How American Rugby Teams and the Super League Must Improve Operations This Fall

2005 Interview With USA Dan Lyle

In the 1990s, a man came out of the blue rising to Rugby prominence less than two years after military school and college football two environments of discipline and structure. Presented with options of NFL football compensation or modest US+UK Rugby sustenance, something made this rare athlete decide to invest his time and talents into Rugby. That man is, of course, Dan Lyle. Aside from branding his own American style of the game, Lyle also bridged numerous gaps for Rugby off the pitch, pioneering what is best summed up as triple Rugby duty.

Lyle not only set the example that Americans can play foreign club Rugby and excel, thousands of youth and college players have been adopting Lyles clean-cut vernacular and example of good behavior into their own RFC careers. To cap his trilogy of Rugby duty, Lyle set another stunning example. Lyle joined a cash-strapped USA Rugby National Office following his retirement, deciding to give back to the sport stateside, and indirectly to each of us. In other words, this model US Eagle is also refusing to fade into the sunset after his playing days.

But the message is not about Dan Lyles celebrity. It is about how Rugby earned his time and commitment in the first place. This interview (and lengthy key-point checklist) is about the operational preparations that surfaced on the fringes of DC/CA Rugby fields in the mid 1990s. Something lured Lyle away from football to pioneer Rugby.

For those unclear, the compelling story of Lyles career is a fascinating timeline that offers many lessons worth revisiting as teams. One can Google Dan Lyle + Rugby to find a plethora of Sports Illustrated and international UK articles helpful for recruiting and motivating top Rugby talent for your RFC.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/rugby/world_cup/news/1999/09/14/si_lyle/
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/thenetwork/news/1999/09/28/pageone_danlyle/
Lyles story is critical because he fell in love with Rugby right in the middle of NFL negotiations. Lyles cousin had played for Washington RFC in DC and eagerly introduced Lyle to his team and the game. Lyle obviously exploded. Rugby history was let loose from its cage. But even after being shown the money, Lyle still chose Rugby over the NFL offers. If I had the authority, I would present Lyles cousin with a medal.

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN

Lyle went on to OMBAC, stunning the California Rugby community, and eventually the Jack Clark camp. But it was the structure of Washington and OMBAC management and their LAU opponent clubs that deserve credit. Dan Lyles decision to snub football and commit to Rugby was fostered by some unexplainable, intangible value that deserves more careful consideration. Whether he (or we) could see it or not; the planning, structure, and operations of mid- to high-level Rugby had subconsciously earned Lyles trust. How?

All serious athletes consider silent questions to themselves before joining a voluntary club: Is this game for me? Is the league fair? Will regular matches take place? Are Rugby players respected on campus? Is there a medic? How is Rugby viewed in the context of other sports? Is this coach competent? Are these fields going to have grass? Are these clean-cut athletes committed to fitness? Is this an outfit of winners? As Malcom Gladwell writes, these questions are answered in the Blink of an eye.

In my view, the past, present, and future of Rugby in America comes down to that split second blink when athletically gifted players like Luke Gross, Dave Hodges, Alec Parker, and Dan Lyle are handed the Rugby ball for the first time and decide on Rugby as a vocation.

DAN LYLE INTERVIEW

I had the chance, on the 4th of July no less, to interview Dan Lyle. He shared a flurry of positive directions and ideas that will soon emerge from a strategic 2005-2006 USA Rugby National office.

BARON HANSON: Dan, thank you for your time on a holiday. My primary question for readers is: If you could assemble the 2000+ Rugby clubs in America all at once, addressing us all in the same room, what would you urge every RFC player, officer, coach, assistant, and catalyst to accomplish and sustain in time for fall Rugby 2005?

DAN LYLE: It is important to distinguish that the high school, college, and senior games are each unique in their current form and future potential. The high school and youth game is growing dynamically, but needs to be managed so that growth does not outpace the number of coaches and officials we can bring to bear for them. This part of our game needs more locally paid administrators that provide high value to the players and parents alike. The college game has huge marketing potential, and we are pleased to see many teams aligning themselves with the NCAA conferences, if only for tournaments, to attract a higher level of school and alumni support. College remains the place where most Americans are introduced to Rugby, so our efforts at the image of the game on campuses are vital.

If you are on campus and you see the Rugby team doing great things that is your image of the sport. If the reverse happens, then that is your long-term snapshot. Those non-Rugby playing graduates impressed now will be the decision makers in the future. The senior game is a recreational sport played by dedicated athletes. We must make a distinction between Div I, II, III and Super League. Changes in our eligibility need to happen in order to allow the RSL to be our top division.

