Why Rugby?

Rugby Worldwide

Rugby is the second most popular sport in the world; it is played in 117 countries by 2.5 million registered players. In 2010, rugby was the third fastest growing team sport in the US according to a major study on sports participation conducted by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. A report by the Centre for the International Business of Sport and commissioned by MasterCard Worldwide says that in the US alone, participation in rugby has grown 350% since 2004. For the first time since 1924, Rugby will be played in the Olympics beginning in 2016.

While it is new to many North Americans, rugby has a long tradition of competitive excellence, fair play and sporting spirit that transcends the game itself. Rugby matches have attracted fans to stadiums all over the world since the late 19th century. Like soccer, a two-month-long rugby world cup is held every four years. Today millions around the world embrace the sport of rugby, and the overall socio-economic characteristics of rugby enthusiasts are distinct—they are highly educated and in the highest income bracket. In the international rugby community, the US is seen as a vast untapped market for the sport.

Rugby is the most popular club sport on US college campuses today. With approximately 500 men's teams and 250 women's programs competing in 2011, collegiate rugby is flourishing on campuses across the United States. Over the past five years, collegiate participation within all categories of USA Rugby increased by 29%. In the seven-year span from 2005 through 2011, every sector within USA Rugby experienced substantial growth, with a nearly 50% increase in the number of participants.

A more significant trend for the future of the sport in the US is that the single largest segment (34%) within USA Rugby is players under 18 years old—the result of un-precedented expansion in the high school and youth segments. In the past five years, there has been an 84% increase in the number of high school rugby players in America. There are more than 650 high school rugby programs across the country supporting approximately 28,000 players.

We are delighted to play at Infinity Park. This will give the Churchill Cup and rugby in general a great platform in a wonderful sporting city and help us achieve our objective to grow the sport." Nigel Melville CEO, USA Rugby

Rugby in Glendale

In Glendale, rugby took off in 2007 with the opening of Infinity Park, home to the Glendale Raptors Rugby Football Club and a member of the Western Rugby Football Union. Since its opening, Infinity Park has hosted dozens of national and international rugby matches and USA Rugby National Championship events, including the Churchill Cup, an alliance between the England's Rugby Football Union, Rugby Canada and USA Rugby. This competition was played over ten days and featured games between the US national team, Canada, England, Ireland, Argentina, Russia, France, and Georgia. Today Infinity Park hosts league play and tournaments for men's and women's rugby teams from across the globe. The Glendale Raptors men's team recently won the National Club Championship, which brought 12 teams and over 4,000 spectators from across the country to Infinity Park. As the game of rugby continues to develop, the City will be instrumental in bringing professional rugby to the US.

With rugby as the foundation, the City of Glendale has developed a formula for the success of the City, serving as a bustling international tourist destination that generates significant tax revenue and jobs.

Impact of Sports on Tourism

The sport of rugby plays a major role in the Glendale Riverwalk formula. Glendale's Infinity Park rugby stadium currently attracts thousands of visitors from outside Denver and across the globe. As rugby continues to grow in popularity in the US and abroad, Infinity Park will be a reason why visitors will extend their stays in Colorado.

The 2009 study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association indicates that rugby is the fastest growing team sport in the US, and the report published by Centre for the International Business of Sport (CIBS) in 2010 indicates that global participation in rugby increased 19% since the World Rugby Championship in 2007. The study attributed this unprecedented level of growth to the Rugby Sevens' inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games and the strategy of many of the world's major rugby programs to expose children and teens to the game.

As rugby continues to grow in popularity, Infinity Park will become a destination for rugby fans—and the Riverwalk will be a reason why they will extend their stays in Colorado.

The recently opened High Altitude Training Center (HATC) at Infinity Park will add yet another level of attraction for teams and fans traveling from outside the country to Colorado. The HATC is a premier rugby training facility that was built to attract the international rugby community to Glendale to reap the benefits of training at high altitude. And, as with other professional sports, rugby fans often travel with their teams to watch them train. The combination of world-class training facilities, coupled with the entertainment opportunities of a Riverwalk District and the vacation opportunities available in Colorado make Glendale an obvious choice for teams when selecting their training ground.

Impact of Halls of Fame on Tourism

The Riverwalk development will include the 18,000-square-foot World Rugby Hall of Fame. Sports halls of fame, including the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, OH; the NBA Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA; and the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, have produced record tourist visits and festival income from national and international visitors—even in cities that have little to no direct airport service (Robert Wang, staff riter for CantonRep.com, reporting in an August 2010 article on the economic implications of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the City of Canton).

Further, 200,000 people each year go through the Hall of Fame's turnstiles, and spend an estimated $48 million in the state of Ohio during the 11 days of the annual NFL Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival.

SO, WHY RUGBY?

• Second most popular sport in the world
  
• Played in 117 countiries
  
• Played by 2.5 million people
  
• Fastest growing team sport
  
• 350% growth in participation since 2004
  
• Unprecedented growth in youth segments
  
• Olympic sport in 2016!