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August 2014 30 www.sportseventsmagazine.com SPORT Report ▼ The men are ranked 18 th in the world by the International Rugby Board (IRB), the sport's international governing body. That's a respectable placing for a nation with so little history in the sport, and such a recent development of national organiza- tion and international competition. The IRB doesn't currently rank women's rugby teams, but the team is considered a top contender in the Olympics. "We're hopeful that in the near future they'll be competing with the best teams in the world and going for gold," Melville said. Rugby is played 7-on-7, the variant to be played in the Olympics in 2016 and 2020, as well as 10-on-10 and the tradi- tional 15-on-15. Much of the growth in the sport's partic- ipation in the United States, according to Melville and to USA Rugby Youth Development Director Kurt Weaver, is due to the organization's concerted efforts in recent years to build youth participation in the sport. "The benefits of the programs we put in place in 2007-2008, when we started on youth development and getting kids to play the game, are starting to come through and will continue to, particularly in the next five years," Melville said. "We've got kids now who have been playing for five or six years and are only 13 or 14 years of age. That's encouraging for the future. We're on a pretty strong growth curve." The Future Of Rugby USA Rugby sources indicate a healthy growth in youth participation. An estimat- ed 1 million youngsters are out there play- ing informally in backyards and elsewhere who aren't USA Rugby members. About 50,000 youths are participating in the sum- mer pro- grams, clin- ics, PE classes and other activi- ties associat- ed with USA Rugby's Rookie Rugby pro- gram, the U.S. version of non- contact flag rugby. Weaver points to several factors that have helped encourage the growth of youth participation in the sport including the organization's Rookie Rugby program, the relatively low cost required to offer the sport, the versatility offered in the sport's style of play, the degree of control at the local and regional levels, and, perhaps most importantly, the passion of the people who play the game. "It's a passion-driven sport. It's played all over and been around for 150 years in the United States. The folks who are involved have an inherent sense of giving back to the game, giving back to their community. We are always self-promoting, and I think that's to our advantage," Weaver said. USA Rugby's Rookie Rugby is suitable for even very young kids, and everything needed to start playing the game (save the playing field, of course) is offered in one box—the Rugby in a Box Starter Kit. "This program takes us into school dis- tricts, into communities in parks and [recreational] programs, YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boys and Girls Scouts, and other programs," Weaver said. "Our developmental approach is to start in PE classes to introduce the game to the kids in a very safe, fun and consistent way. Then, moving forward, introducing those kids to leagues, camps and clinics run by our local partners." Weaver said that although some pro- grams in some communities start with kids as young as 5, the "sweet spot" is 8 to 10. The most typical starting age, 11 to 14, is the prime age for really learning the game, and then 14 to 18 as ages for competing. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) does- n't include rugby as one of the sports it oversees and sanctions at present, and Weaver indicated changing that as the primary initiative of his department. Until that happens, USA Rugby's state organizations perform much the same functions like making the rules, running the playoffs and assigning the referees, with the idea that all these Tips From The Pros • Broaden partnerships with venues, CVBs and other organizations. • To grow your sport, make it easy and inexpen- sive for players to enter the sport. For example, USA Rugby's "Rugby In A Box Starter Kit" includes everything needed to play, except the field, of course. • By teaching kids how to play your sport, you can grow it rather quickly from the ground up. ■ USA Rugby