A Message From Our CEO

The coming golden age

It is an amazing time to be involved in rugby in this country. Sevens returns to the Olympic stage in 2028, and in the 2030s two World Cups will be played on American soil. When Alex Magleby, co-president of Major League Rugby, was inducted into the US Rugby Hall of Fame, he called what is ahead "the coming golden age of American rugby." I agree with him.

Since 1963, the US Rugby Foundation has been a trusted steward of philanthropic investment in the game across the country. That is a long time to be handed other people's generosity and asked to put it where it will do the most good. We do not take it lightly.

Both ends of the spectrum

Our work runs at both ends of the spectrum.

At one end is youth development, which is the backbone of the game and its future. Fewer than 60,000 youth players are currently registered with USA Rugby, and about 20 percent of them are in California. That tells you how much of this country is still waiting. There are whole regions where a kid who would love this game has never been handed a ball.

At the other end is the Hall of Fame. We want every Hall of Famer to have their picture on the wall of the Hall of Fame in Glendale, Colorado, and we have a group dedicated to carrying that legacy forward. The people who built this game should be known by the players coming up behind them.

The measure of success

We asked our donors recently what they wanted from us. The answer came back plainly: "keep doing what you are doing," and keep growing the investment in the future of the game. We are proud of what the last few years have produced, and we are doubling down on it.

So here is how I would like you to judge us over the next year. Not by a budget line or a glossy report. By how many more kids get to play rugby. That is the number that matters to me, and it is the one I will be watching.

I am giving this Giving Tuesday myself, and I am asking you to give what you can alongside me. For the future of American rugby, and for the institution that has been quietly backing it since 1963. This one is a personal passion of mine.

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About the With You! campaign

With You! runs through December 31, 2026, with a goal of $100,000. Every unrestricted gift in that window counts toward it. Giving Tuesday, December 1, is the campaign's biggest day of giving.

Your support funds youth grants and scholarships, coaches and referees, health and safety, the US Rugby Hall of Fame, and the Fellowship for American Rugby.

You can give at any point in the window. See the campaign page.

Thank you for being with us.