State of College Rugby

A Message from CEO Jeremy Treece

A new season is upon us, and the state of collegiate rugby has never been stronger. With more teams, more coverage, true national championships, rising varsity programs, and unmatched grassroots support, there is no better time to be playing college rugby, and no better time to be a fan of it.

NCR offers a full year of collegiate programming for everyone. The student-athlete and fan-focused calendar includes Fall 15s, Winter All-Stars, Spring 7s, and Summer High Performance – making the college game easy to follow and hard to miss.

Membership & Growth

NCR serves more than 20,000 student-athletes, coaches, and administrators across more than 685 clubs nationwide. Last season we welcomed 20 new programs, and women now comprise nearly half of college rugby. This fall, nine men’s programs — UCLA, Michigan State, Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State — join a new Division I and Division I-AA alignment. The Heart of America arrival pushes men’s DI-AA past 60 clubs and brings historic rivalries into the NCR family. We also welcome women’s programs at Thomas College, New Haven, Arizona State, and Quinnipiac, with emerging varsity sides at Salem University, Eastern University (Pennsylvania), and Wesleyan College preparing to launch their programs.

On-Field Excellence

NCR delivered a full year of collegiate programming in 2025-26. In the Fall, National XVs culminated in Houston with true national championships across men’s and women’s divisions. All-Stars in the Winter brought more than 700 elite athletes together in front of professional and national-team scouts. Closing the championship season in the Spring, National 7s brought together 144 schools and more than 2,200 athletes in Maryland, and ultimately resulted in over one million streams and 60 million social impressions for the full NCR season. In the Summer, the High Performance program ran four tours from June through August, featuring 7s and XVs, home and abroad, against international-caliber opposition.

Club Development

Growing the game means investing in the people who run it. Our Coaching Mentorship Program returns this fall, pairing developing coaches with seasoned mentors from inside and outside NCR on practice design, game-day management, and team culture, with select mentees shadowing at Nationals and All-Stars. As another benefit to NCR members, this January in Orlando, alongside the All-Stars Showcase, NCR will host the inaugural Collegiate Development Summit for coaches, commissioners, club leaders, and referees. Coaching and referee sessions will be dedicated to development — pathways, education, and raising the standard of the college game.

On the officiating side, following last year’s successful Referee Development Program pilot, the 2026-27 Panel of Referees will lead more than 100 regular-season, postseason, and championship matches. The Panel is supported by a Collegiate Referee & Laws Committee focused on education, evaluation, and consistent law application.

To support the growth of all college rugby, we’re proud to offer Emerging Team Grants which supported 46 programs last cycle, and Postseason Tournament Grants that help non-playoff clubs put on November and December events.

Member Value

NCR is a $3.6 million member-driven organization. Membership fees now account for 58% of revenue (down from 76% in 2023) as we have successfully diversified revenue streams through events, sponsorships, streaming, and partnerships. 100% of our members’ fees is reinvested into supporting and growing the game.

Dues remain unchanged for the third consecutive year. We have strengthened full-time staffing, upgraded the NCR App, provided new fan experience with Fantasy rugby, and this season we’ll offer over 250 hours of live streamed content – a first for college rugby.

Player welfare and safety remain fundamental priorities. We provide comprehensive insurance, robust risk-management and disciplinary systems, required SafeSport training for coaches, and published best-practice guidelines for concussion, medical support, weather, and emergency response.

Looking Ahead

The calendar will again feature Fall XVs culminating in Houston, the January All-Stars Showcase moving to Orlando, and CRC National 7s returning to Maryland even stronger. This fall also brings the inaugural FirstPoint USA Scholars Cup — Dartmouth, Brown, Notre Dame, and UCLA in a six-match series at the intersection of academic excellence and elite collegiate rugby.

As the United States prepares for the 2028 Olympics and the 2031 Rugby World Cup, college rugby stands at a pivotal moment. The next generation of Eagles will be built in collegiate clubs — by the student-athletes, coaches, and programs already preparing them. NCR’s scale, championship infrastructure, High Performance pathways, and member-first model are positioned to support that pipeline and drive the sport forward.

Thank you to every conference commissioner, coach, referee, student-athlete, and partner. We are honored to have you in the NCR family. Let’s keep building the future of college rugby together.