Tri-State Rugby Conference
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Saturday January 27th, 2018
Minutes/Summation of discussions
MEN
Attendance
Team Representatives signed in (changes were input directly to the web site by Joe Simon)
Conference 7s Championship (Date & Venue) 2018
TS Winner can possibly get automatic qualification (AQ) to the USA Rugby National 7s Championship (potentially in Denver) on the weekend of May 18-20, 2018. Some, but minimal, financial support from conference will be available.
TS 7s Tournament – Tony Brown – suggestion Sunday April 29, 2018
Host: Vassar – two fields available.
After discussion April 29 confirmed date & the venue will be Vassar with 2 fields for use.
Teams should plan on a 10:00 am start
Possibility to bring two teams, goal to get every team represented; One day tournament.
Possible Organization: NSCRO 7s and Div II 7s separate tournaments
TS Teams must decide in which championship they will compete. E-mail will be sent.
Spring Schedules
Members present had the opportunity to set-up games with other members present at the meeting. Match Secretaries were encouraged to contact school administrators to solidify schedule; In addition each team match secretary was asked to contact their respective referee assignment official with a polite e-mail. (RRSNY & NYSRRS)
Cost of referees per game is $90 for a 15s game – If a team is doing a 7s tournament or a mini-7s event then they need to make sure the referees are aware of the event and be prepared to pay accordingly.
Please submit Schedules by Feb 15, 2018 at the latest.
Fall 2017 Summary
The hoped for B-side competition did not materialize as most teams did not have a full B-side. Reporting was inconsistent.
The TS Conference wish to convey thanks to the Referee Societies (RRSNY & NYSRRS) for their hard work and help covering the games.
Teams were reminded that they must go through the referee society to book officials
Congratulations were made to the Tri-State Rugby Conference Champion for Fall 2017:
Men – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Administration
If anyone would like to help with administration please contact Tony Brown.
Website Help – More dynamic and current – Linked to sports press
Fall 2018 Conference Structure & Schedule
Divisional structure was discussed. The Tri-State Conference (TS) has a Division II & NSCRO make-up with a North and South Division being Division II teams & a Central Division which is a NSCRO division.
Some conferences around the country are hybrid leagues combining Div II and NSCRO but TS has the numbers to separate these teams.
However, teams have the choice to play NSCRO or Div II.
After considerable discussion and some team requests there was agreement that a similar format to that employed by the TS Women for 2017 would be adopted for Fall 2018.
Division II teams would comprise the North and South Divisions and the Central would be for NSCRO teams.
A three tier approach would mean that the top 5 teams based on recent results would form the NORTH DIVISION, then the next 5 teams would form the SOUTH DIVISION. The Central Division would comprise the NSCRO national playoff pathway teams. One issue that remains is that with Union College opting to move to the Central Division that means there are 9 teams in this division – so a regular season number of games might be impacted.
Division II
NORTH – RPI, Marist, Seton Hall, WPU and USMMA.
SOUTH – Hofstra, Molloy, TCNJ, Montclair State and NJIT.
CENTRAL – Bard, Drew, Hartwick, Monroe, Maritime, New Paltz, Oneonta, Union and Vassar.
The issue of consequences for forfeits was discussed and even if a team is unable to field a full side they should still honor the game and players can be loaned to allow a game to take place.
Referees/Officials
Teams were reminded to Respect our Refs 🙂
Uniforms and conduct on and off the field
Teams were asked to have Matching uniforms – shorts and socks have been the issue rather than jerseys. If teams have serious funding issues they can negotiate with the conference for assistance.
Budget Review – A healthy, happy budget!
Accounting for the TS is done by a local Poughkeepsie firm.
if you have any questions please feel free to contact Tony Brown (845) 380-9052 or e-mail tobrown@vassar.edu The firm is called D’Arcangelo & Co., LLP, 510 Haight Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 and the point of contact is Ian Angelone – Staff Accountant.
The Conference has $28,000 in the bank although we still will have to pay fees to the accounting firm (approximately $650) as well as NSCRO fees for those teams that opt for NSCRO status for the 7s this spring and get trophies engraved we are still well in the black.
Teams that need assistance for Coaching qualifications (every team needs level 2 coach)
Can request help from the Conference. The money we have is meant to be spent on development of collegiate rugby and this is certainly money well spent.
The Conference is a registered tax exempt non-profit organization. Taxes are filed by D’Arcangelo & Co., LLP
Medical requirements mandatory at games
Teams were reminded to contact their school administration since it the School that carries the responsibility to have an Emergency Medical Plan (EMP) in place.
Please make sure you have this process in place.
Teams must have an certified Athletic Trainer or EMT, or Paramedic or Physician at every game.
Hosting a Tri-State Championship 15s Championship in Fall 2018
Union College has agreed to host the Fall 2018 Championships for Div. II 15s and NSCRO 15s.
Certified coaches for each program
A team must have at least one level two certified coach.
Atvavus owes TS webinars that were scheduled to follow our coaching clinic, however, we will discuss substituting them coming to do another clinic.
All Conference Team
The Fall All-Conference team nominations have been requested. If you have not done so, please send in your nominees.
Sponsorship & Trophies
Teams were asked to please direct any potential sponsors to the Conference Commissioner.
Conference Trophies are passed on from year to year, from team to team.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:12 pm on 2/27/18.