Kansas Jayhawks Women's Rugby Football Club

oon included as a sport in four Olympic Games (1900, 1908, 1920, 1924), and the United States claimed victories in both the 1920 and 1924 Games. Shortly after the 1924 Olympics, however, the International Olympic Committee removed rugby as an Olympic sport. Without the Olympic incentive, the sport’s growth in America collapsed and the game remained dormant for the next half century. The sport then enjoyed a renaissance, beginning in the 1960s and continuing through the 1970s. Though many men’s rugby teams started in the 1960s and 1970s, most women’s teams did form until the mid to late 1980s. The influx of rugby programs created a need for a national governing body to represent the USA in the International rugby community. Four territorial organizations gathered in 1975 and formed the United States of America Rugby Football Union (now known as USA Rugby). Today, USA Rugby is made up of seven Territorial Unions (TUs) and 37 Local Area Unions (LAUs),and supports more than 50,000 members. USA Rugby also sponsors the USA national teams, called the Eagles. There are national teams for both men and women plus national Under 19 and Under 23 teams. Today, rugby is played mainly at the club and collegiate level and recently, high school and youth teams have been gaining popularity. Because of the lack of high school rugby teams, many rugby players in the U.S. start playing the sport in college; this explains why the education level amongst rugby players tends to be higher than that of many other sports. There are few varsity level rugby teams at the collegiate level; most college rugby teams are housed in the club sports department which offers marginal funding for the programs. Club level rugby programs tend to be college graduates who want to continue their rugby career mixed in with the brave souls in the community who are interested in learning the sport. Most rugby clubs are run through volunteer efforts and funded through endless fundraising and player contributions. Though the sport continues to gain popularity throughout the United States, lack of knowledge about the game and the lack of professional teams contributes to the general apathy regarding the sport.