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Mid-America Members,
The Fall season for most GU clubs is coming to an end. With this past fall we have seen some changes. Most significantly the change from Sportlomo to Rugby Xplorer. While it has not been flawless transition it is a marked improvement and hopes to be a better Registration and Competition Management System long term. Another item that many of the clubs are aware of has been the extreme shortage of Match Officials. Mid-America Referee Society has done an excellent job over the past years of referee coverage for matches. This past Fall has proved to be very difficult to do so and we need to be pro-active! With that said, it was discussed at the AGM this past summer how to improve match official numbers and enforcement of the MARFU GU Policies and Procedures. The GU Board created and asked for individuals to join a committee to revise our GU Policies. Thank you to that group for putting in the hard work on this. This Committee submitted an updated GU Policies and Procedures to the MARFU Board. The GU Board has voted and is implementing the updated GU Policies and Procedures. The GU Board is aware that compliance with some of the GU Policies can not happen overnight and has voted on a “grace period” to allow teams time to become compliant. All team must be compliant with the GU Policies and Procedures by March 15th 2023. GU Board members and Directors are working on hosting certification courses for Match Officials and Coaches. Currently we are working on 2-3 USA rugby Certification Courses. Please see the link below for available course: https://usa.rugby/courses Feb 25th 2023 - Fayetteville , AR (LVL 1 Referee - open for registration) Jan 21st 2023- Columbia , MO (LVL 1 Referee - not finalized yet) If you would like to host a certification course in your area please reach out to Luke Mathews , MARFU Training and Education Director - mathews.luke@gmail.com If you would like a specific course ( ie. Level 2 Referee, etc ) please let us know and we will work to accommodate it! Cheers, Sean Cox MId-America GU President This is a step by step process that must be followed in order to use the new CMS on Rugby Xplorer. There are 2 Admin levels, they are not the same!
Club Admin 1. If your club hasn’t already contacted the GU to have a Club Admin set up you need to do this immediately. 2. Club Admin can access, Club administration info, payments, members, communications, reports and much more… 3. Club Admin can also add “Team Admin” or multiple team admins but they are not the same. Team Admin 1. Team Admin is what is needed to access the Rugby Xplorer Match Day App. This is where the match report is entered and can only currently be entered on the app. In order to see this YOU MUST BE REGISTERED AS A TEAM ADMIN! 2. Once you are set up as a Team Admin ( By your club Admin ) you need to download 2 apps. The Rugby Xplorer App and the Match Day app. Then you can enter Then you can enter squad and match day reports in the Match Day app. (see blow ) Rugby Xplorer App 1. Here you can see International Teams and News, but can also add clubs from USA and Mid-America that you want to follow. Once you do this you will also be able to see standings and current points brackets. RX Match Day App 1. You will only be able to access if you have been set up as a Team Admin! 2. On this app you can enter your match day squad, enter live scoring, enter player movements, etc. Currently this can only be done on the app. 3. Once you complete your match day report you will be locked out so make sure it is correct! Hopefully this helps get you started. Please feel free to reach out and ask if you have issues or questions. Important Note: Due to a bug (to be fixed ASAP), players can be charged twice if they click the 'Pay Now' button multiple times. Please only click once and allow the system to process Videos: Creating a profile & registering: https://usa.rugby/members?utm_campaign=846907_RX%20Members&utm_medium=email&utm_source=USA%20Rugby&dm_i=60LF%2CI5H7%2C4LYSAK%2C1Z8KR%2C1&fbclid=IwAR135tsiG7cYydA5FW7rYoaUz-cWbxe7A9Wo4X3ubiJk2Zir5wHUsdxp8GE Matchday App: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk-OOu8YDdQ Full Walk-through (admins): https://www.dropbox.com/s/ukgr12btl2u16c5/RX%20220707%20Entities%20%E2%80%93%20Competition%20Management.mp4?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR0DIud1YIXfJqjsfN3JAOiyE7MUaZCnU4GC2s0t5Kw1vh4ZQs7pes7xWxk Cheers, Sean Cox President Mid-America GU scotchcox@yahoo.com Mid-America Members,
Summer is coming to an end and with lots going on over the next couple weeks I wanted to share a few updates and info. •2022 USA CLUB RUGBY NATIONAL 7’s Championship - Aug 13th -14th Forest Park, St Louis, MO. With this event right in our back yard it's a great chance to go see 32 of the top Club teams in the nation compete. Lots of help is still needed. If you can volunteer, even if only for an hour please contact Nichole Reiske (nereiske@gmail.com) and find open time slots in the link below (there is particular need for the afternoon time slot): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0845aead28a6fc1-club •National 7’s will be live streamed and free on Rugby Network: https://www.therugbynetwork.com/videos/usanationalrugby7schampionship •Saturday Oct 8th - Level 1 Referee Course (Kansas City, MO) As the GU updates and revises it Policies and Procedures this course will be crucial for those clubs who need to have a referee required