USA Rugby Policies

Effective starting February 2026

Any club/team wishing to gain proof of accident/liability insurance, or gain international tour approval, must be a 'compliant' club within Rugby Xplorer. The club must exist in Rugby Xplorer (see under Club Approval).

Club compliance consists of:

1. The club registration fee must be paid in Rugby Xplorer for the current membership year. This fee includes both the USA Rugby club fee and/or other club fees payable to parent Unions of the club.
2. There must be at least 8+ players registered to the club in Rugby Xplorer for the current membership year, regardless of whether the club/team is playing 15s or 7s.
3. There must be at least one appropriately compliant coach registered to the club in Rugby Xplorer for the current membership year. (Please note: only one compliant coach is required for the purposes of a club being considered 'compliant'. This does not imply other coaches at that club do not also need accreditation. For example, any coach coaching tackle rugby must be World Rugby Level 1 compliant.)

Certificates of insurance will only be issued to clubs that are 'compliant'. Before completing the processing of an individual's accident insurance claim, USA Rugby will ordinarily check to ensure that the player's club is 'compliant'. A club's compliance status is public, and can be found here: https://usa.rugby/play-rugby-today

Clubs/teams participating in Leagues, Academy teams, Travel teams, Select Sides, All-Star teams and similar teams regardless of exact naming convention, must exist in Rugby Xplorer, and must be 'compliant' (per above). A club's compliance status is public, and can be found here: https://usa.rugby/play-rugby-today

In addition, all players on both teams in any game must have a current active registration with USA Rugby to that team in Rugby Xplorer. (Where players are selected in representative, travel, select, or all-star teams – those players should be asked to register to that specific team in Rugby Xplorer.)

Rugby Xplorer has functionality to allow for combined teams made up of players from two or more clubs for regular League play.

USA Rugby strongly encourages its member Unions, competitions and tournaments to utilize the competition management functionality in Rugby Xplorer and require clubs/teams to submit their rosters electronically for all matches regardless of match status – league match, friendly, B-side, etc. This ensures that both clubs/teams can be sure that every player taking the field is appropriately registered.

The use of paper rosters and the listing of what used to be called "CIPP numbers" is both outdated terminology and discouraged practice as this does not indicate whether a player is, in fact, appropriately registered.

Clubs/teams participating in Leagues, Academy teams, Travel teams, All-Star teams and similar teams regardless of exact naming convention, must have the approval of their relevant parent Union in order to exist and operate in good standing. USA Rugby will not create a club/team in Rugby Xplorer without the approval of the relevant parent Union.

To have your organization recognized as a Club in RX, contact your parent Union (e.g. SYRO, Geographic Union, College org) in the first instance.

All Youth, High School and clubs/teams or organizations that work with youth or high school children must be affiliated to and be in good standing with the residing state's State Youth Rugby Organization (SYRO), as determined by USA Youth and High School Rugby. Where players are selected in Representative, Travel, Select, All-star teams or similar teams regardless of exact naming convention – those players should be asked to register to that specific team in Rugby Xplorer.

All Senior Club clubs/teams must be affiliated to and be in good standing with their appropriate geographic governing Union, and must additionally abide by any regulations set forth by this governance including any additional dues required by that body.

Motley teams are social teams (at Senior Club and Collegiate level only) that exist on a one-off basis for a specific tournament.

Motley teams in a sanctioned event utilizing Rugby Xplorer's Rugby Events functionality: Motley teams wishing to participate on a one-off basis must have all of their participating players register to that team in that event in Rugby Xplorer. No clearance/transfer is required. The club/team does not need to pay a club registration fee, nor does it require a coach.

Motley teams in a sanctioned event not utilizing Rugby Xplorer's Rugby Events functionality: USA Rugby will currently also clear motley teams to participate on a one-off basis. Such teams must provide a copy of their roster in spreadsheet format (not PDF) in a timely manner to ensure the registration status of all players can be verified before the tournament.

