The collegiate division 2 championship is moving to autumn, following the Eastern seaboard and Midwestern conferences which were prepared to organize their own tournament.
This year's competition, encompassing 12 established (men's) leagues comprising 144 teams as well as new entrants from the Deep South, Eastern Rockies, and Southern California, is expected to be held on November 23-24 and December 7-8 at venues to be determined. Boulder's college director and management committee recently acceded to the switch from springtime, according to a union official and other people familiar with the matter.
The decision looks to safeguard a vital revenue stream, university dues, at the cost of condoing a fractured American rugby calendar.
Most US rugby players most want a fair shot at a national title. 15s (and 7s) seasons that are in tune with local weather are seen as a core part of equal opportunity. Organizing championships is vital to the value proposition of the union's Club and Individual Participation Program.
Collegiate teams east of the Mississippi typically would rather compete from September to November, even if in direct competition with football, than February through April, contending with the hardships of late winter and early spring. Universities to the west as well as high schools and the commercially minded tend to believe the better window for school field sports is springtime.
Though it would prefer a unified season, USARFU re-opened the door for the split calendar by pushing its territorial unions to disgorge college teams, which were encouraged to form self-governing, NCAA-style conferences -- ironically through the incentive of automatic championship berths. The renewed emphasis on 'fall ball', the primary Eastern and Midwestern season prior to the 1990s enlargement of the national playoffs, is a consequence of that policy.
Boulder is considering whether it ought to run or merely recognize the D2 tournament, according to a union official. Allowing participants to determine scheduling blurs the line between events that USARFU controls and that it sanctions.
The union has been wary of further alienating the collegiate segment, its largest in terms of registrations, risking some $500,000 in dues. CIPP is USARFU's leading source of revenue, accounting for nearly 45 percent of 2011's gross of $7.5 million.
It has already endured 11 of the best, most marketable teams bolting for the Varsity Cup, thereby hollowing out its division 1A championship, and reluctantly acknowledged the National Small College Rugby Organization as the governing body and championship administrator for some 300 men's and women's school XVs. (Division 1A and 1AA schools are more competitive than division 2; NSCRO, sometimes seen as division 3, is bounded by student enrollments.)
Northern California's D2 teams are expected to join NSCRO, according to people involved in planning.
Mexico's national team will appear at next weekend's Denver 7s, according to tournament organizers.
West Coast Logic,
You are missing who the real opponets are on this topic. Its the southeast and southwest teams which most oppose the Fall move. The west coast doesn't much care what D2 or for that matter D1 teams from the MW and east do.
Next, you're right these teams don't play in real stadiums or on TV...AND THEY NEVER WILL IN THE FALL.
Posted by: stupid | 15 July 2013 at 08:51
@Stupid
The ACRL is moving to the Fall 15's and spring 7's schedule this year. (Those as you know are traditional ACC teams) and Im told the SEC schools are moving in 2014. So the Southeast argument is incorrect..
The people who are truly against these types of moves and who would not listen to the Northern teams for years are the guys from USAR who do hail from the WC. And Im not referring to Cal. I don't think Cal cares what anyone does. Although I do agree that the SW area teams would rather play in the spring as well and are probably blindly against it too.
And don't be delusional about playing in stadiums. Unless you're varsity (or varsity-club status) you'll never play in a varsity stadium no matter what time of year it is. Its best for the bigger clubs to organize their alumni and try to put in stands at their current field. Playing in the spring time doesn't change anything about playing in a stadium on campus.
Posted by: West Coast Logic | 15 July 2013 at 10:06
And who cares if the Southwest and West Coast teams play their 15's in the spring and the MW, East and soon to be SE teams play in the fall. The only reason anyone should be this butt hurt over this is if they truly believe that a national championship has any relevance. To me, I don't think it does.
Cal and BYU are the two best teams in the country year in and year out. Everyone else is just playing for 3rd place. And the only team who can come close to beating them right now (Life) isnt even allowed in to their exclusive competition. and until teams like Life are allowed to compete with the best, nobody should give a rats behind where and when anyone else plays.
Posted by: West Coast Logic | 15 July 2013 at 10:12
Let true varsity teams into the Varsity Cup. I want to see Wheeling Jesuit, AIC, Lindenwood, Life, Norte Dame College (OH) and Davenport there within a year.
Posted by: Sergeant Hulka | 15 July 2013 at 11:26
For clubs at name brand universities the football stadium is not really an option, but the soccer stadium is a very good one. However, men's and women's soccer teams use the soccer stadium on nearly every available weekend for pre-season, league and post-season matches.
Another reason for spring 15s.
Smaller schools with a small football stadium might like the option of playing there, but football goalposts and narrow fields is not taking the game forward.
Posted by: Rugby Sage | 15 July 2013 at 15:08