August 20, 2025
Call to order – Al – 8:03 PM CST
Roll Call – Michael
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- Meeting Attendance – 2024 _ 2025 Season.pdf and Conflict of Interest statements
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- Reminder on time management
- Periodic announcement of running time
- Off topic items tabled to end of call
- Reminder on time management
Approval of past SCC minutes – Michael
- Last Meeting Minutes – SCC 25 7 16 Agenda and Minutes – USA Club Rugby
- Motion: RMR. Second: NorCal. Approved
Chairs’/Officers’ Reports
Board Report – Rick
- Club Rugby – “We Can do it!”
- Leverage Club Rugby values leading to the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups:
- Building Community through Rugby.
- USAR “Growing the Game” reach, or stretch, goal: build from current 100,000 members to:
- 250,000 in three years.
- 500,000 in 2033.
- Club Rugby goal: increase the current 30,000 members to 75,000 in three years.
- 150,000 in 2033.
- Ambitious, aggressive goals: key to successful hosting of Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033.
- Leverage Club Rugby values leading to the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups:
- USAR/WR “Grow the Game’ Plans
- World Rugby is planning a substantial investment in Growing the Game in the United States. The Senior Club Council needs to position itself to access that funding to grow Club Rugby.
- Please see attached USAR and WR Growth plans:
- USA Rugby – Together we soar like Eagles – draft plan. 250820 – USA Rugby – Together we soar like Eagles – draft.pdf
- World Rugby – USA Growth Plan – 250718. 250718_USA Growth Plan – USAR Board + Council.pdf
- Also, please review what SCC submitted in 2023.
- SCC 2023 Growth Plan PowerPoint submission. 2023 SCC Growth Plan v3.pptx
- SCC 2023 Growth Plan Outline. 230113 SCC Grow the game.pdf
- How can the Senior Club Council contribute to Growth?
- Creating a task-oriented working group to lead and coordinate our unions’ Growth programs.
- Club Rugby growth programs might include:
- Reviewing our two championships (7s/15s) with a Strong Club/Member Growth metric across the board.
- Creating Social and Other media programs to make Club Rugby values mainstream.
- Taking responsibility for quality coach, admin and match official development beyond the WR certification courses.
- Conference examples in Texas, Northern California, New England and elsewhere.
- Share best practices for player recruitment – what works?
- Resource course development on a variety of continuing education topics.
- Create cadre of “Coach Advisers” and resource travel within GU’s.
- Maximize Admin development and Minimize Admin registration costs.
- Supporting Strong Club initiatives.
- Develop nationwide volume benefits around group purchase programs for equipment, services and member benefits.
- Collate best practice/tactics for municipal/local government cooperation including partnering with RWC venue development.
- Collect and share Club organization/admin best practices.
- Club Rugby can tap into the promised substantial resources by creating and executing concrete efforts that provide substantial membership growth and activation return on that investment.
- WR Plan Notes
- Targeted markets: USA, Spain, Japan
- Drive Revenues and Commercial Growth
- Unlock Sports’ Biggest Market, Build strong US Audience/Fanbase, develop US talent and the wider US Rugby Landscape
- $270 million investment to support USA Growth Plan
- USAR Vision – Fly like an eagle
- Increase participation at all levels by “Sharing our Great Game” – 250,000 by end of year 3
- Strengthen community coaching and advance referee development
- Develop plans within the community game for players, coaches, referees and administrators to build engagement for life
- Improve collaboration between the Councils and USAR to drive growth together
- Raise standards of the community game
USAR Liaison – Elaine
- July 2025.png
- Contact with new club creation questions.
- Senior Club – New Club Request form
- Clubs to be deactivated have been
Secretary – Michael
- Tracking action Items
- Action Item from EXCO 25 07 07: Run registration report August 1 to update SCC membership data sheet
- Pulled data Aug 1st per last year’s vote. See SCC 24 10 16 Agenda and Minutes – USA Club Rugby
- See tab “Membership Stats as of 08.01.25” in SCC Membership Data
- Will loop into attendance, voting, etc after this call
- Action Item from EXCO 25 06 18: Jeremy work with Julie to create commercials for Club Rugby
- Posted to Club Corner
- Contact Jeremy Swick for questions on how to use them.
- Contact Julie for questions about advertising practices
- Club Competition Recaps
Admin – Nick
- Refund processing
- 5
- Web Contact form responses
- 10
15’s Comp – David McPhail
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- Action Item from SCC 24 02 19: 15s committee to create document with minimum Super Regional standards to go with budget increase.
- In process
- Agreement reached with Life University Women, Texas, and Carolina on revamped WD1 league in GC region:
- USA Senior Club Rugby, has partnered with the Texas Rugby Union (TRU) and the Carolina Rugby Union (CRU), to announce that Life University Women will join the USA Club Rugby Women’s Division 1 (WD1) League beginning in the Spring of 2026.
- This exciting addition underscores the continued growth of Women’s rugby in the United States, highlighting Life University’s longstanding commitment to athletic excellence and academic achievement. The Life University Women’s Rugby team has built a reputation for strong performances, and their inclusion in the WD1 League marks a significant milestone in both their program’s history and the broader landscape of U.S. Women’s rugby.
- We are incredibly excited to welcome Life University Women into the WD1 League. Their inclusion reflects the expanding depth of Women’s rugby in this country and further strengthens the competitive nature of the WD1 league. Life University has been a cornerstone program in collegiate rugby, and we are confident that their presence will be a great addition to the league as we continue to elevate the profile of Women’s rugby in the US and the Gulf Coast Region.