What also must be pointed out about the senior game for men and women is the top clubs with extensive travel and financial considerations no longer are the true Super Clubs. Meaning the top Div I clubs used to have 3-5 sides, and this no longer exists.  If we are truly going to have better club structure and harder and faster games we MUST allow for the movement of players up and down between divisions within their own clubs, and if we get it right for the men from any Divisional club to a RSL team without loosing their affiliation for the season to their home club. I know this is controversial, but fundamentally this is what we used to be and what attracts people to the game big, strong, fun, community oriented clubs. There will always be room for the single division clubs and they have their place and role, but the bigger clubs are the way forward.

HANSON: I know USA Rugby is constantly working to produce or elevate programs to support local RFCs, yet with ultra-limited resources. What can RFCs do to bridge the game from high school to college, from college to club, and from club to Super League levels?

LYLE: What most players and elected RFC leaders do not realize is that USA Rugby has a variety of templates available as pre-existing strategic plans, via USARugby.org. Read these documents. They are designed to grow the game and win the commitment of top athletes and future Rugby catalysts in cities and on campuses. Rather than reinventing the wheel each season, RFC leaders can present modern initiatives to various decision makers and campus stakeholders that sustain continuity.

When USA Rugby baseline operational standards are assigned and carried out, they transform the athletic perception of Rugby to players and non-players across the country. Rugby is a fun and exciting game, but it is also serious. It involves contact at varying degrees. Not all players, or rather most players, do not play the game to advance through the ranks, and therefore their emphasis is on sportsmanship and camaraderie to varying degrees. However every team needs financing, coaching, and organization so they can play. Organization is not a vacuum to serious teams but rather a prerequisite for all involved in contact sport.

HANSON: So what you are saying is that improving baseline Rugby operations can benefit both the game AND the RFC by becoming more structured, uniform, and standardized, instead of random, ad hoc, last minute, and unorganized?

LYLE: Exactly. Obviously each Rugby club has a different administration, history, and athletic culture, including a certain player commitment and coach involvement level. But, for example, the campus club sport office is always taking notes. While unique club traditions are largely what Rugby is all about, the recreation of Rugby is dependent upon a serious operational structure and format that must be planned well in advance and kept uniform week in and week out like other sports that attract top athletes. However, the words that come out of every club sports directors mouth are: we need Rugby to have a dedicated coach here.

HANSON: So in college contexts, what is missing and will lead to greater AD cooperation is not only the uniformity of baseline operations standards, but the credibility and structure that Rugby coaches provide in the eyes of campus club sports and athletic directors?

LYLE: You got it. Accountability is everything, and both operations AND coaching requires an expansion of roles by everyone on the team. But Baron, I want to get back to answering your primary question: What I would say or ask if I had the opportunity to address everyone involved in USA Rugby from coast to coast in one room:

LYLES NINE KEY POINTS

LYLE: 1. There is a must for medical coverage to now be present at every training session and match level. Not just stocked medical kits for A-games but actual personnel with transportation ready should there be an injury during any matches or practice sessions. This takes additional operational thinking and organizational labor that RFC leadership or coaches must delegate out.

LYLE:  2. There is a must for coaches who can safely teach and effectively assess every aspect of the technical Rugby game. Players-as-coaches are no longer operationally acceptable. Coaches allow players to experience the peer leadership and technical supervision that we all see on sidelines of professionally managed team sports. Coaches have the capacity to think about the game and its management 100% of the time, whereas player-coaches cannot. Coaches must also submit a written syllabus or plan that outlines their Rugby standards and systems, so players can focus on and commit technical direction to memory uniformly.

LYLE:  3. There is a must for coaches and RFCs to establish good working relationships with various school sports departments. Working on Rugby becoming The Best Club Sport on Campus takes connections with the right people who have actual authority to assign resources, communicate regulations, and provide cooperation. This alignment of rules and resources also helps secure trainers, EMTs field facilities, training rooms, and other need Rugby may have. But getting into and staying within the loop is not a one-time phone call. Establishing good working relationships with various sports departments and is an ongoing responsibility that requires delegation.

LYLE:  4. There is a must to form more diverse working relationships with the alumni department. However, all sports and clubs are competing for alumni support, connections, and donations. Maintaining and developing a network of support to help with short- and long-term planning, funding, and facility access requires substantial outreach. Like the sports department responsibility (#3), this job entails maintaining face-to-face contact with past players, coaches, parents, friends, and administrators beyond campus. This takes additional operational thinking and organizational labor beyond RFC leadership and delegation alone.

LYLE:  5. There is a must to bridge good working relationships between RFC coaches and other coaches of other sports on campus. These bridges will actually aid in recruiting players off-season while continuing your coachs learning process. All coaches experience ups/downs, and ins/outs from other sports dealings. The goal of operations is to decrease inefficient repetition. In other words, rather than RFC coaches going it alone, they can strategically gain lessons and insights from what other coaches have learned amidst the unique culture of that campus or athletic department, including any excess resources that may exist.

