For Parents & Coaches > How to Start a Youth Rugby Club

For Parents & Coaches

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If you need to renew or apply for membership to the iYRA, you can easily fill out our online form.

When you are a member of the iYRA, it can help us to maintain our records on your club, which improves communication all round!

How to Start a Youth Rugby Club

If you do not have a youth rugby club near you, it is always possible to form a new club with the help of the Illinois Youth Rugby Association and following the guidelines set out on USA Rugby's Web site under Youth and High School Rugby:

www.usarugby.org

CHECKLIST:
1. Recruit Players (see suggestions below)
2. Incorporate your Team. iYRA recommends that coaches/parents incorporate their clubs in order to protect themselves from personal liability in case of a lawsuit. First, decide on the name of your Club and then apply for an E.I.N from the IRS at www.irs.gov. Once you have an E.I.N., register your Club as a "not for profit" organization with the Illinois Secretary of State at llinois Secretary of State. It is important to register as a "not for profit" as the filing fees and renewal fees are minimal. Filling out this form takes no more than 10 minutes.
3. Open a Club bank account. Be sure to use the bank account for all Club business and do not mix Club finances with your own personal finances. If you write a personal check or change a Club expense on your personal credit card, be sure to get reimbursed from the Club's bank account. Deposit any money raised from dues or fund-raising into the Club's bank account and not affset income you receive with Club expenses you have personnaly incurred.
4. Register your team with USA Rugby
5. CIPP your coaches and players with USA Rugby
6. Register your team with iYRA - Registration form
7. Pay your iYRA Dues. Invoices for coaches to submit to their school's business office or your Club's Treasurer. Click here: invoice
8. Have every coach, or every adult associated with your club, read, sign and follow the iYRA Code of Conduct.. Mail the form to iYRA. 130 N. Garland Ct., # 4603, Chicago, IL 60602-4850.

SUGGESTIONS FROM CURRENT COACHES :
- Reserve a meeting room and publish the announcement in the Pioneer Press local paper, link to Pioneer Press. It's FREE! Plan three meetings. The first meeting should be informational. Play a video and give basic information. The second meeting should be the sign-up and the third meeting an educational session. Players will start recruiting friends.

- Schedule a meeting at the School. Have a power point presentation with the 20 greatest try's playing as they walk into the room, let them watch it for a while, stop it and give a 15 minute speel, then return to the video and explain it. Hold an indoor six week "skills and drills" session through the park district. Hold a parents meeting where you can recruit drivers and food organizers for game days.

- Meet with the parents to go over costs, CIPP, expectations and talk about voluteering for post match gatherings and fund raising. Keep the parents involved.

- Tell your players to keep recruiting all the time.

- Equipment you will need to run a practice: Balls, cones, a kicking tee and a whistle are minimum. Once you arrange a field, you may need to buy a field striper, paint, flags, for marking. (Make sure the type of paint is acceptable by the people who control your field - some require biodegradable paint). Figure on $150-$200 for these items, unless you can get used flags and striper.

- Make sure that about a week before any home match, that you confirm directions to the pitch with the visiting team and the referee.

RESOURCES:
- USA Rugby's Registration Information
- USA Rugby's Youth Start-up Guide
- USA Rugby's Parent Network Guide
- Pioneer Press can print your recruiting meetings in your local paper - IT'S FREE!
- The Bryant Plan

SAMPLE FORMS FROM OTHER CLUBS:
- Informed Consent
- Player Data Sheet
- Emergency Contact Sheet
- Parent Letter

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