ONLINE REGISTRATION

Club and Member Registration
All membership registration is done using the USA Rugby online registration system at the USA Rugby website (membership.usarugby.org/ ). Online registration offers real-time registration processing. Each individual club is required to submit a "Club Registration" ($150). Individual club members must be registered under their respective club and at a level corresponding to the club's competitive level (i.e., senior, college, high school, or youth non-contact). Newly registered members should show on your team's roster the immediately after completing the successful transaction. The West REQUIRES that all players must be on the USA Rugby roster at the time of the match, and that failure to be on the match roster at game time is grounds for forfeiture of the match.

Club Administration
Club Administrators have password-protected access to their club's information and are permitted to enter member registrations. Alternatively, individuals can also enter their own information and affiliate with the club of their choice. Note, the membership system no longer accepts "At-Large" affiliations for members of clubs - All clubs and their members must register with their appropriate local area union (LAU) and the West.

Payment
All is made by credit card, and once payment is approved, the membership registration will be activated. Note, if there is a problem with the transactions (e.g., does not go through, or it is denied) the membership registration will NOT be activated and the player is not eligible to compete.

Invoice
If you request that an invoice be sent to you, please note that the memberships for which the invoice applies will be placed in a "holding tank" and will not be activated until payment is received. In other words, your club and/or players are not eligible to compete until payment is received and they move to active status.

Waiver of Release -
Each registered member must sign a waiver of release (available on the USA Rugby website) during the registration process. An original copy signed by the member must be retained by a club official as proof (preferably in a loose-leaf notebook). The members' waivers must be available at every match. After online registration, the new or renewed member will receive an e-mail (provided they entered a valid e-mail address) confirming their registration was successful.

Player Transfers
Players desiring to transfer clubs must complete and submit a Player Transfer Form (available on the USA Rugby website). Transfers are not permitted during the competitive season without the submission of a waiver request for eligibility purposes. Players may transfer clubs for the summer sevens season. If a transfer is desired during the regular season (i.e., after October 15th), the player must submit a request for transfer appeal (see form on the USA Rugby website) with appropriate documentation, and file an appeal with USA Rugby. (Note, this process was implemented due to member concerns about club-hopping during the competitive cycle.)

MEMBERSHIP DETAILS

Membership cycle
The membership cycle for USA Rugby and the Western Rugby Union has changed to September 1 to August 31 to match the competitive cycle, effective September 1, 2008.  The pro-rated dues for January 1 to August 1, 2008 are no longer in effect, and full-year dues are in place.

West dues are combined with USA Rugby dues
All West member dues payments are made in conjunction with your USA Rugby CIPP dues using the online registration process.  The USA Rugby CIPP list will be used as the standard for all WRFU club rosters.  In other words, because USA and West dues are combined, everyone member registered with USA Rugby will also be enrolled with the West.   You must register using the CIPP form that is designated for the West - Pacific Coast registration.

LAU Dues
All local area union (LAU) dues must be handled directly with your LAU to be in fully compliant and eligible.

Coach registration and Background Checks
USA Rugby has established that all coaches must register using a separate Coach Registration form, AND they must agree to a Coaches Code of Conduct Form that must be submitted with your registration form.  Coaches are expected to be familiar with the Coaching Ethics Code.  Any coaches who may have contact with minor players (18 yrs and under) will be subject to a background check at USA Rugby expense.  Coaches must agree to the waiver acknowledging the performance of a background check.  If for some reason, a matter of concern comes up during the background check, USA Rugby will contact the coach privately to inform them of the finding.  If the results of the background check do not permit a person to serve as a coach, the coach and the team will be notified by USA Rugby that they are not eligible to coach minors.  This will be handled in as private a manner as possible.  Denial of coaching status may be appealed to USA Rugby.

What are the dues amounts?
The competitive level of your club (i.e., senior club, collegiate, high school, youth non-contact, etc.) determines your West and USA Rugby membership dues.  West dues were increased by the Board of Directors effective 15 August 2008.  Senior dues went from $15 to $25 per year; College dues went from $12 to $20 per year, and high school dues went from $10 to $15 per year.  There are no West dues for youth, non-contact rugby (Under-15), and there is no West "per club" dues.  The USA Rugby and West dues are tabulated below.

The following West and USA Rugby dues apply:

The Sustaining Member category is not intended for any member who is actively involved in rugby in any capacity.  There is no West dues assessment for Sustaining Members.  See Notation #4 below.

ADDITIONAL WEST MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

West First-Year Dues Policy

The West does not assess dues for clubs in the first year of existence.  To qualify, a new club must first register in full with USA Rugby.  It is encouraged that all members register at the same time.  The West will rebate the West portion of the dues paid by the club when the LAU president verifies that the club is a new, first year club, and requests the rebate.  This does not apply to clubs that have existed previously.

All Participants
Dues are expected for every member – or participant – on your club.  This includes your coaches and any administrative members of your club, as well as referees.  Failure to register all members results in loop-holes that may affect your club's liability insurance coverage.

Under-15 Player Registration
USA Rugby distinguishes between Uner-19 and Under-15 (youth non-contact).  The West charges $15 per U19 member.  The West does not collect dues for Under-15, non-contact rugby.

Player Transfers
It is the responsibility of the clubs to properly account for the transfer of players between clubs during the year.  The West does not collect additional dues from members who are transferring between clubs in the West or from another territory of USA Rugby.  If a player transfers clubs after October 15th, players must file a transfer waiver appeal with USA Rugby.  The eligibility of transferees is defined entirely by the USA Rugby Eligibility Rules, and all determinations will be the sole responsibility of USA Rugby.

Registration Deadlines
To qualify for any West Championship Competition, players and/or club dues must be paid and processed (i.e., all names on the USA Rugby database roster for your club) before the first match in which they participate.  USA Rugby Eligibility Rules are the sole determinant of a player's eligibility.  These can be found online at www.usarugby.org).  All West competitive events require an Event Roster to be submitted by participating clubs no later than the Monday before the event.  Persons on the roster must be fully dues compliant with USA Rugby and the West at that time.  Persons listed on the roster, whom are not dues compliant, will not be eligible to compete in the event and may not be replaced on the roster.  USA Rugby requires that members must be registered before April 15th to be eligible to compete in any national championship events.

Registered and Certified Coaches
It is the policy of the Western Rugby Union and USA Rugby that all clubs entering competition leading to a national championship must have a USA Rugby CIPP registered and accredited coach to be eligible to advance.  Failure to document the CIPP registration and/or certification level of your team's coach will result in disqualification.