USA Rugby’s big build to World Rugby 2031: Bill Goren CEO of USA Rugby

About this episode

Bill Goren discusses the challenges and opportunities for growing rugby in the United States leading up to major upcoming events.

USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren joins David Pembroke for a straight, practical look at what it will really take to grow rugby in the United States before LA 2028, then the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 and women’s in 2033. From the grassroots reality of a niche, club-led sport across a huge country, to the push for high school varsity status, NCAA progress on the women’s side, and the challenge of making rugby easy to find in a crowded US sports market, Goren lays out the opportunities and the hard bits. There’s also the big-ticket showcase: All Blacks v Springboks in Baltimore, plus what USA Rugby must do to turn one-off events into lasting fans, participation, and community support. And with the Eagles qualified for 2027, the focus turns to getting more time together, improving faster, and building a genuine pathway from kids to Test rugby. Also in this episode: ● Bill Goren’s background across US pro sports ● Why rugby is still niche in the United States ● Imagine Rugby reaches about 500,000 kids in three years ● High school and NCAA status: the next big targets ● All Blacks v Springboks Baltimore: fan experience and strategy ● USA Eagles plans after qualifying for 2027 PLUS: How USA…

People in this episode

Host: David Pembroke

Guest: Bill Goren

Topics covered

• growth of rugby in the US
• USA Rugby initiatives
• high school rugby
• NCAA women's rugby
• fan engagement
• youth participation
• rugby events

Keywords

• USA Rugby
• Bill Goren
• rugby growth
• youth rugby
• NCAA
• All Blacks
• Springboks
• rugby events
• fan experience
• Eagles 2027

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: USA Rugby, NCAA, All Blacks, Springboks

Places: United States

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