Major League Rugby (MLR) recently announced that World Rugby is providing funding in support of the Rookie Rugby program.
The MLR-established Rookie Rugby program is an educational initiative that gives teachers throughout the country the opportunity to introduce rugby to youth for free by covering the costs for all equipment needs.
According to a Major League Rugby release, the funds granted by rugby's governing body will help introduce the sport to "a quarter of a million North American youth this year", with the intention of generating "further interest in joining after-school flag rugby programs, leading to increased participation in local youth clubs."
“One key strategy to unlocking rugby in the United States is to get the sport into our existing infrastructure," said Guy Hagen, director of youth development for Major League Rugby.
"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.”
The Dallas-headquartered MLR partnered with USA Youth and High School Rugby (YHS), USA Rugby, as well as state youth rugby organizations to relaunch the Rookie Rugby program earlier this year.
According to a release, the goal of the program is to increase youth rugby participation to one million by 2030, in an effort to support the 2031 and 2033 World Cups slated to take place in the United States — with Dallas vying as one of the potential host cities.
“Rookie Rugby is non-contact and a fun, safe way to get rugby balls in the hands of kids across the country," said David Pool, president of USA Youth and High School Rugby. "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”.
To learn more about the Rookie Rugby program, head over to rookierugby.com.
