Territorial coaches call for sweeping college reform

A call to reform All-American selections and training has given unexpected voice to a more revolutionary view of collegiate rugby.

'All aspects of the college game (all divisions, select sides, tournaments and tours, the A[ll] A[merican] brand, 15s and 7s) must be independently managed and administered by a national college rugby association in partnership with USA Rugby,' according to an August 27 letter written by 2009's collegiate territorial coaches to chief executive Nigel Melville.

The far-reaching conclusion, timed to precede the coming weekend's board meeting, can been seen as a sign of confidence among university leaders who believe rugby is finding a home on campus as well as further evidence that the segment feels ignored by USARFU. The latter view is the more surprising since the territorial coaches are almost definitionally 'insiders'.

Indeed, within a week the group secured a September 3 conference call with chief executive Nigel Melville, who agreed some of the tenets, according to circulated minutes. But Melville deflected committing to a modest, guaranteed budget allocation for the All-American program or staffing a college director at the national office.

The coaching letter begins by making an establishmentarian case that territorial coaching hopefuls must have advanced USARFU credentials, in order to establish a transparent route to representative appointments. But the missive quickly turns to sponsorship and program funding, a sore spot because of the disparity between monies generated for Boulder and plowed back into the growing college segment.

Just last year USA Rugby informed the A[ll] A[merican] players that they had reached the point in their rugby careers where they no longer had to 'pay to play' yet on late notice this year's AAs were obligated to raise $1,000 per player. This reflects poorly on our union and the AA program and should not happen again.

In a section labeled 'In General,' the group calls for a collegiate coaching association and asserts that  'By establishing a[n] empowering, working partnership with college rugby programs and support networks, USA Rugby stands to gain an immensely powerful ally in every conceivable aspect of the [sic] rugby's growth.'

The corollary: 'Unless USA Rugby recognizes the inherent value of college rugby and acts to support and develop it to its potential, we feel the colleges will ultimately move to organize themselves with or without USA Rugby.'

The majority of USARFU's $2.7 million in (projected) 2009 dues come from collegians, and its leading commercial sponsor, the National Guard, is premised on reaching the university audience.

The call minutes note 'anticipate' the 2010 collegiate Inter-Territorial Tournament will be immediately followed by a weeklong 'academy' in Boulder, Colorado, for 60 players perforce named All-Americans, and observe that a collegiate manager in the national office 'would be a significant help promoting the game to athletic directors and the college community.'

There is no mention of the $200,000 thumbnail budget which the coaches estimated would suitably cover the territorial championship, the academy camp, and the annual All-American tour as well as operating cost for a coaches association. By way of comparison with a comparable national team feeder, the International Rugby Board has allotted approximately $150,000 to the USA's 40-man, 2-match program in the Americas Rugby Championship.

The signatories are Rich Cortez (Wyoming and West), Jonathon Griffin (Stanford and Pacific Coast), Greg Jones (Kutztown and Mid-Atlantic), Mike Hodgins (Northeast), Rich Pohlidal (Army and Military Services), Vince Atkinson (South), Ron Bowers (Ohio State and Midwest), and Jeremy Ognall (Southern California).

Comments

[college rugby!]

good stuff. i know that when doc jones goes on a mission he completes it, so this should be good for college rugby.

no mention of the elite college comp though. got to have that, and soon. def need a college rugby association and at the very least a college rugby coach association.

only when they organize can the next part come: the threat to not pay dues until college rugby gets support.

bangarang

[T-Bird rugby]

I'm not certain these are the right coaches to get this done. Some of those individuals aren't even head coaches at their college. Most haven't created top class teams.

What is true, is that USAR is running on borrowed time. They aren't part of the answer to help college rugby. Unless having a tea party becomes important, and in this case, we'll call them!

[socal]

Whatever dude. At least somebody is standing up to the foreign invasion. In three years time these pretenders have failed at every turn. At least some coaches are saying enough is enough.

I would much rather send our teams dues to a new college organization than Boulder.

[college xv]

If US college rugby asked the question, they would get a vote of "no confidence" in the current administration.

