USA Youth & High School Rugby Announces 6 Degree's as Partner for Free Coaching Platform
USA Youth& High School Rugby signs 6 Degrees to be official Coaching App
Washington, D.C (January 25th, 2023) – USA Youth & High School Rugby (USA Y&HSR) and 6 Degrees announced today that 6 Degrees will be the official online coaching app for all registered Youth and High School coaches across the country with a core curriculum provided free of charge. The partnership will provide online access to a wide range of practice drill and game videos, designed curriculum for easy access to age-appropriate lesson plans for an entire season and access to advice from the best coaching minds in the game.
“Coaching support and continued coaching development is a top priority for the USA Y&HSR Board. This partnership will allow coaches to tap into a developed free curriculum and laid out season training plan with video instruction to assist in delivering high quality practices for each and every coach across the country” said David Pool, President of USA Youth and High School Rugby. “The coaching platform and curriculum is designed to support each coach in their own development pathway and is a total game changer for Rugby.”
The announcement of 6 Degrees as the partner for Youth and High School comes after a lengthy period of due diligence where multiple providers were looked at and tested. Without question, the 6 Degrees platform is unparalleled in its capabilities. The platforms’ features include time-coded videos for each activity or game, and in the subscription-based version session customization to suit the needs of a team or club of any level, along with in-video communication with players. The wide range of features make this an ideal tool for the individual coach looking to incorporate new drills and skills to the Director of Rugby who is imparting a coaching philosophy across all of their teams.
“Our Vision is to provide a resource that puts the World’s best Skills, Activities & Games into the hands of everybody! Our IP is accumulated from AFL, Super Rugby, Heineken Cup, Olympic, NRL experience & success that has ultimately produced 3x World Cup Gold Medals. The Six Degree Sports Platform is the enabler and with this, we felt that we can genuinely make a difference.” Commented Mick Byrne, Six Degree Director & Head Coach of Fiji Drua.
6 Degrees began working with NSW Positive Rugby Foundation in Australia back in 2019. The feedback and success of the program has been incredibly positive with over 1000 coaches accessing the platform weekly. This success has provided the launchpad for the product to be rolled out to the USA Youth and High School Community.
Mick Byrne, continued “We have been in discussions with Mr David Pool & the USA Youth & High School Rugby organization for some time about how our IP & Platform could assist in scaling & delivering their vision to maximize participation through resourcing coaches & players alike. Six Degree Sports is excited to be part of the USA Youth & High School Rugby partnership by bringing technology to the forefront of coach education and playing development. The first stage being the rollout of the free curriculum.”
The partnership is being supported by Major League Rugby (MLR), who will be the presenting sponsor of the coaching platform. The involvement of the MLR highlights its continued commitment to the development of coaches and the youth game in the United States.
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About 6 Degrees
6Degree Co-Founders (Mick Byrne, Rod Kafer and Nick Leah) have been at the heart of Rugby Innovation, culture & success for well over 30 years. The Platform’s bricks and mortar is derived from this experience across all 6 Pillars of Individual & Team Development. Specifically, it’s designed to place this knowledge & education in the hands of all participants, to ensure that
motivation for participation is maximized & no player must endure a poor coaching session again!
About USA Youth and High School Rugby
USA Youth & High School Rugby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, an affiliate of USA Rugby, and the Sanctioned Governing Body for all youth rugby in the United States. Catered towards players aged 5-18, USA Youth & High School Rugby’s key initiatives are to: provide a fun and safe environment for the advancement of rugby in the United States, develop well-rounded rugby community members both on and off the pitch, and be the conduit to connect the game at all levels to promote a lifelong love of the sport of rugby.
For more information visit: https://usayhsrugby.org/
USA Youth and High School Rugby and US Rugby Foundation Announce Grant Program
USA Youth and High School Rugby partners with US Rugby Foundation
Washington D.C. and Delaware (March 17, 2022): USA Youth & High School Rugby (USA Y&HSR) and the US Rugby Foundation (USRF) announced a joint agreement which will see USRF providing funding to support USA Y&HSR’s efforts to introduce, develop and grow 20 new high school rugby programs across the country.
David Pool, President of USA Youth & High School Rugby, commented “A critical step in the development of rugby and the growth of the game is through our schools. Once rugby is established as part of the athletic programming on high school campuses, we will see new levels of growth in grassroots rugby. This new funding arrangement with USRF will make this a reality for aspiring programs across the country.”
The overall vision of where to take rugby in the United States, when matched with the already instrumental work being done on the ground by both organizations, has made this partnership a natural fit. This funding arrangement also serves as the initiation of an important relationship that will see the two organizations working closely together as we move forward.