LYLE:  6. There is a must for an outreach plan that would include campus media, RFC website management, community attendance, and club giving. This takes loyal campus volunteers. Well-publicized, well-attended matches are essential. When you analyze other sports, there are 100s of employees and many 1000s of fans per individual player driving the organizations operations and economic footprint. Since Rugby cannot afford this just yet, players and club leadership must recruit assistants to outreach in new, exponential ways. One ideal is to recruit one (1) non-playing assistant for every six (6) Rugby players. A team of thirty players would ideally have five outreach assistants. You get the idea.

LYLE:  7. There is a must for another good working relationship strategy, and that is developing a rapport with workers at your university. These can include, but are not limited to, grounds crews, administration, alumni communication assistants, media department staff, radio station DJs, campus security, etc. These people are on staff and may have extra time and resources available. The key to these relationships is NOT making extra work for them (e.g. clean up after matches and training keeps Rugby in the good graces of grounds crews). This is where positive campus behavior and reputation chips can be cashed in with campus club sports and athletic directors.

LYLE:  8. There is another must in regard to coaching that I forgot to mention and perhaps most important. What we have found [at USA Rugby] is that campus RFC programs with a coach tend to have the basis for many of the things mentioned above in place, simply because a coach adds levels of credibility, management, and overall accountability. However, when the coach leaves the RFC program, giant setbacks take place. The sport on campus suffers hard and fast, and the player-coach model creeps back in place. So each coach needs to be grooming the next coach (or coaches) if he or she has to step away. In short a sound succession plan. Coaching succession is critical for both operations and baseline standards maintenance. RFCs who maintain best behavior records usually retain the best coaches, and for longer stretches of time.

LYLE:  9. Speaking of behavior, all players must understand and agree to obey, as well as promote, rules and laws of the game, the RFC and the school. The US culture of rules is handed down by USA Rugby to Territorial Unions, and then to Local Area Unions and finally the disposition and demeanor of the RFC boss/coach. Debate openly in the right forum for positive change, but do not advance any negativity that would be carried on by players and successors.

As well, Kristin Richeimer, the USA Rugby College Coordinator, along with Pete Steinberg, are both leading a new push for the college game in time for fall 2005. They are working to outfit the USARugby.org site with downloadable PDFs and other document resources that will light new fires for college Rugby in the USA this year. Their e-mails are and (>.

HANSON: Dan, this gives me plenty to report. Thank you for your time, and for your third tour of Rugby duty.
LYLE: Youre welcome. Thank you.

Dan Lyle forwarded me a USA Rugby attachment that uses plain language to layout where all teams should be headed operationally at this time. This simple checklist is a must for all RFCs in 2005-2006, to implement and delegate. Lyle also commented how few RFCs actually accomplish these basic operational imperatives. Many coaches claim to have never seen the document below. Once all players and coaches review these simple steps, they will see how basic they are in providing a better environment, reputation, and athletic trust of Rugby.
 
USA Rugby Baseline Standards for ALL Representative Rugby Football Organizations

Management Roles and Responsibilities
Each member of the teams staff should have a job description, which is specific to the team tasks each staff member is responsible for. Staff titles such as coach or manager are not a sufficient cure. A listing of individual specific areas of responsibility or assigned tasks is recommended.

Player Welfare (Medical)
Teams should create individual medical files on each participating player. Files should include medical history, allergies, emergency contact information and appropriate medical insurance information. This medical file information should be compiled by way of a physical evaluation and/or interview. Teams should have a certified medical professional as a member of the assembled staff.

Pre-Assembly Communication
A detailed itinerary must be distributed to all team members prior to assembly. This document should include; dates, times and locations of all planned Rugby activities. Furthermore, each team member should receive prior to assembly a written technical plan, which outlines the teams technical systems and objectives.

In-Competition Technical Support
Teams should secure a proper video capture of each participating contest. This product must be immediately available to the team at the conclusion of the contest. From these video images, the team should create accurate notational analysis (statistics) for presentation to the team. Technical presentations require a proper facility (meeting room), audio-visual equipment, group presentation boards and written materials.

Performance Enhancements
Teams should employ a thoughtful approach to nutrition, fuel, and hydration. Additionally, teams should adopt an effective plan concerning match build-up and post match re-generation.

Outfitting
Teams should be identically outfitted with appropriate numbering.

In many ways, this article is an acid test for your club to take, to assess whether or not that split second quality exists at your RFC come fall-fifteens. If Dan Lyle showed up at your training, your match, or your post-game supper, what would your RFC operations look like? How would you explain the current state of affairs to him?

This is the first in a series of interview write-ups and checklists to be absorbed, printed, and distributed to all players and administrators on your RFC list serves at the high school, college, and senior levels. Similar interviews with Doug Arnot, Dave Hodges, Tom Billups, and other top USA Rugby leaders are planned, to transfer their value, experience, advice, and direction to your club. The goal is greater USA Rugby uniformity and externality across the country.

Written and submitted by , in conjunction with USA Rugby literature and documentation.