Sports Based Youth Development: Youth Rugby Tackles Many Issues

Thanks to many programs focused on youth and community development, young ruggers across the country are achieving a lot more than a few tries.

Many coaches and parents have benefited from sessions with the Positive Coaching Alliance, or taken quizzes for Liberty Mutual’s “Responsible Sports” grant program (vote for MA Youth Rugby Organization to win!). As a result of these programs and many others like them, sports are becoming more than an after-school activity or weekend-filler. Proponents of Sports Based Youth Development focus each practice and game around pro-social values rather than as an added bonus. Sports Based Youth Development (SBYD) describes a very deliberate practice of engaging youth in athletics as a means to foster positive development and improve their communities.

Often, rugby programs focused on SBYD teach young ruggers that first and foremost, rugby is a game of respect; coaches may recall images of an intense game ending with friendly handshakes and a social between opposing clubs. Another example would be coaches who utilize the Positive Coaching Alliance’s “R.O.O.T.S.” which translate into Respect for the “Rules, Officials, Opponents, Teammates and Self.” Talking about these points at practices, between halves, or during water breaks encourages players to constantly think about how their actions directly impact their surroundings. Discussing what respect looks like on the field not only provides concrete examples of how to act during a game, but also raises awareness regarding a variety of relationships off the field (player-adult, player-peer, player-adversary, etc.). The R.O.O.T.S are just one example of many tools crafted to enhance pro-social development in sports.

While the Positive Coaching Alliance works with a variety of sports, Play Rugby USA works specifically with rugby; their website showcases their commitment to SBYD with an unmistakable mission statement: “Developing Youth through Rugby.” Play Rugby USA developed a model that has been successfully replicated around the country and “is underpinned by 4 founding development components: ‘To strengthen youth character, conditioning, community and academic commitment by integrating the core values of rugby into a distinct and inclusive teams sports experience.’” Their efforts are directly supported by emerging programs such as Coach Across America, which specializes in SBYD and uses research to train highly effective coaches. Play Rugby USA and Coach Across America both use sports as a tool to empower young athletes.

In addition to sports-based programs, partnerships with programs such as Citizen Schools offer a direct link to the classroom. For many years, Bill Good—President of Massachusetts Youth Rugby Organization—has been volunteering at the Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, MA, and coaching the only Rookie Rugby apprenticeship in the country. This year, USA Rugby partnered with Citizen Schools and there are now a dozen Rookie Rugby Apprenticeships nationwide. These programs connect middle school students with professional members of the community and provide a focus on college and career paths. Rugby promotes both of these things while encouraging healthy habits and physical activity. In an email Bill stated:

The best part of this experience is watching the sixth graders you are working with become engaged by rugby. Not just the game and all that we know is terrific about it – the fitness demanded, the teamwork, the decision making, the camaraderie – but the values it supports, which mirror on the pitch those that Citizen Schools is developing in the classroom: courage, tenacity, leadership, communication.

Here, Bill taps into the key link between rugby and Sports Based Youth Development; positive values are both inherently and explicitly linked with the game. Recently, the IRB identified “Rugby’s Values” as Integrity, Respect, Solidarity, Passion, and Discipline.
With overlapping missions aimed at fortifying the character of athletes, both Sports Based Youth Development and rugby are certain to grow together and provide a new generation of athletes with unbounded opportunities.