Create Differentiation: Rugby for Recruiting Student-Athletes

Abstract

Universities in the U.S. are competing aggressively for every student, especially students paying most, if not all, their tuition, minimizing discounts or scholarships, and increasing the student R.O.I. Traditionally, institutions have used athletics to recruit students. However, recruiting in this manner is lost in the noise today. Institutions need to differentiate themselves while protecting their profitability and creating separation between them and their competition. Rugby is the fastest-growing full-contact sport for men and women in the U.S. and it is also the only full-contact sport for women. A well-developed and executed rugby program can be that differentiation. This paper suggests a model that implements this differentiation.