and togetherness for the community to embrace. Given existing familiarity with the phrase, #EaglesUnited would be easily adopted.

#EaglesRise was developed to articulate the union's sense of direction in an Olympic qualification and World Cup year; as well as through increasing developments across all facets of the game. If selected, the option would be introduced with a string of accompanying phrases, using keywords to signify rugby's core values. For example, "Rise with honor, Rise a leader, Rise proud, #EaglesRise"

#EagleTerritory was created to project a sense of ownership wherever it's used; showing the union makes its mark as a collective in all its endeavors.

In order to cast their vote, fans must use their desired hashtag on Twitter or Instagram with an accompanying photo or brief description to support their choice. Only posts which use one of the three hashtags will be counted. National office staff and the larger player pools will also be given a forum to vote, allowing every member of the community an opportunity to be a part of the process.

Voting will close on Sun, Sep. 30 after which the union will begin tallying options to see which hashtag will be selected.

Once a final choice is identified, the third and final phase will commence with the development of an official launch plan to bring the phrase to life.