July 20, 2011 USA RUGBY ANNOUNCES ACCIDENT INSURANCE FOR ALL MEMBERS FOR 2011-2012Dear USA Rugby
Member, USA Rugby is happy to announce that an
exciting new member benefit will be included in the price of registration dues for the 2011-2012 membership cycle which will open on August 15,
2011. USA Rugby’s Congress and
Board of Directors ratified the new insurance
policy and a $10 increase to annual membership dues to pay for the policy on July 15, 2011 by an overwhelming
majority. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME
AS A USA RUGBY MEMBER? When the 2011-2012 cycle opens, members registered for that cycle will automatically receive up to $250,000 in accident insurance for injuries
sustained during sanctioned rugby events. That means if you’re injured playing rugby, the financial risk associated with injury will be minimized. It also means that
annual membership dues will increase by $10 per member per year, which works out to less than 3 cents per day. This policy will
provide: • $2,500 deductible for members without primary
insurance • $250,000 Excess Catastrophic Medical Expense
Benefit USA Rugby 2011-2012 Membership Dues Individual Senior Registration: $45.00 Individual Collegiate Registration: $40.00 Individual High School Registration: $30.00 Individual Youth Registration: $20.00 Individual Rookie Rugby Registration: $5.00
HOW WAS THIS DECISION MADE? At USA Rugby, we strive to add value to membership and implement programs that will help support the growth of the
sport of rugby in the United States. We believe that this insurance policy will do that, but we wanted to know what our members thought so we
launched a pilot program in 2010 and collected feedback. We then solicited feedback about extending accident coverage to all USA Rugby
members. PILOT
PROGRAM In 2010, the pilot accident insurance program (Zurich Rugby Accident Insurance) was launched in order to gauge the interest of USA Rugby members in
such a policy. The feedback on the pilot program was tremendous and after the enrollment for the program closed, many clubs contacted USA Rugby
seeking to take advantage of the offering.
At that point, USA Rugby recognized the demand for such a policy was significant, and began to explore affordable
options to provide this benefit to all members automatically. CALL TO ACTION In order to make rugby accident insurance included in membership dues, USA Rugby wanted to make sure it was what the
members really wanted. On July 7, 2011, a call to action was sent to members soliciting feedback through their local USA Rugby Congress
representative. The $10 dues increase was included in that call to action. Below are some of the comments that members of Congress
received: “It's a great benefit...Just Do It!” – Sam “This would be great and would also handle a lot of objections I get when I try to recruit a friend to play rugby!” –
Curtis
“As a member and a player who was injured this recent season I highly recommend
and support this…I do have insurance, but I know for sure I would have loved to have this additional support of insurance at that time. Ten
dollars is nothing compared to the cost of an injury if or when it happens.” – Patrick
USA Rugby Congress and the Board of Directors approved the new insurance policy on
Friday July 15, 2011 by an overwhelming majority. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? Simply become a USA Rugby member for the 2011-2012 membership cycle after registration opens on August 15 and
you’re covered!! In the event of a rugby
related injury after registration for the 2011-2012 cycle, go to usarugby.org and click on "Accident Insurance" for
details on how to get your claim processed. ###
Proud Partners of USA Rugby
About USA Rugby
Founded in 1975, USA Rugby is an official member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board
(IRB). The organization has approximately 90,000
members and is responsible for the development of the boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club rugby programs, and ultimately all of the national
teams representing the U.S. in international competitions.
The current structure of USA Rugby comprises seven Territorial Unions (TU) and 34 Local Area Unions (LAU) that compete
for regional and National Championships.
USA Rugby's national headquarters is located in Boulder, Colo., and is run by full-time staff under the direction of current CEO and President of
Rugby Operations Nigel Melville.
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