With high aspirations for women’s rugby in the years ahead, USA Rugby High Performance is excited to take another step forward with an 8-stop talent identification tour led by National Team Head Coaches, Emilie Bydwell and Sione Fukofuka.
Spanning four months across all regions of the United States, including Hawaii, the National Team programs will look to expand reach, and most importantly access, for up-and-coming player talent in the rugby community. This initiative is a continuation of the Regional Talent Identification & Development camps run by the Women's Pathway over the last several years, building upon the foundation of leveraging strong local partners to provide opportunities for up-and-coming athletes to shine. These camps are also open to talent transfer athletes—individuals with no rugby experience but who have competed at an elite level in another sport and are interested in exploring rugby as a pathway to continue their athletic careers.
| Date | Region | City | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Feb 2nd | Nor Cal | Palo Alto, CA | |
| Sun, Feb 9th | Nor Cal | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento State Sacramento State Women’s Rugby |
| Sun, Feb 16th | Northeast | Providence, RI | Brown Women's Rugby |
| Sat, Feb 22nd | West | Glendale, CO | |
| Sun Mar 2nd | So Cal | San Clemente, CA | Rhino Rugby |
| Sun, Mar 16th | PNW | Vancouver, WA | Pacific Northwest Loggers Pacific Northwest Rugby |
| Sat, Apr12th | West | Salt Lake, UT | Majestics Girls Rugby Club Utah Youth Rugby |
| Sat, May 24th | Hawaii | Kahuku, Oahu | Hawaii Youth Rugby Kahuku Rugby |
The long-term goal for the regional camps is to identify talent that will be tracked into USA Junior National Teams and High Performance Pathways assemblies; all with an eye on best performance during the LA 2028 Olympics, Australia 2029 Rugby World Cup, 2033 Rugby World Cup on home soil. In the short term, each 2025 camp will serve as a vehicle for USA Women’s U18, U20 and U23 player selections during this summer’s 7s & 15s age-grade assemblies alongside scouting at various USA Rugby High School, Collegiate and Club Championships. Each camp will offer registration options for both U18 athletes and 18+ athletes. The goal is to cast a wide net and assess a diverse range of talent across all age groups. Identified players will then be tracked to the appropriate age-grade level to ensure their development is maximized and they receive the support and opportunities best suited to their stage of growth in the sport.
Athletes located in regions outside of the 8 selected are encouraged to choose a location they can travel to for the upcoming events. As an added resource, Rhino Rugby, USA Rugby's partner for the Southern California Talent Identification Camp, is offering affordable accommodation and meal support for athletes traveling from outside the region. This initiative is designed to improve accessibility and reduce barriers for athletes wishing to attend the camp. Players should contact Rhinos directly at info@rhinosrugby.com for this additional support once they have registered online with USA Rugby.
There is still the opportunity to add more stops to the 2025 Regional Talent Identification tour, especially in regions not yet visited. Coaches and administrators interested in hosting a Regional Identification Camp in their area are encouraged to reach out to Emilie Bydwell directly at ebydwell@usa.rugby.
USA Women’s Sevens Head Coach Emilie Bydwell said on the regional camps, “Martha Daines and the Women’s Pathway have been running a similar program over the past several years to identify athletes for our age-grade programs. Many of our current U18 and U23 7s athletes were discovered through this regionally-based identification program, and maintaining continuity with this initiative is crucial for 2025. Both Sione and I understand the importance of removing barriers to entry, ensuring that players have the opportunity to be identified and progress through the pathway. We are fully committed to populating our National Team programs with exceptional talent that truly reflects the diversity and potential of the United States. By aligning the pathway with the National Teams and collaborating on this initiative, we are taking an important step toward success in the pinnacle events on the horizon over the next eight years.”
USA Women’s Eagles Head Coach Sione Fukofuka added, “I am excited to work with Emilie and the pathway coaches, to identify players that project potential to develop into Eagles. The key qualities we are looking for are strong core skills of catch pass, footwork and accurate decision making, as well as the physical abilities of speed, strength, power and agility to play the game model we have implemented in the senior team. Underpinning all this needs to be a strong work ethic, high work rate and diligence to prepare well.”
Registration for the eight camps opens January 2, with all USA Rugby registered women’s players encouraged to register via the links below. For athletes that are registered with USA Rugby, the camps are free of charge. For those that are not registered with USA Rugby, there is an option to complete a one day registration for $15.
