USA Rugby, Atavus Announce Long-Term Academy Partnership to Find and Develop Players and Coaches

LAFAYETTE, CO--(Marketwired - March 23, 2017) - USA Rugby announced a long-term extension with partner Atavus to facilitate the USA Rugby Academy (USARA)-- a critical part of USA Rugby player development -- at locations across the country to identify and develop the nation's top young players.

USARA "Powered by Atavus" events are grouped into three categories to meet specific needs in USA Rugby's player development, serving both elite age-grade players and aspiring players. USARA events include two-day Regional Training camps, four-day Resident Camps and one-day Assessment camps hosted in conjunction with local partners and existing National Development Academies (NDAs). Alongside these player-focused trainings, community coach development will be provided through Coach Education seminars run at every USARA camp.

"Atavus brings a wealth of organizational knowledge, a positive and proven coaching philosophy and world-class coaching talent to ensure as a country we continue to build our next generation of players," said Dan Payne, CEO of USA Rugby. "Our national team coaches are excited to work alongside Atavus to uncover the next National Level players and Olympians, as well as raise the level of rugby being played across America."

To meet athletes at their skill and aspirational levels, USARA camps include the high performance Eagle Track for elite age-grade players seeking future national team consideration and the Academy Track for emerging rugby players. Building more frequent interaction, engagement and support for current "pool players" across all age grades, the Eagle Track provides identified and invited athletes with regional development and tracking opportunities, as well as access to USA Rugby age-grade coaches to help accelerate their development and talent breakthrough to national representation. The Academy Track provides athletes with access to consistent, high-quality coaching relevant to their developmental levels, on- and off-field support and a unique rugby experience. USAR Academy events will supplement and prepare athletes for USA Rugby's competitive pathway.

"We're proud to continue our partnership with USA Rugby to find and develop the country's top young players and their coaches," said Ross Young, Executive Chairman of Atavus. "Working with USA Rugby, this new format allows our coaches to meet the developmental needs of players no matter if they are aiming to play in the World Cup or Olympics someday, or improve their game for their collegiate or community team. We're also very excited to roll out a new set of resources for coaches to attend and shadow our team of experts."

USARA camps are open to all girls and boys ages 14-18 and women and men 18 and older. Eagle Track players will be invited by USA Rugby Coaches. The partnership also has a renewed focus on coach education by offering Coach Education Seminars in conjunction with USARA events. Community coaches will be invited to attend USARA events to observe and shadow USA Rugby and Atavus coaches.

The 2017 USA Rugby Academy Powered by Atavus schedule is comprised of 16 Regional Training Camps and six Resident Camps including:

Two-Day Regional Training Camps

May 13-14

• Birmingham, AL

• Houston, TX

May 27-28

• Washington D.C. Metro

June 3-4

• Grand Rapids, MI

August 19-20

• New Jersey

Sept. 9-10

• Montana

• Pennsylvania

Sept. 23-24

• Los Angeles, CA

• Utah

Sept. 30-Oct. 1

• Chicago, IL

Nov. 4-5

• Tennessee

Nov. 11-12

• Connecticut

Nov. 18-19

• Florida

• Denver, CO

Dec. 2-3

• Texas

Dec. 16-17

• California

Four-Day Resident Camps

June 27-30

• Girls & Boys High School | West Army & Navy Academy, Carlsbad, CA

• Girls & Boys High School | Midwest Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, IL

July 11-14

• Girls & Boys High School | East Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT

Athletes wishing to attend Resident Camps can register at http://atavus.co/USARAPR17.

In order to make programs accessible to all interested athletes, Atavus continues its USARA scholarship program with partners QBE and World Rugby Shop. For more specific information on camps, including registration, scholarship and pricing information, please visit http://atavus.co/USARAPR17.

About USA Rugby

Established in 1975, USA Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby in America and a Full Sport Member of the United States Olympic Committee. Currently headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, USA Rugby is charged with developing the game on all levels and has more than 125,000 active members, with more than 32,000 playing collegiate rugby and 27,000 playing senior club rugby. USA Rugby oversees four national teams, multiple collegiate and high school All-American sides, and an emerging Olympic development pathway for elite athletes. It also hosts more than 30 national playoff and championship events each year as a service to its members. In October 2009, the International Olympic Committee announced Rugby Sevens (the seven-a-side version of the game) will appear in the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro. Visit www.usarugby.org for more information.

About Atavus

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Atavus Rugby is relentlessly driven to breed character; develop skills and champion Rugby in the USA and beyond. The company builds and executes sustained, progression-based programming that provides coaching inclusive of any age, skill set or gender. Programs includes the USA Rugby Academy Powered by Atavus, customizable "Powered By Atavus" consulting services, coach development resources and the year-round Atavus Academy.

In 2015 Atavus Football was launched to provide modern, effective solutions to coaches at all levels of football, from youth to the NFL. The company's proprietary Atavus Tackle System™ provides coaches, parents, athletes and administrators with professional services, data, intelligence and proven coaching solutions.

For more information on Atavus visit atavus.com.

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