on their rosters. Register early! https://internal.usarugby.org/training-and-education-course-calendar/ •USA Rugby - new Registration and Competition Management System ( CMS ) If you haven’t heard yet, USA CLUB Rugby will be going over to a new system. Sportlomo will not be used anymore! The new system is Rugby Xplorer and is an app-based system , allowing players, coaches and Admins to register and enter realtime CMS info right from your smart phones. MARFU is currently setting up the system & Clubs will begin registering by Aug 15th! •2022-2023 Season- if you haven’t already then you need to contact your Division directors ASAP about the 2022-2023 season. Also make sure your match schedule is turned in to MId-America Referee Society ( MARRS ) Joe Rothermich (joerothermich@yahoo.com) •Want updates, documents, standings, contacts....be sure to go to GU Website. Have something to add to the website or have photos to share on GU Social media contact GU Admin Lucas Wenger (law175@truman.edu) http://www.midamericarugby.org or http://www.midamericarugby.com Cheers, Sean Cox MId-America GU President To the Members of Mid-America Rugby:
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is coming up soon (Sunday, June 12th)! Make sure your club's representative is ready to attend (each club in the GU must have an attendee). This year's meeting is at Stoney Creek Hotel (12pm- 3pm). Boxed Lunch will be served (please let us know if your attendee has dietary restrictions). The address is: 18011 Bass Pro Drive Independence, MO 64055 The minutes for the 2021 AGM meeting are availible in the Support/Documents section of our website here As we prepare to meet for our AGM, we’d also like to remind you that nominations are open for a variety of positions on the board. These positions are vital to our success for the upcoming year not only for us as your governing body but also to provide you all with the necessary support in all matters. The current board is composed of many senior and experienced members of the union, but there are also those who are first time seat holders. This range in experience gives us strength that we hope to carry with us as we continue to grow. Not only does the tenure of our members create strength, but also the variety of our personal experiences on our teams, acting as coaches, refereeing matches, and being supporters of the game we all love. Whether you’re looking to make change within our union or interested in becoming more involved, we encourage anyone who is interested to apply to the below positions. We especially encourage those who provide unique voices to overall conversations such as our queer rugby family members, our women rugby players, and BIPOC and AAPI members. We cannot be our best if we do not have your voices at the table when discussing important issues. Again, we encourage you to review the below positions and either nominate yourself or nominate someone who you believe would do an impeccable job serving on our board. We look forward to seeing your applications. Open Board Positions: •PRESIDENT. The President shall organize and chair Union and Executive Committee meetings, and administer the activities of the other officers and committees of the Union. They shall encourage membership in the Union, and with the help of the members shall determine the Union objectives and work toward their achievement. •SECRETARY The Secretary shall compile, maintain and publish the Union membership directory. They shall correspond with other unions to mutual advantage. The Secretary shall counsel the Union and its committees on rules and procedure and ensure that these are followed. The Secretary shall prepare the agenda for Union and Executive Committee meetings (although the President may elect to have another Officer, including the President, to do so from time to time), keep the minutes of meetings, and publish them. The Secretary shall maintain the records of the Union, and give these records to their successor in good order. The Secretary shall maintain and publish these By-Laws and will execute internal and external Union correspondence as directed by the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall maintain the Union’s match schedule and may designate persons to assist her in this regard. •DIVISION DIRECTORS The GU would like to thank its clubs (players, coaches, & admins), the referees, the SCC, the venue support at Mueller Soccer Park/St. Charles Parks & Recreation Department, & the wonderful fans. After complications in competitive play due to the pandemic, the rugby community came back strong and made the 2022 Super Regional Playoffs a rousing success for MARFU, Midwest Rugby Union & Rocky Mountain Rugby! It was a great weekend for rugby. Congratulations to the Super Regional winners in their respective divisions: Palmer, Denver, & Queen City. MARFU looks forward to hosting Super Regional Playoffs again in 2024. The results of 2022 are ares follows:
May 7 •Palmer def. the Sabres (51-5) •KC Jazz def. Columbus (30-20) •Denver def. Cleveland (78-17) •Green Bay def. Wichita (38-35) •Akron def. the Bombers (38-8) •Queen City def. Bremer (37-10) May 8 Palmer def. Jazz (54-10) Denver def. Green Bay (65-7) Queen City def. Akron (28-29) For those interested in the National Championships in Atlanta, GA on May 20-22, please see the announcement below.  The 2022 USA Club Rugby XVs National Championships will be hosted May 20-22, at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, Georgia.
