MID-AMERICA GU 2026 AGM

President- Dean Eslinger

Vice President- Andy Wenger

Secretary- Nichole Reiske

Treasurer- KJ Abel Ruch

Women’s Club Director- Amanda Peterman

Men’s Club Director- Richie Diaz

At- Large Director - Jody Lawrence

MARRS Chair - Joe Rothermich

Women’s College Director- Katie Scott

Men’s College Director - Doug McCauley

GU Admin - Bailey Parde

GU Social Media & Marketing Admin - Will Meneses

Senior Club Council Representative- KJ Abel Ruch

DE&I - Robert Fischer

2025- 26 Mid-America Officers & Directors

2026 AGM Agenda

10:00-10:10 am Welcome and Introduction

10:10-10:25 am Membership Vote / Introduction of new teams (Nichole Reiske)

10:25 -10:35 am Synopsis: 2025-2026 Season (Dean Eslinger)

10:35-10:50 am Frame Sports AI/ My Rugby Club (William Meneses)

10:50 - 11:05 am Admin 101(KJ Abel Ruch)

11:05 – 11:15 am Social and qualifying 7’s (LaChelle Coats)

11:15 – 11:30 am DE & I update (Robert Fischer)

11:30 – 11:50 am Treasurers Report - 2025-2026 and Budget 2026 -2027

(KJ Abel Ruch)

11:50 - 12:15 pm Divisions Break out rooms ( MD2, WD2, MD3, Social, College Men

and College Women)

12:15-12:45 pm Lunch (Divisions can get back together during this time)

12:45- 1:00 pm Clubs / League Meetings - may break off after again to discuss season, schedule, etc.

1:00 pm Report of Division Directors and Division structures to Nichole

1:00- 1:15 pm Referee requirements

1:15- 1:30 pm Final Discussion, Questions & Answers

1:30 - 2:15 pm Elections of GU Officers for 2026-2027 (Nichole Reiske)

2:15 pm Conclusion / Wrap up

New club applications

​

• Alliance Rugby Academy / Alliance Wolves
• Oklahoma City Mountain Boomers (WD3)
• Junction City Jaguars (MD4)

President’s Address�

​

• Welcome

​

• 2025- 2026 recap

​

• Teams that represented Mid- America at Super Regionals: D2 women- St Louis Sabres, D2 Men – KCRFC, and D3 Men – St Louis Hornets.

​

• KCRFC went on to compete in the MD2 National Finals and unfortunately lost in the Semi-finals. A great run by a great team! Congrats

​

• 2027 Super Regionals Rockies will host (May1- 2 2027). 2028 Mid America will host (Apr 29- 30 2028). Start request to host in 2027.

​

• Key dates for 2026- 2027 (dates are subject to change without notice)

6/27/2026 L1 coaching clinic @ Springfield, MO

7/1/2026 Player Eligibility registration for NCS 7’s

Aug 2026 Rugby Xplorer to reset (Get team CIPP ASAP)

8/29- 8/30 Dallas Discipline Course

TBD Kansas City Discipline Course

4/1/2027 Player Eligibility registration for NCS 15’s

4/18/2027 GU playoffs must be completed

4/30 - 5/2 Super Regionals (Rockies Mountains Union)

5/21- 5/23 Senior Club Rugby National Championship window

6/13/2027 MARFU AGM (pending approval)

​

USA Rugby Senior Club Council

Senior Club Rugby Leadership

Chair- Al Lucas - chair@usaclub.rugby

Vice Chair- David Chapman - ViceChair@usaclub.rugby

Treasurer- Tim Cowley - treasurer@usaclub.rugby

Secretary - Michael Norton - secretary@usaclub.rugby

15s Competition Chair - David McPhail - 15s@usaclub.rugby

7s Competition Chair- Dave Fee - 7s@usaclub.rugby

DE&I Chair - Robert Sharp - DEI@usaclub.rugby

Disciplinary Chair - Megan Braun - Discipline@usaclub.rugby

Eligibility Chair - Tam Breckenridge - Eligibility@usaclub.rugby

Governance Chair - KJ Abel Ruch - governance@usaclub.rugby

USAR Director- Rick Humm - rhumm@usa.rugby

USAR Nominations Committee - Vacant

USAR Audit & Risk – Tim Cowley - treasurer@usaclub.rugby

General Counsel- David Dodge - counsel@usaclub.rugby

USAR R&L Rep - David Chapman - reflaws@usaclub.rugby

SCC Administrator - Nicole Errotabere - admin@usaclub.rugby

USAR Liaison - Elaine Vassie - evassie@usa.rugby

Competitions Admin - Tim Lee- competitions@usaclub.rugby

​

• Current Mid-America GU Representative to Council - KJ Abel Ruch
• SCC is always looking for committee members

