High School Girls National Tournament

In 2013 USA Rugby will officially end its run sponsoring the high school girls rugby national tournament.  USA Rugby first took over the National Tournament in 2008 from the group of grassroots coaches and administrators around the country who had first come together to build the event.  The first High School Girls National Invitational Championship was held in Milwaukee in June of 2000.  Then, six teams came together to compete and raise the level of play of girls rugby. 

This news does not come as a surprise to most coaches, as USA Rugby has been committing its emphasis and money to other things like Olympic 7’s rugby.    

Many coaches look at this as an opportunity to grow the game and improve the event, as coaches around the country are committed to holding a National Invitational Championship Tournament.  There will be a National Tournament in 2013; it just won’t be run by USA Rugby.  The boys high school national tournament will undergo a similar change.

The year before USA Rugby took over the girls NIT, 24 teams competed in three divisions.  In 2008 when USA Rugby took over, the event was shrunk to 8 teams.  USA Rugby’s boys tournament included 16 teams.  Since the first girls NIT, the number of girls teams nationwide has more than doubled.   Interest in the event is stronger than ever, as 17 teams applied for only 8 spots at last year’s USA National Tournament.  Knowing there are more opportunities to get into the event in the future if it expands, should encourage even more teams to apply, especially those strong teams who may not yet be in the top ten.   Increasing the number of participants contributes to making it a richer event, with greater geographical diversity and greater diversity of playing styles.

Highlights from the NIT years from 2000-2008, in addition to growing the event to include 24 teams, included hosting a banquet for all the teams involved:  one featured a Polynesian Luau when the Sacramento Amazons hosted, another was a lobster dinner by the Portland, Maine hosts.  The idea of bringing back some of the camaraderie associated the NIT banquet has been gaining favor among some coaches. 

Expanding the event also makes the seeding decisions easier.  Instead of having to pick only eight teams before someone’s season has even begun, dozens of teams who feel they have a chance to compete at a high level can now commit to the event and fundraise early in the calendar year.  Seeds can be determined the week of the tournament, taking into account any regional and state championships and getting a better picture of who should be ranked where for each division.   The event could conceivably be as large as 32 teams in multiple divisions. 

Another plus to this shift is that high school programs and local youth rugby organizations have more volunteers and energy to invest in running the event than a busy National Office.  When USA Rugby hosted the girls event at Stanford University last year, it was an impressive venue, with professional refereeing, and great competition.  But last week’s State Championship match between CMHS and DSHA drew far more attendance than the 2012 national high school invitational game.  The 2011 National Boys High School Championship between Highland and Utah United famously drew thousands of spectators, as it was held in Utah where fans, family, alumni, and some general rugby fans were drawn to the game.  A girls high school event should take place not just where there is lots of rugby but lots of high school girls rugby in particular, where families and friends and alumni will come out to watch the games.