Play Rugby USA

What Play Rugby USA does

Play Rugby USA is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003 by former USA Eagle Mark Griffin that uses rugby as a vehicle for sports-based youth development (SBYD), primarily serving youth ages 10-18 from underserved communities in the Bronx and Harlem. The organization operates four interlocking programs: the Play Rugby Academy NYC (flagship community rugby club with flag, intro-to-tackle, and competitive tackle teams), After-School Enrichment (values-based curriculum embedded in schools and community organizations), Train-the-Trainer (curriculum licensing with coach training and tournament support), and Saturday Night Lights (a partnership with the NYC District Attorney's Office serving 100 youth annually in Central Harlem). The annual NYC Rugby Cup tournament brings together 600+ students from 52 schools across all five boroughs.

The organization's core "technology" is its proprietary GoForward methodology — a values-based rugby curriculum teaching character and social-emotional learning (SEL) through branded values (Game Plan, Switch On, Try Makers, Get There, Play What You See, Review My Film). Outcome measurement is conducted through Algorhythm, a third-party psychometrics platform whose validated surveys place Play Rugby USA in the top 5 of 150 youth development programs nationally and document outcomes including 100% high school senior college enrollment, 81% positive youth development gains, and 88% improved physical fitness.

Play Rugby USA's revenue model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack: individual donations via website, corporate sponsorships (DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation, adidas, RBC Foundation), foundation grants (Laureus USA, Women's Sports Foundation), event fundraising (Spring Gala, Golf Day, Casino Night, TCS NYC Marathon with $3,000 minimum runner fundraising commitments), and government/public funding via NYC DOE (PSAL, CHAMPS), DYCD 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and the District Attorney's Office. The organization reaches approximately 2,500 young people annually with a small core staff of 10-15 supplemented by part-time Youth Development Mentors and volunteer coaches.

Name

Play Rugby USA

Legal name

Play Rugby USA

Website

https://playrugbyusa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Play Rugby USA is a NYC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003 that uses its proprietary GoForward rugby curriculum to deliver sports-based youth development programs to approximately 2,500 underserved youth ages 10-18 annually across the Bronx and Harlem through after-school enrichment, the Play Rugby Academy, and government partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports-Based Youth Development

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Club Sports Programs (EDALAIAB), Youth Development & Sports Outreach Programs (EDAIAGAG), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Youth rugby programs
• Sports-based youth development
• After-school enrichment
• Community youth mentoring
• Nonprofit youth sports

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: General donations from individual supporters, facilitated through the organization's website donation portal and fundraising campaigns.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Support from corporations including DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation (3-year Sports Matter partnership), adidas (Changing Lives Through Sport grant), RBC Foundation USA ($50,000 grant), and others.
3. Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations including Laureus USA Sport for Good grants ($25,000 in 2021 and 2022), Women's Sports Foundation Sports 4 Life grants, and others.
4. Event Fundraising: Annual fundraising events including Spring Gala, Golf Day, Casino Night for a Cause, and TCS NYC Marathon charity partnership. Marathon runners commit to raise minimum $3,000.
5. Government/Public Funding: Partnerships with NYC Department of Education (CHAMPS program), DYCD 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants, and Office of the District Attorney (Saturday Night Lights program).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Play Rugby USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers rugby-based youth development programs to underserved youth, primarily ages 10-18, in the Bronx and Harlem. Core offerings include the Play Rugby Academy (flag, intro-to-tackle, and competitive tackle teams), After-School Enrichment in partner schools and community organizations, a Train-the-Trainer partner program, the Saturday Night Lights initiative with the NYC District Attorney's office, and the annual NYC Rugby Cup tournament. Programs use a proprietary values-based curriculum (GoForward) combined with social-emotional learning to build character, life skills, and college/career readiness.