Marketing and Social Media

• William Meneses ( GU marketing and Social Media Admin )

​

• Senior Club Rugby website
• https://usaclub.rugby/

​

• College Rugby Association of America ( CRAA )
• https://craa.rugby/

​

• National Collegiate Rugby ( NCR )
• https://www.ncr.rugby/

​

• USA Rugby ( USAR )
• https://usa.rugby/play-rugby-today

​

• https://youtu.be/AIyhokoKJ54

​

• Discussion ? Questions ?

​

​

​

Admin 101

• Get players, coaches, admins, refs registered in RX before 1^st match.
• Set profile to public to be eligible for NCS. If not, submit a request to eligibility@usaclub.rugby
• Make sure that each club has club & team admin selected.
• Team admins will need access to rugby match day mobile ap. Select squad, player movements, ..etc.
• Confirm players, movements, and final scores by the following Monday night.

​

• LaChelle Coats

​

Summer 2026 7’s Tournaments

​

What 7’s Tournaments are going on?

​

​

​

​

​

MARFU & Frontier 7’s

​

​

​

DE & I- Robert Fischer

​

Three Division for Competition

• Men’s Division Competition

USA Rugby permits any athlete registered as male to participate in Men’s Division.

​

• Open Division Competition

USA Rugby permits any athlete, regardless of the sex assigned at birth to participate in Open Division Competition, full contact or otherwise.

​

• Women’s Division Competition

To comply with USOPC’s NGB Athlete Safety Policy, the Women’s Division is limited to individuals who are assigned female at birth.

�

This Policy applies to all USA Rugby sanctioned Events and Competitions

​

​

​

DE & I- Robert Fischer

​

Important Points to Note

• The Policy is effective as of Feb 20, 2026. However, RugbyXplorer (as far as I know) hasn’t been updated yet with the new division.

​

• Challenge to Gender Status: Only USA Rugby shall have the right to contest the individual’s Women’s Division status or challenge the presumption of an athlete registered as “Female.”

​

• Any player, coach, staff, etc. that sees any other member demanding an individual, team, coach, etc. prove the players on their team are the gender they know themselves to be should report that to the president and DEI Chair.

​

​

​

DE & I- Robert Fischer

​

Mid-America Rugby Union's Statement on USA Rugby's Eligibility Policy

• The values and community of rugby teach one clear lesson: if you can play, you can play. Rugby is one of the most inclusive sports in the world welcoming players of all abilities, body shapes, skill levels, and backgrounds. The differences and diversity of each player strengthen the whole team and those teams create a powerful union. While many questions remain about how USA Rugby plans to implement this new division and as we await further clarification from the national body, we want all teams and all players in the Mid-America Union to know that we do not support excluding anyone from playing rugby. "Separate but equal" is not the correct stance and only harms transgender players in our rugby family.

​

• As a reminder to all members, USA Rugby is the only body authorized to determine player eligibility. This means the Union will not conduct any on-field challenges or contests regarding a player's gender or division eligibility in league competitions. To our transgender siblings, we will work to support and protect you as valued members of our family. Rugby is for everyone and it always will be.

Proposed Budget and approval

2026-2027 - Treasurer - KJ Abel Ruch

Dues

​

• Team Dues - $ 275.00 per club. It has remained the same and will remain the same for 2026-2027

​

• Club Player Dues - $40.00 per player . It has remained the same and will remain the same for 2026-2027

​

• College Player Dues - $ 20.00 per player. It has remained the same and will remain the same for 2026-2027

​

​

————————————————————————————————

• USA Rugby registration ( CIPP )- $35.00 per player
• USA Rugby Club Dues - $50.00 per club
• USAR Senior Club Council ( SCC )- $35.00 per player

​

​

Break out for Divisions

​

• This is an opportunity to meet and discuss the 2026- 2027 season.

​

• Main focus before you get into any other discussions is whom will be the Division Directors!! We need this info turned back into Nichole

​

• Amanda and Richie will be coming into to chat with each division.

