1 – Player Eligibility
Red Mountain Youth Rugby plays teams in 6 different division: 4 in the Youth division and 2 in the High School division of USA Rugby. To be eligible to play for our High School teams, a boy MUST be currently enrolled full time in a high school in the state of Arizona, have been at that school since the commencement of the fall semester and be under 19 years of age on the 1 September 2023. Our high school aged teams play the full 15 a-side version of the game.
Players in Junior High/Middle School can only play in the U14 division which is set up for 7th and 8th grade players who are under 14 years of age on 1 September 2023 and they play the regular season playing the 10s version of the game (10 starting players with 25 minute halves). In the 2016 season we formed a U12 boys tackle team covering boys in 5th and 6th grade and a U10 tackle team covering boys in 3rd and 4th grade. In 2023 we formed a U8 team for 1st and 2nd graders.
2 – Weight Restrictions
There are weight restrictions in the U14 and lower divisions reflecting the fact that boys can physically mature at quite different different ages and that in the early adolescent years there can be quite large weight variations. These restrictions are designed to protect players by making allowance for lighter/heavier than average players.
U19
If you are a Junior or a Senior and weigh 125lbs or less, you can play down in the U16 division with the Freshmen and Sophomores.
U16
If you were 16 after 1 September 2023 but weigh 100lbs or less, you can apply for a waiver to play down in the U14 division.
U14
If you were under 14 as of September 1, 2023 and weigh more than 200 lbs you will have play up to U16. Players over 165lbs must have a waiver to play in U14 and if they are aggressive and experienced for their age, they may be asked to play up on U16.
If you were 14 (or older) as of September 1, 2023 and weigh less than 80 lbs, and coaches think it is a safety issue to play in U14, then you can apply for a waiver to play in U12.
U12
If you were under 12 as of September 1, 2023 and weigh more than 135 lbs you will have to play up to U14.
If you were 12 (or older) as of September 1, 2023 and weigh less than 60 lbs, and coaches think it is a safety issue to play in U12, then you can apply for a waiver to play in U10.
U10
If you were under 10 as of September 1, 2023 and weigh more than 105 lbs you will have to play up to U12.
3 – Club Territories
Because of the structure of AZ Youth Rugby, the High School rugby teams cover broad parts of the city and, whilst there are no distinct boundaries per se, but there is an understanding among the High School rugby coaches in the greater Phoenix area to not try and recruit players from schools located in the broad part of the city covered by that club. In the case of Red Mountain Youth Rugby, the following High Schools are designated as our core club zone: Mesa, Mountain View, Mesquite, Highland and Gilbert. Other clubs in the East Valley have the following core zones:
The following High Schools are designated as being in the designated zone for the East Valley Rugby Club: Skyline, Desert Ridge and Red Mountain. This club is not operating a Boys HS team so boys from these schools are free to play for any club.
For a complete list of designated high schools for the greater Phoenix area please consult the Rugby Arizona website www.rugbyarizona.com. All schools not designated to a club zone are considered ‘at-large’ and so students at such schools are free to play for any club. If a high school student has a connection to RMYR or the Red Mountain Men’s team via a family member such as a parent or older brother but attends a school in another club’s designated zone or they played for RMYR in Elementary and/or Junior High, they will be permitted to enroll with a RMYR team. All other exceptions can only be approved by the coach of the club in the designated zone. If this consent is not granted, the case can be taken for adjudication to Rugby Arizona, the AZ HS/Youth Rugby Union. Coaches tend to adopt the view to have a player play where they will be most comfortable rather than try to force the issue.
4 – Registration
See Registration Tab
5 – Costs
There are 3 main costs associated with playing each season for the Red Mountain Knights Youth Rugby team. There is no costly camp:
1 – Team Dues: The 2023 dues are unchanged since the 2021 season at $350 per player for High School – U19 and U16 and $125 for U14, U12, U10 and U8. The team dues covers team costs (e.g. field rental, referees and team union registration fees and other relevant administrative costs). $100 of the Dues for high school aged players covers all costs associated with an annual trip we make to St George, UT in late February for the Utah Invitational tournament. Please note: any high school aged players joining after the February St George trip, the dues are only $250. Dues can be paid by check, Venmo or via our team portal at Sport Engine. To register your player with RMYR please click on this link https://redmountainknights.sportngin.com/register/form/471572032.
