Episode
USA Rugby’s big build to World Rugby 2031: Bill Goren CEO of USA Rugby
- Podcast
- Rugby Unity
- Published
- Apr 3, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3252
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Summary
USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren joins David Pembroke for a straight, practical look at what it will really take to grow rugby in the United States before LA 2028, then the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 and women’s in 2033. From the grassroots reality of a niche, club-led sport across a huge country, to the push for high school varsity status, NCAA progress on the women’s side, and the challenge of making rugby easy to find in a crowded US sports market, Goren lays out the opportunities and the hard bits. There’s also the big-ticket showcase: All Blacks v Springboks in Baltimore, plus what USA Rugby must do to turn one-off events into lasting fans, participation, and community support. And with the Eagles qualified for 2027, the focus turns to getting more time together, improving faster, and building a genuine pathway from kids to Test rugby. Also in this episode: ● Bill Goren’s background across US pro sports ● Why rugby is still niche in the United States ● Imagine Rugby reaches about 500,000 kids in three years ● High school and NCAA status: the next big targets ● All Blacks v Springboks Baltimore: fan experience and strategy ● USA Eagles plans after qualifying for 2027 PLUS: How USA Rugby plans to align grassroots, high performance, and values like inclusion. SIGN UP TO THE BIG 3 HERE: https://tinyurl.com/big3rugbyunity 👈👈 Ask Eddie Jones and Ewen McKenzie anything! Fill out the form below 👇 https://tinyurl.com/rugbyunityquestions 👈👈 👉 Want more from Rugby Unity? Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive content, blogs, behind-the-scenes insights, and full podcast access — all in one place: Rugby Unity | Substack 📧 Get in touch: [email protected] Thanks to Eleven labs for providing a grant to Rugby Unity so that we can use their world leading software. TikTok &n…