Lunch

• Buffet Lunch and time for groups to get back together

• Joe Rothermich, Chairman MARRS
• Barry Tantaris , Vice Chairman
• Jeff Noe, Treasurer
• Switching to new platform in 2026

3. Club Requirements

a. REFEREES: Every club, regardless of gender or division, is required to have one (1) certified referee who must also be a member of the Mid-America Referee Society.

College teams are required to have a certified referee on their team roster. This ref is not required to be available to ref regularly, but can make themselves available and is there in case of unforeseen circumstances with the teams assigned ref.

All Senior Club teams are required to have a certified referee on their team roster. Referees of senior clubs �1. Clubs with more than 20 rostered members referees must be

available to ref at least two weekends a month to be considered active and full-time. (If they are not scheduled to referee but have provided their availability, it is seen as being compliant.)

2. Clubs with fewer than 20 rostered members referees are not required to be available to ref regularly but can make themselves available and are there in case of unforeseen circumstances with the teams assigned referee.

iii. A member club which is unable to provide a certified referee to the Society may still be able to schedule and participate in matches but must work with the Committee in order to fulfill this requirement in a timely manner or be subject to the following:

Will not receive referee assignments.

Will be ineligible to advance to championship play, and will �forfeit all league matches, until the referee is provided.

​

Refup is being replaced with new Software is called "Match Facts". (https://www.matchfacts.app/)

​

MARRS is on track to have clubs, referees, and team contacts loaded into Matchfacts by the end of June. Once those who need access are set up, teams can begin entering their schedules.

What’s new and why it matters:

• Costs: The new software is about 60% less than what we currently pay.
• Field maps: Teams can upload field images and designate “team side” and “spectator side” on overhead maps to streamline match‑day setup and wayfinding.

Action needed:

• Club admin registration (required): To view and manage “friendly” matches in the new referee platform, at least one club Admin must register on the platform. This enables your club to confirm venues, referees, match times, and more.
• Access check: Please confirm your club’s primary and secondary contacts so we grant the right permissions.
• Schedule loading: Once access is confirmed, begin entering schedules and upload field images with clear labels for team and spectator sides.

Reminders:

• Referee confirmation: Clubs must confirm their assigned referee no later than three days before the match (e.g., by Wednesday for a Saturday match).

​

The biggest issues noticed on a consistent basis in 2025- 2026:

1. Coaches/players walking up & down the entire field and not staying in the technical zone.

2. Coaches coming onto the field after a try is scored to talk to their team or talk to the referee.

3. In some cases, teams setting up their benches on opposite sides of the field.

Elections

• Positions open for 2026-2027 - President and Secretary - Board Officer positions
• Nominations ( Nichole )
• Voting format and guidelines ( Nichole )
• Proxy Votes - who has a proxy and who is their proxy?
• Any floor opposition?
• Any floor nominations?

Current GU Officers / Directors 2025-2026

​

�

* Positions in Red are up for elections at 2026 AGM

President- Dean Eslinger (position open for election 2026)

Vice President- Andy Wenger (until 2027)

Secretary- Nichole Reiske (until 2026)

Treasurer- KJ Abel Ruch (until 2027)

Diversity Equity & Inclusion - Robert Fischer (until 2027)

Women’s Club Director/ Co- competitions committee - Amanda Peterman

Men’s Club Director/ Co- competitions committee - Rich Diaz

At- Large - Jody Lawrence

College Men - Doug McCauley

College Women - Katie Scott

Referee Society President - Joe Rothermich

GU Admin – Bailey Parde (position is a hired and paid position, renew / rehire every year Aug)

GU Marketing & social media – William Meneses (position is a hired and paid position, renew / rehire every Aug)

​

Senior Club Council 2025-2026

SCC Representative - KJ Abel Ruch (position open for election 2027)

SCC Governance Chair - KJ Abel Ruch (approved and appointed through SCC )

SCC is always looking for committee members. If you are interested in getting involved, please

see KJ

Introduction of new Officers -

​

• President
• Secretary
• Men's Director -
• Women’s Director -
• Men's D2-
• Men's D3-
• Women's D2-
• Women's D3-
• At-Large-
• College Men -
• College Women - �

Discussion

• Discussion ? Questions? Items not covered?

AGM Conclusion

AGM 2027 is proposed to be June 13th 2027. This is pending the President Elect and Board approval.