BUY TICKETS: https://www.universe.com/events/2022-usa-club-rugby-xvs-national-championships-tickets-BQ1KJN About the Event Featuring 20 teams across 5 men’s and women’s divisions, the 2022 finals revert to the ‘final four’ format popularized at USA national championships from 1979 to 2013. Men’s and Women’s Division I will follow a Friday/Sunday schedule while Men’s Division II, Women’s Division II, and Men’s Division III will feature matches on Saturday and Sunday. Our MARFU clubs will compete against clubs representing the Midwest & Rocky Mountain unions in the Northern Super Regional Playoffs (see the previous announcement for more details) that will take place May 7-8 at Mueller Soccer Park just outside of St. Louis, in St. Charles, MO. Continuing a long tradition of club national championships, this year’s event will be the first XVs national championship fully organized by the Senior Club Council (‘USA Club Rugby’) following USA Rugby’s governance restructure in 2020. Brackets for this year’s championships are located here: Men’s Division I [https://www.usaclub.rugby/playoffs/2021-2022-mens-division-1-playoffs] Women’s Division I [https://www.usaclub.rugby/playoffs/2021-2022-womens-division-1-playoffs] Men’s Division II [https://www.usaclub.rugby/playoffs/2022-mens-division-2-playoffs] Women’s Division II [https://www.usaclub.rugby/playoffs/2022-womens-division-2-playoffs] Men’s Division III [https://www.usaclub.rugby/playoffs/2022-mens-division-3-playoffs] About the Venue Home to Rugby ATL of Major League Rugby, Silverbacks Park features a 5,000-seat stadium and is located just 15 minutes northeast of downtown Atlanta. The park also features a second rugby pitch and is the regular home venue for the Atlanta Renegades. Long a hotbed of southern rugby, Atlanta-area clubs have won six previous club XVs national championships from 13 total national championship final appearances – including multiple appearances from the Life Running Eagles, Atlanta Harlequins, and Atlanta Old White. •More information regarding this year’s USA Club Rugy XVs National Championships can be found at usaclub.rugby/XVs [https://www.usaclub.rugby/xvs]. •Tickets: [https://www.universe.com/events/2022-usa-club-rugby-xvs-national-championships-tickets-BQ1KJN] to the 2022 USA Club Rugby XVs National Championships are general admission and priced at $15 per day and $25 for a 3-day weekend pass. •For more information, please contact Erik Geib at usaclubrugby@gmail.com Mid-America GU Members,
The 2021-2022 season is nearing the finish. We have just a few weeks until we have the first round of National Playoffs. This year Mid-America is hosting the Northern Super Regionals which will include Mid-West, Rockies and Mid-America. The Senior Club Competitions committee has structured national playoffs to reduce the amount of travel and expenses on clubs. This traditionally would have only been the Sweet 16 weekend. However rather than traveling another weekend to play the next round of 8 , this will all happen in one weekend. Then the winners of the 4 regionals will meet on May 21st-22nd at the National Finals ( location still being decided). Key Info: •Mid-America and Mid-west will alternate years of hosting Super Regionals (2022 - Mid-America, 2023 - Mid-West, etc) •May 7-8, 2022 will be at Mueller Soccer Park in St Charles , MO •Address for venue is: 3801 Mueller Rd, St Charles, MO 63301 •Super Regionals will consist of D2 Women, D2 Men and D3 Men •Missouri Youth Rugby ( MYRUGBY ) will also be holding the MO State HS Championships at this venue. This will lend to an amazing weekend of rugby! •The venue will have concession stands and does sell alcohol. With that no outside alcohol will be allowed in the venue! •There will be EMT’s and Athletic Trainers onsite. Players are required to bring their own tape and supplies for trainers •Hotel Room blocks have been set up at Best Western Plus and Holiday Inn Express, they are booking very quickly! https://www.hiexpress.com/redirect? https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.26171.html?groupId=N69PP4E3 Looking forward to an amazing event and we will continue to post updates on GU website. Sean Cox MId-America GU President Mid-America Members,
