Eight teams, ranging from WPL to DII, featured on the select side. /// Photo courtesy Capital Selects •
The Capital Selects are rounding out their first year in existence, and the women celebrated with a 59-10 win over the Empire All-Stars on Saturday. In a year that has seen several senior select sides surface, it’s the Capital program that has been the most active and serves as a model for those regions looking to give their club members more higher-level playing opportunities.
A key component is generating player buy-in, and Capital GU president Matthew Robinette has done a good job of making the all-star program accessible. In addition to making the tryouts open to all members, the union handles almost all of the player expenses. With the exception of travel to/from a match, Capital covers the accommodation, kit, team dinner, trainers, field expenses, etc.
“I’m trying to remove any barrier that might keep an interested player from participating,” Robinette said. “People vote with their time and money, and the camps have been well attended. So the support is there.”
Looking toward year two, Robinette wants to engage more of the membership, whether that’s a function of more efficient communication with clubs or targeting a specific segment that isn’t well represented at the all-star level. With the men, for example, there is little participation from the DIII clubs. So Robinette and union plan to build up a local area union tournament between the DIII teams – a north, south, east, west Cup event – where all-star scouts can have a real look into that population. Ideally, the all-star teams proportionately reflect the membership of the union.
“The goal is to expose as many top-tier athletes to top-tier competition so they can bring that experience back to their clubs,” Robinette said. “All of the camps are open to coaches in the union, too. We’re trying to elevate the entire region.”
Capital is also emphasizing the club aspect of the program. Even though there may be talented collegiate players in the region, they will not feature on the senior select side.
“USA Rugby mandated however many years ago that clubs are its own administrative body, and that colleges operate in conferences,” Robinette explained. “So we did that. The senior all-star teams include club members, and I’m good with that. I think it gives something more to the club player who wants to try and grow with the game and wants exposure.”
Robinette indicated that any time the Capital union is hosting an event, he requests a scout from USA Rugby. But getting competition in general is tough. For the women, there was initially hope for a Carolinas all-star game, but that prospect fell through. The Midwest has reached out indicating that forces might be mobilizing in the Thunderbirds camp. Empire and Stars XV have been the Capital’s only U.S. opponents, so the hope for a national competition is still a far-off prospect.
“I heard a flat-out ‘no’ from USA Rugby, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t [create a competition],” Robinette said of a potential senior all-star championship returning. “I’ve reached out to every GU president in the country and asked who’s doing [all-star programs] and what they’re capable of. Everyone says, ‘Sure, I’ll play you if you come down,’ which I’m happy to do, but there’s got to be a guaranteed return match. So there aren’t a lot of takers.”
The Capital women are looking for a December 3 opponent to match the men’s fixture against the South. Should that fixture come through, then an open tryout and invitational camp will precede the match.
For the most current information on the Capital Women’s Selects, join the program’s Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomensCGUSelects/.
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