All D1A Rugby East? Not So Fast

12.18.2024

The 12 Rugby East college teams met this week on a call to decide if they should all commit to playing in D1A instead of playing split, with five playing toward an NCR playoff and seven playing toward a CRAA D1A playoff.

The long meeting did not conclude with a decision to become an all-D1A conference. The five NCR teams—Queens, St. Bonaventure, Kutztown, Walsh, and Belmont Abbey—decided to remain so.

However, those teams did address one of the key differences between NCR and D1A is how they use Advantage referees. Quietly, behind the scenes, there have been some dissatisfaction communicated to GRR about the officiating in some games between D1A and NCR teams within in Rugby East.

So ... the NCR teams have apparently committed to pay for Advantage referees for their home games. That will be an additional cost of $500 to $1000 per game, a cost that is covered for the D1A teams as part of their $2,500-per-season D1A fee.

What that will do is put to rest any (or most) complaints next fall about officiating. One of the key parts of the Advantage program is that home teams get a referee plus assistant referees.

GRR has attended non-Advantage Rugby East games where there are no assigned assistant referees, and games depend on the old-fashioned tradition of having someone from each team run tough.

Note our post about Walsh vs Navy in which two high schoolers from Rookie Rugby Cleveland stepped in to provide trained AR services for one game. See the Inatagram post about that here>>.

The financial commitment is not insignificant. NCR teams are committing to paying at the very minimum another $1,500, and possibly as much as $4,000—most likely somewhere in the middle.

Using the numbers from our August 22 article about collegiate player dues, a program of 50 players pays about $4,650 to be a member of NCR, while as a non-D1A member of USA Rugby they pay another $3,650. Add to that an estimated $2,500 in Advantage costs that's a total approaching $11,000.

D1A-only teams do not pay additional NCR dues,and that's because USA Rugby insists that NCR members be USA Rugby members as well or the game isn't covered by their insurance. As a result, USA Rugby member teams will not play NCR teams that are not also USA Rugby members; hence the double-dues. A 50-play D1A team would pay $5,150 (USA Rugby dues, an admin fee, and a D1A team fee). The D1A fee covers Advantage costs.

Over the last four years, Rugby East teams have won two NCR D1 titles and finished 2nd four times as well (this year Queens were edged by Brown 23-20 in the final). Rugby East teams have also won two D1A titles (Army in 2022 and Navy in 2023) and finished 2nd once (Navy in 2024). The 2024-25 winner has, of course, not been decided.

All D1A Rugby East? Not So Fast

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