Product overview

Play Rugby USA is a nonprofit youth development organization that operates multiple interconnected rugby programs rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include: the After-School Enrichment program (values-based curriculum delivered at schools and community organizations), the Play Rugby Academy NYC (the flagship community rugby club with flag, intro-to-tackle, and competitive tackle teams for ages 10-18), and the Train-the-Trainer Program (enabling partners to deliver Play Rugby's curriculum with coach training and tournament support). Additional programs include Saturday Night Lights (a partnership with the NYC District Attorney's office) and the annual NYC Rugby Cup tournament. Together, these programs use rugby to build character, skills, and positive habits in youth from underserved communities across New York City.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Play Rugby Academy NYC

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of Play Rugby Academy high school seniors graduate on time and enrolled in college
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rugby New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022Multi-year partnership (2022-24) where professional Rugby New York (Major League Rugby) players are trained as Youth Development Mentors and assist the Play Rugby Academy. Both organizations believe rugby can be a force for good for young people. Rugby New York players coach both boys and girls Play Rugby programs.
• Coaching CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Coaching Corps is committed to training coaches and afterschool programs to cultivate an environment where kids experience trust, belonging, autonomy, and growth. They provided Play Rugby with access to their online portal, free of charge, to support the continued training and development of Youth Development Mentors. Play Rugby was featured as Coaching Corps Partner of the Month.
• NYC Department of Education - CHAMPScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019CHAMPS (Cooperative, Healthy, Active, Motivated and Positive Students) flag rugby tournaments - three-way partnerships with NYC DOE local schools. Play Rugby hosts Saturday morning tournaments in Brooklyn with hundreds of public school kids competing.
• New York Rugby ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for combined Academy/NYRC Girls team that won the Rugby NY State Championship. Provided girls with unique experience and new friendships.
• NYC Office of the District AttorneycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Saturday Night Lights (SNL) program partnership - youth development initiative that activates community spaces with sports (rugby), connects youth to resources and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. Serves 100 youth annually ages 11-18 from Central Harlem.
• NYC Department of Education - PSALcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnership since 2010 to host annual PSAL rugby tournaments bringing together teams from different boroughs. Play Rugby hosts the annual PSAL Rugby Championship and 7s tournaments.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Right To Play: International nonprofit using sport and play to educate and empower children in disadvantaged communities. Comparable sport-for-development methodology and outcomes orientation, but with a global footprint rather than NYC focus.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development organization offering athletics, education, and character programming across a vast network of clubs. Comparable youth development mission and outcomes focus, but operates as a much larger, multi-sport incumbent.
• Police Athletic League (PAL): NYC-wide youth development organization offering athletics, arts, and education programs in underserved neighborhoods, including law-enforcement community partnerships. Comparable NYC underserved-youth focus and law-enforcement collaboration (Saturday Night Lights), but with a much broader multi-sport portfolio.

Direct peers

• Up2Us Sports: National nonprofit focused on sports-based youth development, training coaches and placing them in underserved communities. Comparable SBYD mission and train-the-trainer/mentor development model, operating at national rather than single-city scale.
• DREAM (formerly Harlem RBI): NYC-based nonprofit delivering sports-based youth development (baseball/softball, soccer, flag football) plus education to underserved East Harlem youth. Closely comparable mission, sport-as-development model, NYC geography, and college-readiness outcomes orientation.
• Figure Skating in Harlem: NYC nonprofit using figure skating to empower underserved Harlem girls through athletics, leadership, and academic support. Directly comparable single-sport SBYD model, NYC underserved-community focus, and girls/youth population.
• NYC Scores: NYC nonprofit operating school-based soccer, poetry, and service-learning programs for underserved public-school youth. Comparable model of embedding sports in NYC public schools combined with youth development outcomes.

Others

• Harlem Children's Zone: NYC nonprofit providing cradle-to-college services to underserved Harlem children, including after-school and enrichment programming. Listed as a Play Rugby partner/customer and operates an adjacent youth-development model in the same geography.
• KIPP NYC: NYC charter-school network serving predominantly low-income students with extended-day programming including athletics and enrichment. Operates in overlapping NYC underserved communities with comparable college-readiness outcomes orientation.
• Laureus Sport for Good (USA): Global foundation network funding sport-for-development programs, including direct grantmaker to Play Rugby ($25K Sport for Good grants in 2021 and 2022). Acts as a peer funder/ecosystem convener in the same SBYD space rather than a direct operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/play-rugby-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Play Rugby USA