UPDATE March 3: The response to this has been massive. We’ve moved beyond the ‘wait and see’ phase and are now in active mobilization. The #RugbyForAll Resource Center is live with everything you need to help your club push back, including GU contact templates and league updates. Stay tuned, as there will be more to come!
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UPDATE March 1: We are moving from conversation to coordination. Join us for The Huddle, a strategy call for club presidents, captains, coaches, and player-advocates to discuss the 2026 season and our collective path forward. We will cover the specific impacts of the USA Rugby mandates, the transition to an inclusive Open Division, and how we keep our teams whole. Register at this link to join the movement and ensure every body has a home on the pitch.
Today marks a dark milestone for American rugby. Following months of tension surrounding Executive Order 14201, USA Rugby (USAR) has officially released its updated Competition Eligibility Policy. The new regulations split the sport into three categories: Men’s, Women’s, and Open. Under this mandate, the Women’s Division is now strictly limited to athletes assigned female at birth (AFAB).
Quick Facts: What You Need to Know
- The Divisions: USA Rugby now recognizes Men’s, Women’s, and Open divisions.
The Restriction: The Women’s Division is now strictly limited to athletes assigned female at birth (AFAB). - The Open Division: A new category where any athlete, regardless of gender identity or sex assigned at birth, is permitted to compete.
- The Reason: USAR is a federally chartered National Governing Body (NGB). The USOPC has mandated compliance with federal definitions of “Women’s Sports” or risk decertification, which would end USAR’s ability to provide insurance and sanction matches.
A History of Inclusion Erased
We have always believed rugby is a game for every body. For years, USA Rugby operated under the 2015 IOC Consensus Statement, which allowed transgender women to compete in the Women’s Division provided they met specific medical requirements regarding testosterone suppression. While those guidelines were over a decade old, they established a clear pathway for inclusion that has existed within our domestic game for years.
In November 2021, the IOC released a new Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination. This updated framework urged sports to move away from “one-size-fits-all” restrictions and explicitly stated that there should be no presumption of advantage for transgender athletes. Instead of modernizing to meet these 2021 standards, USA Rugby has been forced by political pressure to retreat even further, abandoning medical standards entirely in favor of a “birth-assigned sex” requirement.
Why This Is Abhorrent
By creating a separate “Open Division,” USA Rugby is claiming to offer a space for everyone while effectively building a “separate but equal” structure. This is a betrayal of the rugby values of integrity and passion. Forcing trans women out of the Women’s Division does not make the game safer. Instead, it targets a vulnerable population of athletes and tells them they are “other.”
USA Rugby is choosing political compliance over the safety and dignity of the athletes they represent. While the organization cites the threat of losing National Governing Body (NGB) status as the primary driver, we must ask: what is the value of a governing body that chooses to codify exclusion?
Taking Action: The Fight is Not Over
We aren’t just here to report the news. We are here to organize. If we want a game that remains for everyone, we must make the current policy unworkable.
- Declare Your Club “Open”: We are calling on every women’s club in the United States to make a radical choice. Direct your club administrators to register your team for the Open Division. If the Women’s Division becomes empty because teams refuse to play without their trans teammates, the policy fails. We stay together.
- Demand GU Blanket Approvals: The “Open Division” currently requires tournament-by-tournament review. Contact your Geographic Union (GU) officers immediately. Demand that they grant blanket “Open” status to all local league matches and friendly fixtures. Do not let them hide behind paperwork.
- The Email Campaign: Every member of your club should send a personalized email to compliance@usa.rugby, CEO Bill Goren at bgoren@usa.rugby and YOUR Union Representatives.
- We have created a template for clubs to start from.
- The CC is Key: By CC-ing your local Union officers, you put the pressure on the people who actually run your weekend matches to approve the “Open” designation quickly.
- Public Solidarity: Use your club’s social media presence to state clearly that you do not support this change. Use the hashtag #RugbyForAll & #OnePitchForAll. The goal is to ensure that when a new player looks for a team, they see a community that fights for them, even when the NGB won’t.
- Overwhelm the System: Section 3(b) allows USA Rugby to contest an athlete’s gender status using authoritative sources. We are calling on allies to turn this rule against itself. Email compliance@usa.rugby to self-report an eligibility concern regarding your own registration and demand to be investigated. If hundreds of athletes force the NGB to verify their records: the administrative cost and time required to enforce this policy will become unsustainable. Make the system buckle under its own weight.
- Register and Refund: If you are not currently registered you can still participate in this protest. Under the official USAR Refund Policy: you are eligible for a full refund of your USA Rugby membership fees if the request is made within 7 days of the transaction and you have not played in a match. You can register: file your eligibility self-report: and then request a refund through Rugby Xplorer. This forces the organization to process your data and your investigation for zero financial gain.
- Would recommend registering with an International Gay Rugby (IGR) to further send the message, see a list here.
The Optics of Inclusion: Just hours before the expected release of the new restrictive gender policy, USA Rugby’s social media channels were still posting about the importance of diversity and Black History Month. The community is left wondering how the NGB can celebrate the history of marginalized groups while simultaneously drafting new rules to marginalize another.
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