GRR: Youth
It’s easy to say “youth rugby is the future” but how, exactly do you accomplish this?
While it’s good news that youth and HS participation is up about 19%, it’s also true that neglecting growth of the youth game can also spell doom for a program, especially a HS club (which has to re-recruit hard every year) or even a state organization.
The National 7s Youth Championships is filling up nicely but there remains a little space for some girls teams.
The tournament will be held June 12-13 in Cleveland, Ohio on the fields at St. Ignatius HS.
"We got a massive response," said Tournament Director Pat Rahill.
Rugby will return to high school teams at some point—maybe not soon, but it will be back, and it may not be so different as it was before.
While a task force of youth and high school rugby people are working on a plan to form a new USA Rugby division of Youth & HS, it's reasonable that players and coaches will have questions. Here are a few answers:
Finalists in the Boys U18s 7s at the LAI, a contender for the SoCal club championship, and the development program for three current Eagles, Belmont Shore is a well-regarded high school program … but there is a lot more to the program than that, a lot more.
The Old Glory DC Major League Rugby team has unveiled an ambitious plan to support the game in communities around the region.
Throughout February, Old Glory will be supporting youth and high school events, some being high-level skills clinics, and others being rugby days designed to increase interest among young kids.
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