USA Rugby - Territorial Unions

Territorial Unions

USA Rugby organizes registered rugby teams into seven Territorial Unions. Each of these TU's are split in turn into Local Area Unions, and there are a total of 37 LAU's. As of 2010/2011, there were also 27 State Based Rugby Organizations.

The current Territorial Unions are:

• Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union
• Midwest Rugby Football Union
• Northeast Rugby Union
• Pacific Coast Rugby Football Union
• Southern California Rugby Football Union
• USA Rugby South
• Western Rugby Football Union

There has been some discussion about splitting the Northeast Rugby Union (NRU) into two separate territorial unions, with the local area union, NERFU, becoming a new territorial union known as USA Rugby New England. Under this plan, the surviving LAUs within NRU (MetNY and NYSRU) would form a separate territorial union, as USA Rugby New York.

This makes a great deal of sense for LAU NERFU, as it boasts a greater membership than most territorial unions, especially in terms of college and women's rugby. This adjustment might also help to address a perceived antipathy toward New England rugby. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether NERFU possesses the managerial strength necessary to thrive as a territorial union.