Initiative aims to expand rugby participation nationwide in advance of Rugby World Cup
PLANO, Texas /CitizenWire/ — Skyhawks powered by Stack Sports has signed a two-year agreement with Imagine Rugby and Major League Rugby (MLR) to be their Official Youth Flag Rugby Partner. This will provide access to the Skyhawks’ extensive network with programming slated to launch this summer.
Skyhawks is the country’s leader in providing a safe, fun, and skill-based sports experience for children between the ages of 4 and 14. It hosts a series of camps and trainings for children across a diverse collection of sports, using those opportunities to teach life skills to its youth participants.
Imagine Rugby, as the official charity partner of MLR, is a non-profit organization focused on growing the game of rugby in the U.S. By partnering with Skyhawks, it will be able to create a new grassroots entry point to create increased exposure for boys and girls to one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S.
Imagine Rugby’s primary offering is providing flag rugby implementations into physical education classes by using a state-aligned curriculum. By partnering with Skyhawks, Imagine Rugby can broaden the entry point into this amazing sport and reach significantly more children. The program will teach children how to play the game while also instilling the core rugby values of teamwork, respect, and discipline with a focus on having fun.
“Leveraging the vast network of Skyhawks offers a unique and exciting opportunity to introduce rugby to a new generation, ensuring the game’s growth in the U.S. in the coming years,” said CJ Hussman, the executive director of Imagine Rugby. “We will be able to achieve significantly more growth by working with Stack Sports, while also ensuring an amazing experience for both boys and girls and putting us further along the road to achieving one million active young rugby players by the 2031 and 2033 World Cups.”
In addition to providing a unique opportunity for both boys and girls, Imagine Rugby is teaming with Skyhawks to build a solid foundation on which to grow flag rugby.
“We’re enthusiastic about flag rugby’s potential in the United States and dedicated to nurturing its growth from the ground up,” said Jason Frazier, General Manager of Skyhawks. “By partnering with Major League Rugby (MLR) and Imagine Rugby, we’re taking a significant step forward in fulfilling our mission to grow participation and expanding opportunities for rugby players nationwide.”
Central to this effort is the development of a beginner’s level coaching training program that will help bolster coaching and refereeing participation corresponding to the rise in youth engagement. This will provide additional employment opportunities for MLR players, as well as local club coaches and players who are interested in exploring coaching and youth sports as a career.
About Imagine Rugby
Imagine Rugby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and the official charity partner for Major League Rugby whose primary focus is on growth of grassroots play of rugby. Their mission is to get a rugby ball into the hands of every kid across the U.S. with a goal of one million youth actively playing rugby by the 2031 & 33 World Cups in the U.S. The breadth of the Imagine program includes Flag Rugby, Community Colleges and Academy Rugby. The primary focus is on flag rugby implementations in School PE classes, already having more than 650 school actively participating nationwide.
About Major League Rugby:
Major League Rugby is a professional sports league entering its sixth season that represents the highest level of rugby competition in North America. The League evolved from seven teams in 2018 to 12 teams in 2023, featuring 11 from the United States and one from Canada. Matches are televised on Fox Sports, 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 https://www.majorleague.rugby/.
About Skyhawks:
Founded in Spokane, Washington in 1979, Skyhawks has established itself as one of the largest youth sports program providers in North America. Skyhawks provides a wide variety of fun, safe and positive programs that emphasize critical lessons by “teaching life skills through sports”. Programs range from week-long summer camps to after-school programs, clinics, and leagues for children aged 18 months to 14 years old in a variety of sports
About Stack Sports:
With over 50 million users in 35 countries, Stack Sports is a global technology leader in SaaS platform offerings for the sports industry. The company provides world-class software and services to support national governing bodies, youth sports associations, leagues, clubs, parents, coaches, and athletes. Some of the largest and most prominent sports organizations including the U.S. Soccer Federation, Little League Baseball and Softball, and Pop Warner Little Scholars rely on Stack Sports technology to run and manage their organizations.
Stack Sports is headquartered in Dallas and is leading the industry one team at a time focusing on four key pillars – Grassroots Engagement, Participation Growth, Recruiting Pathways, and Elite Player Development. To learn more about how Stack Sports is transforming the sports experience, please visit https://stacksports.com/.
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