Get into your Community: Growing the Game Means Showing Up
We spend a lot of time in rugby talking to other rugby people. Our clubs post in rugby Facebook groups. We follow rugby accounts. Folks attend rugby tournaments. They recruit friends of rugby players. Our community ask former players to come back. Then we wonder why more people don't know about rugby.
Maybe the answer is pretty simple:
We need to get out of the rugby bubble. If we want rugby to grow in KC, we have to take rugby to the places where KC communities already gather..
AND that doesn't just mean sporting events.
It means festivals. school carnivals. farmers markets. charity events. parades. community celebrations. corporate wellness fairs. neighborhood events. church festivals. parks and recreation programs. YMCA or gym events. cultural festivals. 5Ks. scout events. college campuses. Anywhere there are people who haven't experienced rugby yet is an opportunity. It is hard and it is time consuming, but it is the way.
Stop Waiting for People to Find Rugby
Most of us discovered rugby because somebody introduced us to it. Someone invited us to practice. A friend dragged us to a match. A coach put a rugby ball in our hands.
We shouldn't expect the next generation to discover the sport differently. Imagine a rugby club setting up at a community festival with nothing more complicated than a couple of rugby balls, a passing target and a sign:
"Never thrown a rugby ball? Give it a try."
Kids will stop. Parents will stop. Former players will stop. People who have only seen rugby on television will stop. And suddenly you're having conversations you would never have had from another Instagram post.
Be Part of the Community — Not Just a Rugby Club in the Community
There's an important difference. Showing up shouldn't always mean setting up a recruiting table.
Volunteer together at a food pantry. Adopt a park or trail. Help with a community cleanup. Enter a float in a parade. Run a rugby station at a school field day. Offer a free PE class.
Volunteer at a charity 5K. Partner with Special Olympics or another community organization. Help another nonprofit with its event. Wear your rugby shirts while you're doing it.
Someone will eventually ask: "Kansas City has rugby clubs?" Now the conversation starts naturally.
Put Rugby Balls in People's Hands
Rugby has one enormous advantage when we're introducing the sport.
The ball. It looks different. People are curious about it. So use it.
Instead of handing someone a flyer, hand them a rugby ball. We are doing this now through youth programs. Set up a passing challenge. Let kids kick for distance. Have a target competition. Teach someone a lineout lift safely with pads or a demonstration. Show families flag rugby. Let players demonstrate passing.
Make someone's first interaction with rugby something they do, not something they read. Then give them the QR code. Point them in a direction.
Youth sports are ultimately introduced to families. That means rugby organizations should be visible where parents already spend their time. School events. Elementary school carnivals. PTO events. Community centers. Libraries. Farmers markets. Scouts. YMCA programs. Parks and recreation events.
A parent doesn't need to understand every rule of rugby. They need to see kids having fun and meet coaches they trust. That's a much easier conversation.
Local Clubs have a Role
This isn't only a youth rugby strategy. Adult clubs might actually be some of the most powerful ambassadors for the sport. Imagine 15 players from a men's or women's club volunteering together at a Kansas City charity event wearing their club shirts.
That's 15 walking conversations about rugby. The goal isn't: "Come play for our club."
The message should be: "Kansas City has rugby. Let us show you where you fit."
Maybe that's youth rugby. Maybe it's high school rugby. Maybe it's women's rugby. Maybe it's men's rugby. Maybe it's touch rugby. Maybe it's coaching or refereeing. Maybe it's simply becoming a fan.
If the first rugby person someone meets helps them find the right place instead of worrying about which logo gets the player, everybody wins.
10 Things a Rugby Club Could Do This Month
Attend a community festival with a rugby passing station.
Contact five elementary PE teachers and offer a free rugby lesson.
Volunteer as a team at a local charity.
Ask your city's Parks & Recreation department about community events.
Participate in a local parade.
Partner with a YMCA or community center for a free clinic.
Attend a school carnival or PTO event.
Set up a rugby challenge at a 5K or wellness event.
Invite another rugby organization to attend an event with you.
Have every player introduce rugby to one person who has never experienced it.
None of these require a massive budget. They require people.
Growth isn't going to happen because we designed a better flyer. It isn't going to happen because we made another social media post that 90% of our existing followers saw. It happens when someone who has never touched a rugby ball picks one up. It happens when a parent meets a rugby coach. It happens when a kid goes home and says:
"Hey, I tried rugby today." KC doesn't need more people talking about growing rugby. We need DOERS. We need rugby people showing up where Kansas City already is.
Competition belongs on the field. Growth happens off it.
There Are Already Opportunities Waiting
Kansas City doesn't lack places for rugby to show up. Events like the
Overland Park Fall Festival
American Royal
KC Oktoberfest
Waldo Fall Festival
Lenexa Chili Challenge
ANY local race like Run the Block 5K & Walktober
These are easy are examples of gatherings where thousands of people are already coming together. Add farmers markets, school carnivals, neighborhood festivals, charity walks, parades, and community-service projects, and the opportunities are almost endless.
And clubs don't have to figure this out alone.
The Greater Kansas City Metro Rugby Foundation is here to help. If your club, school, or rugby organization wants to participate in a community event, organize a clinic, connect with a school or PE program, find equipment, create promotional materials, or simply brainstorm ways to introduce rugby to a new audience, reach out to us. We want to help remove the barriers that keep good ideas from happening. This isn't about promoting one club or one logo, it's about getting more rugby balls into more hands and growing the game throughout Kansas City.
If you've got an idea, let's figure out how we can help make it happen. We are here to help.
