USA Rugby Dues Summary by Alex Goff

Ten bucks may not seem like a big deal to some, but to others it’s still ten bucks. And, more to the point, as a membership organization, USA Rugby should be as open as possible with you about why you pay anything at all.

Where does the money go? Well it goes to many things – rent and payroll for the national office, support of various national teams, staging coaching and referee courses, and staging national playoffs and championships, as well as internationals.

All that stuff has to be done, and it’s done in part with membership money. But what does the membership get? Membership should have its privileges, shouldn’t it?

Here, then, is a list of the benefits you get as a USA Rugby member. If you didn’t know about them, then you should take advantage of them when you can:

Participant Accident Insurance, 25K per injury plus $250K catastrophic. This is the new one, and the reason for the extra $10. USA Rugby members can receive compensation for an injury incurred during a sanctioned rugby activity (travel to and from games, during games, and during training).

If you are a USA Rugby member, you already have this coverage; you just need to fill out a claim form after the injury. Go here for details: http://tinyurl.com/3w7svkz

General Liability Coverage up to $5 Million. This is the coverage members have always had. Basically it covers you if you kick a ball and it breaks a car windshield, or you tackle someone in touch and that person runs into a spectator and that spectator is hurt.

No fee sanctioning of tournaments. USA Rugby sanctions tournaments for no charge.

Free background screening process for youth, high school and collegiate coaches. All coaches registering with USA Rugby have to agreeto a background check.

Member discounts with USAR partners:
Hilton – 15% off lowest rate at any Hilton World Wide property
Enterprise Rent-a-Car- 5% off car rentals
World Rugby Shop  – 10% off of all purchases
Sports Authority – Coupons and discounts sent to members (a percentage goes to the Ball For All Schools program)
T Mobile – 12% off monthly service charge, no activation fee (usually around $35), free shipping on 2-day service
24 Hour Fitness- No initiation fee, discounts on monthly fees

In addition, as a USA Rugby member you have access to coaching and referee clinics, and you are eligible to compete in championship events.

That’s what you get for your $45 (senior players), $40 (college players), $30 (high-schoolers), and $20 (youth).

(Note this article was researched and written by RUGBYMag.com, so while it seems like a big ad for USA Rugby’s registration process, it’s actually meant to give you some information.)