YOUR Input - High School Rugby League 2014

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

Folks,

The American Youth Rugby League Association are launching 4 High School Teams in 6 Providence High Schools this Spring. We are looking to raise 8K to get this off the ground. We are seeking sponsorship's however we are limited to whom we can chase up because we are in the school system. So a significant portion of funds we are looking to raise will come from donations. Currently I am evaluating the best platform to donate money (paypal vs gofundme etc), but I want to provide incentives X amount donated you get a _______, Y amount donated you get a __________, z amount donated you get a __________

Additionally I will have Mike Kelly (CFO) outline the costs associated with the program and where the money is going.

SO what gifts would you like to see? What would entice you to donate money? I am assuming a Jersey is in the mix and here are some preliminary designs.

Please share and give your input. If you dont feel comfortable posting here please email me at Lawrence@AYRLA.org

Thanks,

(PS the program will run 10 weeks from end of March thru end of May)

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

 

[welshmagpie]

Hello Lawrence.

May I first say I admire your work, what a great initiative and secondly congrats on all you've achieved so far.

Personally, I'd be enticed by sponsoring individual players sort of on a pen-pal basis. I'm sure if these kids really took to the game they would enjoy having a contact of somebody from an area where Rugby League is very popular and would enjoy hearing from them.

 

[Foreign Legion]

Have you thought about speaking to some of the big clubs like Canterbury Bulldogs or Brisbane Broncos... Maybe you could get them to sponsor your league by using there name as the major sponsor i.e The Broncos School Boys Cup, and in return you could give them access to all of there juniors?

 

[RHCP]

I cannot offer any money unfortunately, but I offer my luck (which is worth a lot less, but hey, it's the thought that counts!)

I think the idea of reaching out to some of the more ambitous NRL clubs like the Broncs or Dogs could possibly work.

 

[Poul]

Hello Lawrence,
once again you are taking the lead in development of Rugby League in the USA, and I congratulate you for this.

Can't say I like the jersey designs too much. Most look very "Super League" (Australian incarnation), and the yellow and black one is quite unionesque. I may be very conservative, but I would prefer chevrons.

Couple of questions:

What age are "high school" kids? ( I think high school means something different from what it does here)

I see that there will be 4 teams from 6 high schools. Will there be "joint ventures" between some of the schools? Or will the teams just be drawn from the 6 high schools, and not be identified with individual schools per se?

What format will the competion take? Home and away, followed by semifinals and final? Round robin? First past the post?

Will the teams be playing full contact? Will the teams be full 13-a-side?
Or are you looking at playing 9s? I guess this would make sense, as it would allow players to graduate to your U23s 9s program.

Unfortunately my trip to the World Cup is going to leave me stoney broke,with a big credit card debt, so I won't be able to make much of a financial contribution in the short term.

However, if you were willing to make the teams 11-a-side playing full contact, and give me naming rights to the competition I might be consider coming up with the $8K all by myself :shock: (As you know me Lawrence, you know that I'm deadly serious )
How about the Rhode Island High Schools American Rugby League?

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

High School is age 15-18. Its all about #s if we go 9s or 13s. Signups are not until March. Yes it will be full contact. The program will run End of March through end of May. PCTA is basically a technical focused high school that was apart of Central High School for longer than I have been alive. They had a new building put up 3 years ago and became a separate school, however for sports the students play with Central. I am of the opinion that the numbers at Alverez and E3, having smaller student body will combine to form 1 Team.

I don't want to make things anymore confusing then they already are for Administration or the Students.

Right now I know that several key players from Club Rugby Union and Rugby Imports (the biggest USA rugby kit and accessories supplier based in Rhode Island) met with Mass Youth Rugby Union last week to come up with ways to get Youth Rugby Union going in Rhode Island. The only program is a High School Team that I played on and helped recruit for when it was founded in 2000 when I was a freshmen. That team Competes in the Mass Rugby Union Competition.

So with Mass Youth Rugby Union Looking for ways to boost the youth numbers in Rhode Island, the last thing I would want to do is have AYRLA Middle School Rugby League,AYRLA U23 Rugby League and then a RI HS American Rugby League playing by different rules.

 

[joshreading]

The designs are good - the Super League war in Australia should be the least of your concerns. Chevrons also don't matter. Traditions need be built around the American culture not the British or Australia RL cultures.

 

[Poul]

Lawrence,
I was not suggesting that there should necessarily be different rules per se at the different levels, but moreso that there be different numbers per team at each level.

However, I feel that there should be a "natural evolution" from beginners to USARL level. With this in mind, I would propose;

Primary school age (elementary? school) - 5-a-side touch rugby league for boys and girls mixed teams.

