USA Features

by Nigel Melville
Nigel Melville Direct blog

Last night I attended the Try Rugby Cup event at Infinity Park, Glendale, an opportunity to introduce over 100 young players ranging from 6 – 12 years old to Rookie Rugby during their spring break. The event included groups of players moving around skill stations, each taking part in a variety of skill activities that are required to play the game. In doing so they all ran a mile, kicking off our quest to get children to run a million miles for charity and raising over $500 for children’s charities in the process!

Add to that the fact that IRB Chairman Bernard Lappasset and CEO Mike Miller, who are working in Denver this week at Sportaccord, joined the group to tour the facilities and present prizes. The night was a great success.

Probably the most satisfying part of the evening for me was the great strides we are making with the development of Rookie Rugby. The numbers of youth (pre-high school) players who are picking up the ball and running with it are increasing every week. Our strategy is to develop a foundation for the game through the creation of a new generation of rugby players in the USA.

This generation is part of the new global game, where millions of young people are shaping rugby’s future. In doing so they are embracing the traditional values of our game such as team spirit, loyalty, fun, sportsmanship and friendship, mixing it with their enthusiasm for learning new skills and desire to stay fit and healthy, and in doing so, creating their own brand of free-flowing, exciting rugby.

This new generation is also computer literate and comprised of pretty savvy social networkers, which is why we chose to communicate with them through our new Rookie Rugby Club site where they can learn about the game and communicate with like-minded rugby friends.

Last night, I did my own market research to see if we are getting it right. Leo, Vincent, Lance, Tom and George (all 9 years old) came along to give rugby a try. Tom and George had played before, Lance (soccer player), Leo (Hockey) and Vincent (Skier) made up one of the under-10 teams. It was great to see how quickly they made friends with their new team members, picked up a range of basic skills and grasped the concept of running forward and passing backwards – far quicker than their watching parents!

In short, they had a wonderful time thanks to the sporting experience, quality of the coaching and overall enthusiasm that the evening generated – well done everyone.

During a couple of media interviews recently, I have been asked the same question, and this emerged again last night. What is it that makes rugby an ideal fit for Americans?

The answer is very simple, it’s the same reason that in 1823 at Rugby School in England a young man called William Webb-Ellis who, "with a fine disregard for football (soccer) - picked up the ball and ran with it."

Last night children did exactly that.

Everyone wants to have their chance to run with the ball, score a try and contribute. They want to be involved in the attack and the defense. They don’t want to sit on the sidelines, they want to be on the field – playing the game – part of the experinece. When the game ends, they respect the efforts of their opponents, thank them for the game and then recount the action with their team.

This may be a new generation of players, the game may have changed, however the positive values that have made rugby such a life enhancing sport for so many continue to underpin all that we do.

Rookie Rugby – give it a try! Visit www.usarugby.org for more details.

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For more of Nigel's blog visit Nigel Melville Direct.

With an impressive resume as player, coach and administrator, Nigel David Melville took over as CEO and President of Rugby Operations of USA Rugby, the National Governing Body of the sport in America, in 2006.  In addition to his full time job promoting the sport in the U.S., Melville has launched his own blog, Nigel Melville Direct, to further the discussion and his passion for what it will take to make the U.S. a great rugby playing nation.

CLICK HERE to read more on Nigel Melville

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