New High School Fund Recipients: Round 3
Congratulations to the latest Grant Recipients
The US Rugby Foundation and USA Youth & High School Rugby is delighted to announce the successful applicants for its latest grant cycle. This funding will play a crucial role in providing resources and opportunities for young athletes to engage with and excel in the sport of rugby.
Congratulations to the following High Schools:
Maui High School (HI), East Jefferson Warriors High School (LA), Villa Park High School (SoCal), Great Hearts Forest Heights (TX), Sun Valley High School (NC), St. Ignatius College Preparatory (NorCal), & St. Rita of Cascia High School (IL)!
About the YHS/USRF Grant Fund:
The Fund was established in 2022 and to date has provided funding to 20 high school programs across the country over three funding periods. The program is designed to assist new programs with seed funding to establish rugby within their high school. The funds assist with equipment, kit and other funding needs as these new teams get started up. For more info on the program and to learn about future funding rounds please visit: https://www.usayhs.rugby/usrf-high-school-grant-program
USRF/YHS New High School Fund - Success Story
Warren Easton High School
Three Warren Easton Rugby players, Donte Doughty, Johnathan Speed, and Blair Thomas, earned an impressive opportunity in France this past summer. They attended a fully-funded two-week training program with the ASM Clermont Auvergne professional rugby team in Clermont-Ferrand, competing daily with French athletes in their age group.
Immersed in the culture, they stayed with French host families and trained intensively with the coaching staff of this top-tier rugby program. Returning captain Donte Doughty, heading back to Warren Easton for his senior year, shared his excitement, saying, "Everyone and everything was so nice. The host families were great, and we sat down and talked with the coaches in their facility. It was even nicer than the Saints facility, and the stadium was amazing."
His teammate, Johnathan Speed, class of ‘23, who will study and play rugby at Louisiana Tech, reflected on the broader impact, saying, "It expanded my horizons, I have a new world view. There are many places that are way different than the way it is back home. As soon as we touched down in Paris, it was fresh and vibrant. It was peaceful and quiet."