Middle school age - 7-a-side tag rugby league for boys and girls mixed teams.

High school age - 9-a-side full contact rugby league for boys (4x10 minute quarters)

AYRLA U23s - I would make this 11-a-side (4x15 minute quarters), so that the transition to the full 13-a-side game at USARL level were not so great.
I know you've had a few players make the transition from the U23 9s to USARL, but I feel that it would be easier if the games were not so disparate.

I want to see Rugby League become successful in the USA, and I believe that combined grass roots and elite competition/s are the way to go, so that there is a clear pathway from the bottom to the top.

So, for an individual who is prepared to contribute $8K to this program, what level of input might you be willing to offer them?

 

[pennpool]

Good work again Larry.

Seeing as all high schools cater to soccer, I would go 13 on 13 as is done worldwide. There is plenty of room on most, if not all high school fields and stadia right now b

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

Lawrence,
I was not suggesting that there should necessarily be different rules per se at the different levels, but moreso that there be different numbers per team at each level.

However, I feel that there should be a "natural evolution" from beginners to USARL level. With this in mind, I would propose;

Primary school age (elementary? school) - 5-a-side touch rugby league for boys and girls mixed teams.

Middle school age - 7-a-side tag rugby league for boys and girls mixed teams.

High school age - 9-a-side full contact rugby league for boys (4x10 minute quarters)

AYRLA U23s - I would make this 11-a-side (4x15 minute quarters), so that the transition to the full 13-a-side game at USARL level were not so great.
I know you've had a few players make the transition from the U23 9s to USARL, but I feel that it would be easier if the games were not so disparate.

I want to see Rugby League become successful in the USA, and I believe that combined grass roots and elite competition/s are the way to go, so that there is a clear pathway from the bottom to the top.

So, for an individual who is prepared to contribute $8K to this program, what level of input might you be willing to offer them?

Well Currently with middle school we sometiems play 7 v 7 / 8 v 8 / 11 v 11... Depending upon numbers on the day... number of fields available / the size of the field and the number of Instructors we have on the day. If we have 30 kids out there with 2 instructors it all goes to hell very quickly if you do 7 v 7 with 16 kids on the sideline so we make a bigger field and let more kids play.

With the U23 9s the game really did look like a full 13 on 13 RL game because we were using fields just a bit smaller than a football field.

At the end of the day its a numbers game at this early stage. If we have a ton of kids jump in with the HS competition then we go full on 13 v 13 as kids wont be interested spending their time on the sideline. If however we have 15 kids come out from each school maybe we go 9v9 / 10v10 or yes 11 v. 11... only time can tell and the cooporation of the coaches from other teams/sports.

a few years back when I was helping out a bit for Hendricken Rugby's pre-season when I moved back to RI in 2009 the football coach banned his players from playing rugby (even tho its in the spring) because of injury concerns.

Now at Classical I am very tight with the Athletic Director and he flat out told me his football coach will either like it he will make him pretend to like it. And since kids can still compete in other spring sports since im not an Interscholastic sport, I wont be forcing kids to choose one sport or the other.

We will see.

But Paul you have my email. what would you like to see. I am open to entertaining anything. Lawrence@AYRLA.Org

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

Good work again Larry.

Seeing as all high schools cater to soccer, I would go 13 on 13 as is done worldwide. There is plenty of room on most, if not all high school fields and stadia right now b

Thanks mate.

 

[IowaRL]

Are you hoping for RI specific kits, or any matching sets?

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

Are you hoping for RI specific kits, or any matching sets?

I dont understand the question.

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

Here are the some new desgins that contain a Cheveron (which if I am honest I prefer).

So with a donation of xyz amount you can get one of your choice.

 

[IowaRL]

I dont understand the question.

Sorry mate, wasn't too clear. Do you want new kits which say Rhode Island, or if I can get you some other kits with other stuff on them for cheap are you interested?

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

Sorry mate, wasn't too clear. Do you want new kits which say Rhode Island, or if I can get you some other kits with other stuff on them for cheap are you interested?

Nah mate im pretty locked in with Hot Chilli they basically do our youth stuff for cost for me as they really want to see the game grow here in the USA. Its also great quality.

 

[IowaRL]

Awesome, no problems. Might drop you an email about that later.

 

[PJRolls]

Wow...really really cool if this gets up and running. Would be awesome to start introducing a younger generation to the greatest game of all.

This is a huge step. It's already been said but I agree that something like Jerseys, t shirts etc for a donation would help get the money moving a bit, will try to think of more ideas.