In Short….

With an aim of delivering new growth initiatives and providing much needed administrative services, the creation of California Grizzlies Rugby (CGR) will allow for a fresh approach to running the game, unencumbered by the historical issues that have plagued the national governing body for rugby union in America, USA Rugby.

With USA Rugby sanctioned by World Rugby to oversee all rugby in the US, it is important to maintain membership status with USA Rugby. CRU will aim to improve administration, development tools and program implementation that have been lacking under USA Rugby leadership.

OUR GOALS:
Establish a new organization to administer professional rugby in Northern California, one that is not reliant on minimalist funding to survive the practicalities of operating a business as a sport. This will be achieved by:

Aligning with business professionals and potential owners who are interested in seeing the professional game grow in Northern California;
Operating professionally when dealing with the rugby community, servicing its own fan base and membership; and providing a community first approach to building our own tribe of fanatical supporters;
Instilling a sense of belonging and pride in being a member of the California Grizzlies Rugby tribe;
Creating a transparent organization that puts people first and operates in good faith and best practice;
Promoting inclusion and participation at community level, with an emphasis on the organization being involved, creating camaraderie and developing an environment of fun - whilst illustrating traditional rugby values that makes the sport unique;
Galvanizing membership loyalty to assist the growth of the organization;
Minimizing barriers for entry into the sport at the youth level through strategic entry level Youth Sports Association programs, similar to the Park & Recreation system that already exists for youth sports such as Little League Baseball

YEAR 1 2022
A new organizational operating framework and program delivery model will be established and actioned including:
Non-profit 501(c) 3 status in place
Initial staff secured
Ensure a Memorandum of Understanding or partnership agreement with Northern California RFU and Rugby NorCal (Youth and High School) is in place
California Grizzlies will have a refined plan in place for a professional team to be included in the MLR within the next 3 years, including securing a professional license for inclusion
Activation of game development community programs including:
Youth Programs: Oakland Youth Rugby, Youth Summer Camps
High School Programs: HS Players Clinics, HS Summer Camp and Academy
Academy Programs: Crossover Athlete Academy, Elite U19 High Performance Academy
Coach & Referee Development Clinics, Camps, Courses and Academy
New growth development initiatives are identified and planning has begun to activate:
California Youth Rugby Association (CYRA), a Youth Sports program that will introduce the sport to a range of new participants between the age of 6 and 13
A Festival Rugby Series incl. 3 tournaments based in Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo, Lake Tahoe and Williams, CA.
7s series of 2 tournaments in Santa Barbara & Oakland for elite 7s teams to compete for prize money
A new Referees Dept. as an integral part of CRU, targeting new young talent, to provide improved pathways for talent development as a referee