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www.sportseventsmagazine.com August 2014 31 SPORT Report ▼ mechanisms are being built to eventually pass on to a high school athletic associa- tion so they can then run it. Despite the current lack of NFHS recognition, Weaver said high school varsity play is USA Rugby's fastest growing segment. "We are much like soccer programs," noted Weaver. "You need a ball and a field, and there's your cost. So, we are becoming a great option for schools to bring on a new sport. It's also a sport for both girls and boys and has become a very popular option for high schools girls' var- sity teams. When you can play with the same size field, the same ball, the same rules for both girls and boys, it makes it real easy for an athletic director to say 'yes' to rugby." USA Rugby's grant program has also spurred growth in the sport. The organiza- tion has expanded the program's budget to $250,000 in 2014, nearly $100,000 more than last year. State organizations can apply for up to $20,000 to bring in new staff that will be focused only on the development of youth rugby. The state organizations are required to match the funds granted by USA Rugby in order to sufficiently finance a full-time position at the organization. Rugby Event Planning Tips "Field availability is our first priority," said USA Rugby Events Director Jen Gray. "We have to play on natural grass surfaces that are a little bigger than soccer fields. Our playing dimensions are 100 meters from post to post, seven-meter in-goal areas, 70 meters wide, with a four-meter safety perimeter all the way around. Just finding the right field is key. We prefer a stadium setting." Sevens competitions require more fields than the traditional 15s, according to Gray. Sevens events are tournament style with multiple teams playing throughout the day. Some of the tournaments have about 70 teams, for which at least three competition fields and three to four warm-up fields are required. Some sevens tournaments can get by with two competition fields and two warm-up fields. This year, USA Rugby coordinated 18 national events in its championship series, including international test matches. Gray said USA Rugby runs five to seven tourna- ments per year "soup to nuts," including some of its major domestic championships as well as international test matches it stages for both the men's and women's national teams. Of the 13 domestic championship events, 10 went out to bid as regional play- offs. "We'll work with local organizations to put those on but ultimately it's up to the local hosts to secure the venues, work with their local rugby clubs, and serve as a host committee for us," Gray explained. "We like hosts to have support with local vested partners that can help grow a relationship with their local rugby community and local CVB or host facility." ■