World Rugby will break new ground in the development of the women’s game with the first Women’s High Performance Academy taking place at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport in South Africa, May 6-11. In attendance will be two established American referees in Amanda Cox and Amelia Luciano.
The Academy will involve 43 delegates from 16 unions over a week long program and forms a key element of World Rugby’s strategic plan to accelerate the global development of women in rugby and drive inspirational leadership on and off the field of play.
"This is the first time I have been selected by World Rugby to attend an international event,' noted Cox, "I feel comfortable with the level of rugby we will encounter and meeting the needs of the referee crew. I have worked with several of the other attendees before and I very much look forward to seeing all of them again.'
Cox is currently a referee coach for Major League Rugby and was referee manager for the Women's Premier League in 2018.
When asked what she hopes to come away with from the assembly, Luciano answered, "More tools for my refereeing. Whether it's through improved methods of match prep, ideas to achieve week-to-week and season-to-season goals, and how to maximize performance under the demands of refereeing high level rugby week in and out.
"I hope to bring what I learn back to the US to help our referees grow, especially my local region of New England.'
The High Performance Academy is aimed at building capacity within targeted unions by providing identified individuals with a bespoke learning opportunity in a high performance environment.
The participants are drawn from various strands of the high performance network, including coaches, match officials, strength and conditioning experts and high performance program managers.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont welcomed the initiative: “The development of women in rugby is the single greatest opportunity for our sport to grow in the next decade. The women’s High Performance Academy in Stellenbosch represents another important element of our organization wide focus on elevating the women’s game and ensuring we create the opportunities for the development of women in rugby, both on and off the field of play.”
World Rugby Women’s General Manager Katie Sadleir added: “As an inclusive sport, World Rugby is committed to gender balance and the women’s High Performance Academy is another important step on the journey for women in rugby.”
Luciano continued, "It's such an honor for both Amanda and me to be part of the first all female World Rugby HP camp. To be selected and supported by USA Rugby at this camp is a highlight of my referee career so far and wouldn't have been possible without the US referees who have performed well at this level before me.'
The High Performance Academy is a program that has been run by World Rugby in Stellenbosch since 2008. This year is the first year that focusses on female delegates only with a view to have a mixed gender program in the following years.
Cox concluded, "I am especially looking forward to the overall impact of this academy on the development of women leaders across many facets of rugby. The best aspect of the invitation is the chance to be part of developing a comprehensive plan to make the women's game an exciting product that rugby spectators can enjoy.'