2 – Team Kit: Pricing for the players’ kit for 2021 varies depending on what team you are playing for and whether you are a new or returning player. Please see the complete Player’s Kit Matrix in Section 3 – Gear below.
| NEW U19/U16 PLAYERS | NEW U14 PLAYERS | ALL U12/U10 PLAYERS | ||||||
| Kit Total | $220 | $120 | $75 | |||||
3 – USA Rugby Registration: The registration process is done directly with USA Rugby and costs $110 for the two High School aged teams and $100 for the four Youth tackle grades. This fee covers liability insurance and our two regional and local union fees including the cost of a Youth Development Officer for AZ State for players when playing (not individual accident cover which must be covered by each player’s family health insurance plan). This process must be done on line at https://myaccount.rugbyxplorer.com.au/. We must write each individual player’s registration (sometimes called CIPP) number on the AZ Rugby Union game sheet prior to each game so no registration means a player cannot play. Instructions as to how to register is under the “Registering with USA Rugby” section of the website www.redmountainyouthrugby.org/?page_id=49.
Travel Costs: RMYR historically travels out of state for two tournaments. Whilst we take a good size group to St George (U19 and U16), any national tournament team is limited to 26 invited High School Varsity players:
* Utah High School Pre-Season Invitational – St George, UT: Fee included in the annual High School Dues
* We usually attend a national level tournament sometime in mid May.
We will advise when funds for each trip will be required to be paid.
6 – Playing Gear
Rugby players need the following to play:
Cleats (called boots)
Each player is responsible for their own cleats. These can be existing football or soccer cleats. If you are buying new rugby boots please note that the traditional metal sprigged rugby boots sold on line are not suitable for Arizona playing conditions due to the hard surface of most fields in winter/spring. These traditional rugby boots are sold in countries like England and NZ where playing fields have soft richer grass coverage and where wet and muddy playing conditions are more common. It is better to buy the plastic shorter sprig style rugby boots or even soccer cleats as they are more suitable to the dry, hard, lifeless summer grass that is common on most playing fields in AZ in the winter. There are no helmets or pads worn in rugby although small skull caps can be worn.
Game Jerseys (provided by RMYR)
We have three High School playing strips (red and black striped, red and red and black block) and a black and red strip for the U14/U12/U10 grades and the Head Coach decides on what strip is worn at any particular game. The jerseys are held by the coaches and given out just before each game and based on who is chosen for a given game’s playing squad. It is the responsibility of each player to return the jersey given them to the coaches at the end of each game.
Players Equipment Kit – this will depend on the category of player as follows:
Returning players who may have grown out of, or lost/damaged, any kit items can purchase new items as a one off. Please note: please order a new practice jersey immediately when we start to practice as we usually only get an order 8 weeks later. An order made through the season may end up not coming until the end of the season or will be fulfilled if possible from stock on hand.
ORDERING INFORMATION
Normally we are able to determine the best size fit players with spare or extra stock for players to try on but in the event that this is not possible then here is some guidance:
Training jersey and Track Suit Jacket (Track suit is for HS only) – These jerseys need to be form fitting to make it difficult for players to grab loose material. The sizes below are adjusted for the fact that our supplier’s gear is on the large size (chest size equivalent in parenthesis) :
U19/U16 – Men’s sizing: 14 (33 – 35”), XS (35 – 37”), XS (37 – 39”), M (39 – 41”), L (41 – 43”), XL (43 – 45”), 2XL (45 – 47”), 3XL (47 – 49”)
U14/U12/U10 – Youth sizing: 4 (23 – 25”), 6 (25 – 27”), 8 (27 – 29”), 10 (29 – 31”), 12 (31 – 33”), 14 (33 – 35”)
Shorts and Track Suit Pants (Track suit is for HS only) –
U19/U16 – Men’s sizing: 10 (28 – 30”), XS (30 – 32”) – smallest track suit pants option, S (32 – 34”), M (34 – 36”), L (36 – 38”), XL (38 – 40”), 2XL (40 – 42”), 3XL (42 – 44”), 4XL (44 – 46”)
U14/U12/U10 – Youth sizing: 4 (22 – 24”), 6 (24 – 26”), 8 (26 – 28”), 10 (28 – 30”)
7- Expectations (players and parents)
Red Mountain Youth Rugby has won the State High School Division 1 (top division) championship 7 times. As well we won the Div 2 HS championship 4 years ago when we entered a High School JV team and we have won the U16 State Championship 4 times making us the most successful youth rugby team in Arizona. Our U14 boys made the 2016, 2017 and 2019 U14 semi finals, U12 made the 2020 Final and our U10 boys won their division in 2016 and 2017. We are also one of only two Arizona club teams invited to play at national tournaments. We have a tradition of excellence and success that we want to uphold and have successive players enjoy the thrill of winning championships.