We should take our millions in CIPP dues and sponsorships and give it a go without Boulder.

[The Shep]

Melville is just borrowing more time. College rugby (and HS) needs to completely remove themselves ASAP.

Let social rugby continue to be what it is, recreational softball, without the bats. It doesn't need a big governing body to exist.

If USA Rugby wants to do something positive, they have one last straw to grab. Expand the SL, pump HP into it, otherwise they will lose that too.

[anon]

Hell Shep, when Alex Goff writes something critical this administration must be really fu*ked-up.

I still predict the current administration makes it through this meeting. They will just lie to the lame Congress and nothing will change. The US rugby community is getting sick of this and its only a matter of time until college, high school and the RSL all break away.

[Skinner]

And the iRB goes...Wot?

They have no clue, those dinosaurs of Dublin.

[anon]

The IRB has no love for this Board. They think NM is a guy who couldn't get a job today in the UK.

The IRB wants US rugby to advance.

[Just a Speed Bump]

The letter would be much more effective if it was from 10 Athletic Directors from prominent college teams stating they have had enough and unless our demands are met we will walk away and organize ourselves. The signers of this letter are a bunch of lightweights in the eyes of the congress and the current USA Rugby administration. They will steamroller this as a minor issue and the writers of the letters will do what? Pull out their own check book and fund the creation of a college rugby association or coaches association? Nope. They will just go back to business as usual, which is begging their TU for enough money to have a camp and get to the next collegiate tournament.

[college rugby!]

We'll see about that bump

[Lame Congress Members]

Speaking of lightweights, most of the congress members are weak people in their own TU. Most of them are the only people that run to be the rep from the TU on the Congress or have self-interests that motivate them. Roberts and the rest of them will have them bent over and taking the hard one within a half day of the meeting. They will show something bright and sparkling and they will all goo OHHHH...AHHHH...YEAH! Jokers.

[Irish Eyes]

While EOS is flogging his book in Ireland, while collecting a paycheck from USA Rugby, he basically makes a pitch to be a provincial coach in Ireland. If you don't have the desire to watch the whole video, go to the 14:00 where he wraps up his pitch for a job.

[Irish Eyes]

Sorry here is the link - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/irish/8244895.stm

[college rugby]

speed bump. yes college rugby can fund its own association or whatever else it wants to do.

step 1: unite the clans,er,i mean college rugby programs (men and women).

step 2: declare freeedom, er, i mean declare that dues will not be paid to usa rugby but instead to the newly formed college rugby association.

step 3: fix the problems with all of the money you now have.

college rugby does NOT need USAR. USAR needs college rugby. and guess what. if college rugby were to do this, the olympic people will be talking to them and not USAR. USAR better pull its head out of its arse and realize they need to appease college rugby or it is going to eat them alive.

the sleeping giant that is collegiate rugby is waking the f up and it isnt happy

[tick tock]

Or how about just showing NM and KR the door. Is USAR bad or is the leadership of USAR bad?

Reverse the foreign takeover and bring in a couple of US minded sport biz types and maybe USAR isn't so bad.

Lets remember, NM was never a business executive before being hired as the CEO and President of Rugby for USAR. He has failed as a CEO over a three year period.

Kevin Roberts, is a ego driven power crazed Kiwi, who hasn't done a fricken thing other than tell us we should love rugby.

These jokers have wasted millions in IRB grants, have run a money losing, test match losing, rugby union. All the while they have screwed college and high school rugby.

Show them the door. Ask for a vote of no confidence!

[Hello Doug]

Bring on an American to run USA Rugby. Someone call Doug Arnott NOW!!!

[tick tock]

This will take wise heads, to not judge all foreigners like the current administration, or all Americans like Arnot or Bob Latham.

USAR can find a far more capable CEO than NM and he/she well might be foreign. Without question we can find an American better than Arnot and Latham.

Doug Arnot supported by Bob Latham is not a USAR we want to return to. However, this administration has likewise worn out its welcome. Three years in enough time to prove you've got it, if you do. They haven't proved anything but arrogance.

[AA]

I read this three times, but I missed the "sweeping reforms". I'd love to see the actual letter.