The “Rise of Rugby … A Giant Awakens” presented by the
BABC Northern California Young Professionals, in partnership with Play Rugby USA took place at the prestigious Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco on August 26^th, 2015. Consisting of an unprecedented line up of highly esteemed, current and former, international rugby legends, the event brought together close to 300 of the Bay Area’s rugby-loving business community to learn of the anticipated growth and future of Rugby here in the US as well as from lessons learned in the growth of the game worldwide. The event also provided a unique fundraising opportunity for Play Rugby USA raising just in excess of $20k which hit the target to match-fund 100% of USA Rugby’s grant on the evening, for a total raise of $40k.”

An inspiring video – produced by our Corporate Member
2020 Productions – opened the event which successfully set the scene for the evening’s dynamic panel discussion around the future of rugby in the US. It was an exciting and moving introduction to the event which had the entire audience completely tuned in. Said Coach Jack Clark “the purpose of the event this evening is to mix the very positive elements of the game, the very soulful elements of our game, with the very strong commercial footprint that the game now has”. You could feel the excitement and anticipation in the room as the crowd awaited the arrival on stage of the legendary panel ! Check it out!

Rise of Rugby Highlights from 20/20 Productions Inc. on Vimeo.

Capturing the true essence and scale of Rugby as an international sport, the event brought together panelists from both sides of the Pond ahead of what is expected to be the most successful Rugby World Cup in the history of the Tournament [starting on September 18
^th. 2015, in the UK]. Representing American rugby was former US Eagles player and Captain Dan Lyle, former head coach of the U.S. rugby team and current Head Coach for Rugby at the University of California Jack Clark; also, representing the Women’s 7’s game, current player for the U.S. Women’s Eagles 7’s rugby team Irene Gardner. From the United Kingdom, we had former British & Irish Lions rugby legends Jeremy Guscott (England), Gavin Hastings (Scotland) and Paul Wallace (Ireland). Our Moderators for the evening were former USA Eagles player Anthony Ridnell and CEO of Play Rugby USA Mark Griffin. Phew, okay ready? Let’s begin.

The content was powerful, insightful and meaningful and covered many important facets for the game as a whole and for rugby here in the United States. The resounding message we heard over and over again were around the tenets of rugby and a particular emphasis on RESPECT being the underlying foundation of the game and the basis for its’ popularity, community & camaraderie. Irene Garnder, current USA Eagle Women’s 7’s summed this up perfectly in an off-stage interview “Rugby brings the value of mutual respect for other players, for the sport itself and for the legacy of where the sport has come from.”

FACT: Rugby is the fastest growing team sport in the United States and is played by both men and women at all levels – from high school, through college and on to the clubs. In the women’s game, there are more registered female rugby players in the USA than in any other country in the World.

For those in the room not so well-versed on the game, our panelists provided some interesting insights into the history of rugby and how American rugby has evolved on a national level since the 1990s. Commented Paul Wallace, former Ireland international and player for the British and Irish Lions “World Rugby needs a strong US [team] to make it a truly global sport. It’s the biggest economy in the world so that is obviously huge. More importantly,” he jested, “we love coming over here for the sunshine, the pinot noir, and the Golf!”

The US’s involvement in international rugby has been a major contributor to the growing worldwide numbers which now boast approximately 7 million players in 120 countries. While the true potential size of the US rugby market remains hard to quantify, Major League Soccer provides a yard-stick with franchise values increasing from $1m-$100m over 20 years.

The 2016 Olympics in Rio, with Rugby 7’s making its debut, will present a massive similar opportunity for rugby in America. As former Captain of the US Eagles, Dan Lyle noted, with NBC’s coverage, the Olympics and Rugby 7’s, will stream into 40 million households next year and Rugby Sevens will, at that moment, become truly mainstream for all to see. So, if (when) the USA Men and Women perform well, watch out! “Could our women win a medal in Rio next year?” Their recent successes and international ranking (#5) suggest, quite possibly. In an off-stage interview with Anthony Ridnell, “We have a very viable shot at medaling and I’m very excited about it.”

All agreed that America has the power to, and does succeed at, creating more elite level multi-sport athletes than any other country in the world. With a solid foundation, framework and franchise, will come the opportunity for US Rugby to create the right model for the professional game to be mainstream as with all the other key athletic sports. A key factor will be the game’s more widespread introduction into physical education programs within the school curriculum and a strong focus on the development of Youth Rugby through to the collegiate level! This fact was strongly reinforced by Rugby Hall of Famer, Coach Jack Clark and backing that up was the British & Irish and Scotland former captain, Gavin Hastings said “It’s about the youth of today. It’s about your kids. Fathers, mothers get involved and put up gals like Irene and other blokes as role models.” He highlighted to parents the importance of focusing their resources on getting their kids truly involved the game. “You heard it here first,” he continued!

The future for the Bay Area is particularly bright, it already being a hot spot for high school and adult rugby. Add to that the recent “game-changing” news that the Bay Area will host the IRB Rugby World Cup 7’s in 2018, the potential for growth of the game here locally is beyond spectacular.

In comparing the immense impetus of other American sports such as American Football, Baseball and Basketball, Coach Clark noted that rugby is finally gaining a stronger foothold in American mainstream sports as the TV networks begin to pay attention – “we all know it is about Ratings: Expanded media coverage will be a huge component of a successful sports model in the U.S. and with NBC Universal’s commitment and other networks jumping in, Rugby in the US currently commands approx. 1 million viewers per big event.” Moderator Mark Griffin noted that “as an example of the as yet unseen potential, the recent Women’s Soccer World Cup achieved a staggering 38 million viewers. “For Rugby, it will all come down to defining the value proposition for all stakeholders and building around brands,” he continued.

The evening would not have been complete without the interjected comedic tales and memorable moments shared by the entire panel and the three British & Irish Lions legends. Jeremy Guscott was a crowd pleaser when he “listed” the participating nations on the Lions tour as “England, Scotland, Ireland and ……”.

Of course we had to ask their predictions for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in the UK. England was the favorite with New Zealand and Ireland coming a close second. Parity among the tier 1 nations being the most exciting aspect and overall, an enthusiastic outlook for the USA team having just recently won their first ever tournament in the final leg in London of the HSBC World Sevens Series. As Danny Barret said in the opening video “The US team is on a roll. There are not many teams that want to play us right now. We are physical, we are fast, we are skillfull. We are kind of a handful for everyone around the world”. For American Rugby the future is bright and in the words of John Beattie “Rugby Will Rise”.

A huge thank you to our EmCee, Liam Mayclem, and to all of our speakers, moderators, volunteers, donors and marketing partners and to the tireless efforts of the BABC Young Professionals Committee, the Event Planning Committee, our Social Media Team at 3 Rock Marketing and the staff and interns at the BABC Office for putting on this spectacular event.

Rise of Rugby Panel 01 from 20/20 Productions Inc. on Vimeo.

Rise of Rugby Panel Discussion 2 from 20/20 Productions Inc. on Vimeo.