Since 2020, each rugby community (USA Youth and High School, Collegiate Council and Senior Club Council) has taken over primary responsibility for certain eligibility for competitions within their jurisdiction. There are certain core principles, outlined in theUSA Rugby Eligibility Regulations, that remain in force and which bind all Unions. Any question about the enforcement of those regulations should be directed to the relevant community contact. For the correct contact information, email eligibility@usa.rugby

In accordance with the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and Executive Order 14201, which the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has determined to be applicable to all National Governing Bodies (NGB), USA Rugby is required to implement the definition of Women’s registered athletes as described below. Failure of an NGB to do so may result in sanctions imposed by the USOPC, including the potential loss of its status as an NGB. This policy now applies to all USA Rugby sanctioned competition.

The USOPC requires USA Rugby to adopt the following regulation from the NGB Athlete Safety Policy:

"[National Governing Bodies] are committed to protecting opportunities for athletes participating in sport. [National Governing Bodies] will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., [International Olympic Committee], [International Paralympic Committee], international federations, to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act, 36 U.S.C. § 22501, et. Seq.”

1. The Policy below is effective as of Feb 20, 2026.
2. This Policy applies to all USA Rugby sanctioned Events and Competitions

1. The following three competition divisions, or categories (“Divisions”), will be recognized by USA Rugby: Men’s Division, Women’s Division, Open Division. Participation in any Division is subject to the Laws of the Game, USA Rugby Game Management Guidelines, and Eligibility Policies.
2. Men’s Division Competition. USA Rugby permits any athlete registered as male to participate in Men’s Division.
3. Open Division Competition. USA Rugby permits any athlete, regardless of the sex assigned at birth to participate in Open Division Competition, full contact or otherwise.
4. Women’s Division Competition. To comply with USOPC’s NGB Athlete Safety Policy, the Women’s Division is limited to individuals who are assigned female at birth.

Registration: Division Status will be determined during the membership application and registration process, when an athlete selects the “gender” option in Rugby Xplorer. When applying for membership or registering as “Female” or registering for an event in the Women’s Division, an athlete represents and warrants to USA Rugby that they are Female. This representation creates a rebuttable presumption that the individual's sex identified at birth was female. Challenge to Gender Status: The determination of whether an individual is Female may be established through records from authoritative sources. Only USA Rugby shall have the right to contest the individual’s Women’s Division status or challenge the presumption of an athlete registered as “Female.”

1. All information provided to USA Rugby under this Policy will be treated with strict confidence and subject to applicable privacy laws. Such information shall not be used for any purpose not contemplated in this Policy. Information will not be disclosed to any third party unless that disclosure is required by law.

1. Nothing in this Policy shall affect an individual’s obligation to fully comply with the Anti-Doping Rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”), the United States Anti-Doping Agency (“USADA”), the USOPC, or World Rugby Anti-Doping provisions.

1. The application of this Policy shall not affect eligibility requirements or rules otherwise set out forth in the Laws of the Game, Tournament Terms of Participation, or USA Rugby’s rules, regulations, and policies.

1. Any person seeking information on the application of this Policy should contact USA Rugby Compliance Department, compliance@usa.rugby

1. All individuals subject to this Policy represent and agree that:
   1. All information submitted in a membership application or registration or in an event registration is accurate and complete to the best of their knowledge, and no relevant information has been intentionally withheld.
   2. The individual will fully cooperate with and provide any additional information reasonably requested by USA Rugby in the administration of this Policy.
   3. Neither USA Rugby nor any USA Rugby employees, directors, agents, volunteers, representatives, or other persons involved in the administration of this Policy shall be liable in any way in relation to acts done or omitted to be done in good faith in connection with the administration of this Policy.

1. USA Rugby will regularly review this Policy and reserves the right to update this Policy with immediate effect at any time.

• You ARE eligible for a refund if: The request is within 7 days of the transaction and you have NOT played in any match (scrimmage, friendly, competitive, tournament etc.)
• You are NOT eligible for a refund if: You have played in any match, tournament, or organized play or the transaction date is more than 7 days ago
• By refunding/cancelling your membership, you understand that: You are NOT eligible to utilize USA Rugby’s Accident Insurance Policy, you are NOT eligible to practice, compete or participate in USA Rugby activities and you are being refunded only the USA Rugby membership fees, NOT any regional fees, nor processing fees. Regional fees will need to be refunded from the region/union/SRO directly.