After identifying a need for growth and consistency in the disciplinary process across USA Rugby community competitions, regional discipline representatives from the Referee & Laws Committee Development Working Group piloted a new training program for Disciplinary Committee Members within the community in November 2022.
Hosted in tandem with World Rugby Educators and with the support of Rugby Americas North, the pilot program’s resounding success has led to four additional in-person training events for disciplinary officers needing to align their processes with current World Rugby protocols. In addition, USA Rugby is establishing the certification of Community Judicial Officers to recognize those who successfully implement the process in their Unions.
USA Rugby Director of Training & Education, Jamie McGregor said, “We have heard the requests from many community rugby organizations to provide more guidance, support and direction to those in disciplinary roles, who are all volunteers. If we can improve consistency of application across the nation, we can move the needle on player safety and the environment in which our game is played – two of our highest priorities.”
USA Rugby Judicial Officer, Matt Eason added, “Our pilot program was a great success in educating people from our community competitions who are invested in doing the right thing in the correct way. There are some misconceptions out there about how the disciplinary process works and we were able to clear these up and get everyone on the same page.”
| DATE | CITY | REFERRAL |
|---|---|---|
| July 15-16 | Atlanta, GA | REFERRAL » |
| July 22-23 | Phoenix, AZ | REFERRAL » |
| August 5-6 | Washington DC | REFERRAL » |
| August 19-20 | St. Louis, MO | REFERRAL » |
Participants must be referred by their competition, SYRO or Geographic Union and are encouraged to attend the event in their region but may attend in any location. USA Rugby is funding workshop costs and Saturday evening double accommodations.