Spring has begun and the GU is back to rugby! As we return to league competitions, playoffs and general play, I wanted to share a few updates and info: •2022 GU Annual General Meeting - June 12th in Kansas City (location TBD); all GU Clubs are required to have a representative in attendance •Saturday March 27th, 2022 - Level 1 Coaching Course in Liberty, MO (https://internal.usarugby.org/training-and-education-course-calendar/) •Please share photos (and/or any pertinent updates, documents, standings, contacts) to feature on the website by contacting GU Admin Lucas Wenger (law175@truman.edu) •May 7th & 8th – 2022 Super Regional Playoffs (Midwest, Mid-America, & Rockies GUs); Final details and specifics are big hashed out. This year the venue will be in the St Louis vicinity. Plans should be finalized and announced by April 1st. •May 21st & 22nd – 2022 National Finals – TBD; SCC is still accepting bids and working on a location (https://www.usaclub.rugby/council-news/bid-to-host-a-usa-club-rugby-national-championship-event?fbclid=IwAR0UljUPkz7Lhx7kyFGFVObH0SwJIgnFeH5rf1tkn01zFcPnbDHSlp5rhMM) •Women’s U23 All-Stars - Texas Rugby Union is partnering with Mid-America Rugby Union (MARFU), to participate in the 2022 Under 23 National All-Star Competition - if interested register here (https://texasrugbyunion.com/south-central-u23-mustangs-registration-form/) •Reminder Transfer and Registration Deadline April 1, 2022 (see previous announcement & accompanying letter for details) Important Dates: 4 / 2 / 22 - HOA Men’s’ College 7’s Playoffs (Columbia, MO / Lincoln, NE) 4 / 9/ 22 - ACR Mid-west playoffs (Lawrence, KS) 4 / 9 / 22 - Small College Women’s Playoffs (Clayton, MO) 4 / 16 / 22 - HOA Men’s College 7’s Championship (Iowa City) 4 / 23 / 22 - D1 College Women’s Playoffs (Columbia, MO) 5 / 7-8 / 22 - Men’s & Women's Club - Super Regionals (St Louis vicinity) 5 / 21-22 /22 - Men’s and Women's Club- National Finals (TBD) 6 / 12 /22 - GU AGM Good Luck for a safe and successful season! Cheers, Sean Cox MId-America GU President Transfer & Registration Deadline – April 1, 2022 Please remind your members in the USA Rugby NCS pathway about the registration ‘to the club’ deadline. This criteria applies to all players who want to be eligible should their team advance, including any transfers. The Eligibility Checklist is linked under this message as a PDF, and is also available on the home page. Regulation 3.4-(a) and (b): a. Player must be registered to the Club and reside in the United States, either upon initial enrollment or with an approved Waiver from USA Rugby, by the earlier of: i. any participation in a National Championship Qualifying Match, OR ii. no later than 11:59 pm in the Player’s Local Time Zone on April 1 for Men’s and Women’s Division I, II, III and WPL Competitions; b. Non-Resident (NR) players must have entered and be residing in the United States prior to: April 1 for Men’s and Women’s Division I, II, III and WPL Competitions; Players who do not meet this deadline will not be eligible for the USA Rugby NCS. Any senior club players seeking to transfer ‘to’ a different senior club must initiate the transfer by this deadline. Club coaches/administrators should review their rosters to confirm all players currently ‘with’ their team are actually registered to the club in Sportlomo. 
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