About USA Rugby Event Sanctioning
A USA Rugby sanction is an official designation issued by USA Rugby which approves and licenses the holding of a rugby tournament or event outside of regular season competition and practices. The sanction is also a contract, which evidences the event's commitment to follow national and international rules, to ensure all participants are compliant with World Rugby and USA Rugby's rules and regulations and to provide a safe environment for the participants and spectators. Once the event has satisfied the sanction requirements, the event's application for sanction is approved.
To achieve sanctioning, all participating teams must be confirmed compliant in advance of the event. Compliance is achieved when a team has registered for the current USA Rugby membership cycle (either as a registered club or as a team made up of all registered memebers), maintains an appropriately certified and compliant coach on the club roster, and has met the roster minimum for competition.
Any non-compliant clubs, both competitive and social, will recieve outreach from USA Rugby staff with instructions on how to achieve this status. A timely application will ensure that all teams are provided ample time to achieve compliance. All sanctioned events must have all applicable adults safesport certified, and background checked. Additional information on how to do this can be found by reaching out to USA Rugby.
USA Rugby Safety Guidelines are available here. In the interest of player welfare, event directors must see that these guidelines are met.