“We are happy to support the efforts of USA Youth and High School Rugby in creating 20 or more new high school teams around the country,” said US Rugby Foundation President, Brian Vizard. “Youth and high school rugby is the cornerstone of the US Rugby Foundation and always will be. We have an opportunity and the funding available to help grow the sport at the grassroots level and we are going to do it. It is one of the largest grants we have ever awarded and we think it is money well invested.”
Ross Young, CEO of USA Rugby commented “On behalf of USA Rugby, I want to congratulate USA Youth & High School Rugby and the US Rugby Foundation for collaborating on an admirable initiative that will expand the footprint of youth rugby participation here in the states. These partnerships between rugby stakeholders are exactly the sort of alliances that bring rugby forward and set the foundations for success in the future. As a Rugby World Cup begins to become a reality for the USA community, we’re enthusiastic to set an exciting goal for these new youth and high school players to aspire towards.”
For more information on how to apply for the program, please follow this link
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About The US Rugby Foundation
Our mission is to grow the game of rugby in America by providing grants to support youth rugby, safety, coaching, refereeing, and pathways to future excellence and by honoring those who exemplify the best of American rugby. The Foundation provides resources to those working to grow the game of rugby in the United States that would not otherwise be available. Rugby is now played by over 4,700 men’s, women’s, masters, girls and boys teams in the United States, with the greatest growth coming from new youth and high school rugby programs. The US Rugby Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation organized in Delaware.
About USA Youth and High School Rugby
USA Youth and High School Rugby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organized in Washington, D.C., and an affiliate of USA Rugby. USAR has named USAY&HS as the Sanctioned Governing Body for all youth rugby in the United States, including community and school-based programs for players ages 5 – 18. The mission of USAY&HS is to provide a fun and safe environment for the development of youth rugby in the United States; develop well rounded rugby community members both on and off the pitch; and be the conduit to connect the game at all levels to promote a lifelong love of the sport of rugby.
For more info visit https://usrugbyfoundation.org/ and https://usayhsrugby.org/
Major League Rugby and USA Youth & High School Rugby Strategically Align
Agreement to establish programs and initiatives to further develop youth and high school rugby.
DALLAS & WASHINGTON D.C. (October 14, 2021) – Major League Rugby (MLR) and USA Youth & High School Rugby (YHS) announced a wide-ranging collaboration that will establish programs and initiatives to grow youth and high school rugby. The collaboration includes a streaming partnership with The Rugby Network to stream key high school games across the country, a school-based flag rugby program, inner city and after school rugby programs and a coaching app to include MLR content, along with other initiatives.
George Killebrew, Commissioner of MLR commented, “Youth and High School Rugby are a natural fit for MLR – the more we grow grassroots rugby with greater community involvement the stronger up and coming domestic base for future players we’ll have, along with growing fans across North America.”
David Pool, President of YHS added “Our role is to facilitate resources to assist our members, the State Youth Rugby Organizations and individual clubs across the country to grow rugby to be the fun exciting sport we believe in. MLR is an ideal partner to assist our members in growing rugby in the true spirit of the game.”
“It is a real achievement to see the Professional game, MLR, partnering with our Youth and High School affiliate in an exciting ongoing partnership to support growth at the grassroots level,” USA Rugby CEO, Ross Young noted, “Collaborations such as these within the USA Rugby community are exactly the unified vision we’re excited to get behind as an organization. We look forward to seeing the benefits of this partnership as it drives further growth of youth and high school rugby.”
Specific details of initiatives will be announced over the coming season as they are finalized.
About Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby is a professional sports league, entering its fifth season and represents the highest level of rugby competition in North America. The League evolved from seven teams in 2018, to 13 teams in 2021, featuring 12 from the United States and one from Canada. Matches are televised on CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, among other national and local market platforms. Select matches are available to stream live in North America on The Rugby Network, and all matches are available on The Rugby Network for international fans. MLR prides itself in fostering intense and high- stakes competition, while bringing together a passionate community built on the values of Respect, Inclusivity, and Tradition. For more information about MLR, visit www.MajorLeague.Rugby.
About USA Youth & High School Rugby
USA Youth and High School Rugby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organized in Washington, D.C. and affiliate of USA Rugby. YHS are the sole Sanctioned Governing Body for all youth rugby in the United States which includes community and school-based programs for players ages 5 – 18. To learn more about USA Youth & High School Rugby, go to https://usayhsrugby.org/ and follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.