Rugby is a young sport in the USA and still in its infancy at the High School (and younger) level here in AZ. The US is a 2nd tier rugby nation and, whilst the sport is enjoying steady growth in adult player numbers and some growth in youth numbers in recent years, this has yet to translate into where USA Rugby ranks internationally. For example 10 years ago in 2006 USA was ranked 14th and we have fallen to 15th in 2019. By way of comparison, Japan was 18th in 2006 and now is ranked 11th.
How is this relevant to RMYR? It is relevant because as coaches we are trying to build excellent players off a very inexperienced base. Most freshman age players in New Zealand (where most of the coaches are from) would have had at least 5 years (or more) experience playing rugby. This season, whilst almost all our freshman players have had prior experience, it was only for a year or two of prior experience. Of our seniors, only a few of the most experienced players have had only 5 prior years experience. In NZ, senior aged players would have 10 years + experience. We have a number of Junior and Senior age players who start playing rugby near the end of their time in high school and we are the most experienced team in AZ. Coaching inexperienced players is the greatest challenge faced by all youth and High School age rugby coaches in the US.
For several reasons, we have chosen not to follow the pattern used by high school football coaches with 5 even 6 days of practices that are often 3 hours long. We don’t own our players like HS football coaches seem to want to and we try to treat our players with more respect and empower them more. At least 50% of our HS and U16 players also play football and a good number are starting Varsity players for top schools. They all love their football but we’ve not met a player yet who plays football and rugby who doesn’t prefer rugby. It’s because rugby is player managed not coach managed. We teach skills and plays but the boys decide in real time what game strategies to deploy on the field during a game. Most players are on the field for the whole game and everyone gets to touch the ball and so potentially can score. The aerobic intensity also results in a bigger post-game adrenaline rush versus football. But not ‘owning’ players has a downside and that is when it comes time for practices.
We only practice 2 days a week for 2 hours. It is precious time for us coaches. With such a widespread experience and skills (and often fitness) deficit because of the newness of the game here, we are in a race against time to build skills and fitness. Our players and parents fall into various categories of commitment to the game. The percentage of our players who commit to the game and our practices with the rigor and intensity required by most HS football programs is quite small. These are boys for whom rugby has become their passion and it ranks higher than almost all other activities. These boys are always at practice and always on time for games and give us 110% every time they are with us. Usually their parents are just as committed. A few parents played rugby in college or are expats from rugby playing countries so their son has grown up with the rugby culture.
For the majority of our players, rugby is something they enjoy and are quite committed to but the game has not been absorbed into their (or their family’s) culture with the intensity that occurs with high school football programs (or other interscholastic high school sports for that matter). Rugby is cool and fun but there always seems to be a range of things that come first causing players to not be at practice and sometimes not at games. When we are scrambling hard to up-skill players who are almost universally inexperienced by world standards, the lack of priority that rugby is afforded by them and their families becomes a source of great frustration for us coaches. We are fortunate to have larger than average squads but every year, our competitiveness compared to the best out-of-state teams, is eroded by our inability to have all our squad at practices and games reliably. Except for a tiny handful of freakishly talented athletes who pick anything up quickly and who are well above average in strength, speed, dexterity and fitness, the only way to get better at rugby is to come to every practice and be available for every game. We have a small percentage of players who treat rugby almost as experiment that they are toying with and weighing up alongside other sports. These few are very irregular and sporadic in their attendance.
Our plea is this. Please make rugby a priority. Players; make the case to your parents. Please schedule your lives so that your studies are kept up so that parents don’t have to keep you home to study. We know there is a lot happening in your lives and in your families’ lives but players and parents, when contemplating not coming/not sending your son to rugby training or a game, ask yourself this question: if I/my son was a starting Varsity football player for say Mountain View, Gilbert or Highland, would I be staying away/letting them stay away? Parents: We don’t want to ‘own’ your sons like football coaches do but we’d like rugby to have an elevated priority status in the family’s hierarchy of competing activities. Players: we can’t make you into national champions if choir or homework or a job or other things keep you from learning the skills that we are anxious to teach you. If you get frustrated at not starting then perhaps examine your attendance record at training and games. The more you come, the better you will get.
A decision as to what team a player will play on is made by the coaches based on factors such as how quickly they pick up the game, ball handling skills, fitness, size, speed, attitude, teachability and attendance. Like any sport, the decision as to who is allocated to which team and who starts for each team is at the sole discretion of the Head Coach OJ Hawea.