Gassroots rugby is what it is all about for Head Coach and Director of the Clemson Rugby Foundation (CRF), Troy Hall. Hall’s background in developing grassroots rugby and youth/ community programing with Rugby Oregon was just the beginning of his efforts of spreading a more positive impact in his community through the sport of rugby.
After being hired last spring, Hall decided to get creative in his efforts to grow the sport and the Clemson program amidst a global pandemic. His most recent efforts included a meeting with local city administrators in Greer, SC. The presentation and discussion led by Hall and his graduate assistant, Darragh Leader, consisted of a crash course on rugby rules and fundamentals, along with a discussion about the values behind the sport itself.
The presentation was facilitated by a chat over coffee with Andrew Merriman, a Greer City Administrator and former rugby player. After some conversation, Merriman decided to invite Hall, on behalf of CRF and Clemson Rugby, to present a Rugby 101 session to Greer City staff on December 9th.
Hall says that, “We (CRF) think it's important to start now - to take small action steps - to connect with local schools, clubs and to host skills clinics, camps and more. We don't want to just talk about how youth rugby is important - any rugby player knows it is. We are willing to invest time, money and resources in it to make it happen.”
After meeting with the City of Greer, Hall believes that there was immense success in spreading accurate rugby knowledge in both terminology and invalidating stereotypes that typically follow the sport and its players.
During the meeting, Clemson Rugby Representatives took the time to debunk common misconceptions made about rugby. During the discussion, assumptions such as rugby being a dangerous game, all players being big in stature, concussions being frequent and inevitable, and rugby being a social drinking sport only were all addressed. After discussing these generalizations with the City representatives, Hall offered up examples of introductory versions of rugby including sevens, 10s, touch and flag rugby. He also went further to mention the importance of values like respect for your opponents and officials on the pitch as well as the existence of women’s and men’s rugby clubs spanning the United States.
While there is no push back, as of yet, from parents and schools after his attempts of introducing the sport, Hall suspects that there will be. His advice to new and developing teams is to, “Be patient. Tick the boxes first. Get creative around what you can offer. Start small.”
What does Clemson Rugby Foundation have planned for its next grassroots efforts? A continuation of ‘Ambassadors of Rugby’ presentations that Hall says, “Highlight the 'what people say about rugby' vs. 'what we say about rugby' and how rugby players need to be GREAT ambassadors for our sport.”
Clemson Rugby Foundation goal is to emphasize to the community not only the values that drive rugby but also to inspire the community through it. The Clemson Rugby program is a great example of a team taking steps to help aid in the creation of rugby programs in its surrounding areas. With their outward focus, CRF will be taking more than one step in the direction of growing and facilitating youth rugby in South Carolina.
