DALLAS, Texas - Funding by World Rugby to Imagine Rugby will support the Rookie Rugby program, a national educational program allowing teachers to introduce rugby in physical education programs to North American youth for free by covering costs for all Fall 2023 equipment needs, including Rugby 101 curriculum, 750 bag kits, and 6,000 rugby balls to youth nationwide.
Imagine Rugby, the umbrella organization administering Rookie Rugby, strives to make rugby available to North American youth by providing programs for young athletes to learn leadership development, mentorship, and the importance of healthy lifestyles through the power of sport.
World Rugby funds for the Rookie Rugby program will support the introduction of rugby to a quarter of a million North American youth this year, intending to create further interest in joining after-school flag rugby programs, leading to increased participation in local youth clubs.
David Pool, President of USA Youth and High School Rugby commented – “Rookie Rugby is non-contact and a fun, safe way to get rugby balls in the hands of kids across the country. Our objective is to build the base of rugby players and have them fall in love with the game of rugby and its unique culture”.
“One key strategy to unlocking rugby in the United States is to get the sport into our existing infrastructure. This funding allows for rugby to be incorporated into the PE curriculum at hundreds of schools across the country, thereby creating awareness and opening the door for the creation of new youth rugby clubs” said Guy Hagen, Director of Youth Development for Major League Rugby.
Major League Rugby relaunched the Rookie Rugby Program in partnership with USA Rugby and USA Youth & High School Rugby (YHS), and State Youth Rugby Organizations with the goal to increase Youth Rugby participation in North America to 1 million active youth by 2030 in support of the 2031 and 2033 World Cups in the United States.