- The WD1 League, the premier competition for Women’s club rugby in the United States, features top-level teams from around the country, and Life University’s entry will further enhance the quality and competitive depth of the league. Life University’s Women’s team has earned respect on the national stage, and their strong track record in collegiate rugby makes them a fitting addition to the WD1 ranks.
- Bids / RFP for National Championships shared on Social Media
- Received MOU’s for the Midwest and Pacific this week. The Atlantic region is under review. GC has an existing MOU, but needs tweaking. Will remind the 15s committee to work on getting these completed before Sept-1st. Rick and Wes confirmed Geno Mazza is the lead for the Pacific Regional Tournament.
- Committee to work on a proposal for “Promotion & Relegation” policy with goal of having completed before YE 2025 as well as get Regional Championship figures in order to build out a budget for 2026 regionals.
- McPhail to work on a detailed 15s / Championship Budget for 2025-26 cycle. Need to get with Tim on final numbers and use the guidance of 20% increase on event budget plus allow for Site Inspections, SCC / USAR meetings, etc.
- Google Sheet to be filled out by all GU’s for mapping out comps in 2025-26
- 2026 NCS 15s Divisional Declarations
- Dead line Sept 10th.
- Action Item from SCC 24 02 19: 15s committee to create document with minimum Super Regional standards to go with budget increase.
7’s Comp – David Fee
- Kudos to all that helped pull off 7s nationals. Great event.
- Bids / RFP for National Championships shared on Social Media
Eligibility – Tam
- Action Item from EXCO 25 07 15: Frequently asked Eligibility questions doc
- Checking with committee members on renewal
Treasurer – Tim
- 2025 07 July USA Club Rugby Assoc Statement of Activity
- 2025 07 July USA Club Rugby Assoc Statement of Financial Position
Discipline – Megan
- 7’s Nationals – Disciplinary Recap
- 53 Yellow Cards tracked
- 3 Citing Requests
- 1 Grievance
- 2026 Season
- Disciplinary Call to Action will be scheduled to ensure process and procedures are implemented – including the use of Rugby Xplorer.
- Community Judicial Officer Training
- Last one of the 2025 year scheduled for Oct. 11-12 in Moraga, CA
- To-Date:
- 13 courses held
- 123 people trained
- 15 have become CJOs
- Midwest – 4
- Texas
- Mid-America
- Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union (EPRU)
- Rugby Virginia – 2
- New England
- Colorado
- Empire
- North Carolina
- College (CRAA) – 2
Governance – KJ
- No Report
DEI – Robert
- I’m pulling together a recruitment document for the committee and I’m hoping we will start to energize our recruitment in this area.
Vice Chair – Wes
- Will have final draft for Sanctioning process by next ExCo
USAR Referee and Laws Committee (RLC) – David Chapman
- Given the completion of the 2025 7s Championship, I have begun asking involved parties regarding referees, ARs, and #4s at the event. David Fee will provide survey information that he is accumulating from participants. I have already received input from Scott Conway and his RX team and am awaiting others.
- Note: I will report to the ExCo and then the SCC before discussing with the RLC.
Chair report – Al
- Action Item from SCC 24 08 21: ExCo to look into covering players even when non registered players are involved
- Very complicated. No can do. Registered player’s medical covered but no liability
- Discussion on responsibilities of SCC toward adults not part of another community
- Accelerating development of new CA
New Business
- Accident Insurance Vote
- DEI Chair Vote
- 25 07 DEI Chair Voting.pdf – Robert Sharp selected
- Community Agreement issues
- Open Letter to the USA Rugby community on 2025-26 Member dues increase
- Letter to Bill Goren 07-24-25 Final.pdf
- ExCo collecting suggested changes for CA from SCC representatives
- From RMR (Anthony): Aspen Ruggerfest Funding request
- I would like to add an item to discuss a funding request from the Gentlemen and Ladies of Aspen to put on Ruggerfest. The costs have skyrocketed and they would be seeking funding to host this historic tournament. See linked document.
- Aspen Ruggerfest – USAR SCC Request for Grant Funding
- Motion: RMR Second: none .
- Approval of funding request
- Motion: MW Second: SoCal Approved
- RMR deliver more information to consider further
- SCC 25 08 20 Meeting Voting – Ruggerfest.pdf
- Action Item: KJ (Governance) develop standard policy for tournament grants approval requirements
- From Florida (Kerri): I would like to amend the TOR.
- Current text “The Council will be composed of the recognized Senior Club Rugby Unions meeting the requirements of Article III of the USAR Bylaws. Each Union’s representative is the Union’s President unless otherwise designated by the Union’s bylaws or operating rules. No alternate may serve in the capacity of a Union’s Representative. There will be no proxy voting.”
- Suggested new text “The Council will be composed of the recognized Senior Club Rugby Unions meeting the requirements of Article III of the USAR Bylaws. Each Union’s representative is the Union’s President unless otherwise designated by the Union’s bylaws or operating rules. A union may designate one alternate that serves in the capacity of a Union’s Representative if the primary representative is unavailable. The requirements for this alternate should also be designated by the Union’s by-laws or operating procedures with the term for the alternate normally being a year. There will be no proxy voting.”
- Motion: Florida Second: Capital Denied
- Approval of TOR change to allow permanent alternates to be designated
- SCC 25 08 20 Meeting Voting – TOR mod.pdf
Adjourned
- Motion: NorCal. Second: RMR
- Meeting adjourned at 10:11 PM CST
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