James G. Robertson & Clive Sullivan Rugby Foundation

I currently have limited goals for my foundation due to limited funding. This year, our initial year as an organization, our objective is to found a men's and women's rugby team at Howard University. I've modestly scaled our growth to establishing 2 teams at Morgan State University in our second year and 2 teams each at Bowie State University and the University of the District of Columbia in our third year. With the Elevate Prize, I would be able to create an endowment that supports every team that we establish. 

The current gap in collegiate rugby at Historically Black Colleges and University's is not due to a lack of interest or participants; it's due to a lack of funding. University Athletic Directors and administration are quick to reply that "there's no money" to establish new teams on campus. But the precedent for starting teams is evident when funding exists. In 2019, the NBA basketball player Stephen Curry donated a 6 year endowment to Howard University to establish a golf team and the university was more than willing to oblige. My goal is to do the same at every HBCU willing to participate.

I graduated from Howard University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), in 2005. While I was a student, I joined a local women's rugby club and commuted to Maryland twice a week for practice because Howard didn't have a team. The collegiate rugby landscape has change a lot since then. Today, there are nine university teams within a 45 minute drive of Howard. But what's glaringly obvious to any rugby player of color is the lack of progress on the HBCU rugby scene. In 50 years of collegiate rugby history in the US, only 3 HBCUs have successfully fielded teams; 2 of which are still active today. My goal is to create competitive, sustainable men's varsity teams and women's NCAA teams at HBCUs around the country. 

In the short time since the founding of RSRF, I've garnered overwhelming support from national collegiate governing associations, local existing clubs and the D.C. major league rugby team. In the next three years I will established 8 new teams in the D.C. area and will then expand to North Carolina and Texas/Louisiana. I am driving all of this from my home in Sri Lanka with help from my BoD and trusted local partners.

RSRF’s mission is to provide HBCUs with the resources they need to develop, grow and flourish in the game of rugby. Our 3 year HBCU Rugby Initiative will found a men’s and women’s team at four schools in the D.C. area.

The Foundation was conceived to fill the gap that exists in the collegiate rugby landscape. RSRF will bypass the hurdles that students face when trying to start a team. Our HBCU Rugby Initiative supports student leaders with the financial backing and administrative support they need to effectively advocate for the inclusion of rugby.

The addition of rugby teams at HBCUs would combat three major inequities: the lack of diversity in collegiate demographics, providing additional sporting opportunities for women and offering diversity in athletic programs. Reviewing demographics in women’s collegiate rugby shows, of 8,535 survey respondents, 68.2% identified as White, 10.9% as Hispanic and 6.8% as Black. This lack of diversity is mirrored in gender participation. At Howard University, where 70% of the undergraduate population is female, only 5% participate in sports, compared to 13% of men. And finally, of the 101 HBCUs in the US, only two schools have active teams. The HBCU Rugby Initiative will reduce these imbalances.

For decades senior rugby players, coaches and administrators have lamented the lack of rugby at HBCUs. But they've done nothing to solve the problem. They leave the onus to a few dedicated college students, who struggle to juggle their studies and advocate for inclusion with administrators.

In 2012, a dedicated group of men at Morehouse University founded a rugby team. Nearly ten years later, school administration still refuses to recognize them as an official intramural team. It is unclear how long the Morehouse team will be able to exist on the fringes of the school but it is clear that their team has failed to flourish because of the lack of support. 

Our Foundation is unique because we exist to give all HBCU rugby players the foundational resources they need to develop and sustain their teams. RSRF is here to disrupt the institutional thinking that black people don't play rugby. This mindset becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when a team, much like the one at Morehouse, repeatedly asks for support and inclusion and is summarily dismissed. Creating a foundation to establish, support and provide resources for a new rugby team, let alone at a HBCU, is a novel and innovative idea.

RSRF has the potential to impact thousands of men and women from Pennsylvania to Texas to Florida. Rugby welcomes players of all skill levels, shapes and sizes and is an incredibly inclusive sport. Founded on core values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect, rugby is typically the most diverse and all-embracing team on a college campus. With RSRF's support, HBCUs can give sporting opportunities to students that previously had none and to existing players that want to continue playing. 

RSRF is currently in the process of supporting two team captains at Howard University advocate for the inclusion of rugby with school administration. Via our major league rugby team partner, the teams have equipment to play and two sets of game jerseys. Upon receiving administrative approval, we will provide the teams with their registration costs and help them get included on the upcoming competitive schedule. Corporate sponsorship and grants will provide RSRF with the funding that it needs to elevate the women's team from an intramural club to an NCAA team.