A TRB photo from playoffs, featuring a Chico State vs. UC Santa Barbara fullback showdown.
On April 5, The Rugby Breakdown (TRB) announced a final month-long push to test whether the rugby community value the site as a service worth supporting financially. At that time, TRB had met 17% of its annual subscription goal, and that drew concern, especially during this time of year, when the highest volume of readership occurs.
Exactly three weeks later, TRB is at 30% of its annual goal thanks to the addition of 78 new subscribers. Donations nearly doubled as well and are now more than 27% of the way to the annual goal. These overall stats represent a little more than two-and-a-half months of activity – so that’s positive – but the response from the previous three weeks in particular has been promising.
That said, the SUBSCRIPTION TARGET IS 40% OF ANNUAL GOAL BY MAY 5. That deadline includes coverage for the college spring championships and several club championships, and after that, TRB will re-evaluate operations and its potential to support a full-time employee.
As you consider a donation or monthly subscription, the following items represent upcoming coverage, and the questions posed reflect why TRB is important:
• Interviews with players and coaches building toward the college spring championships / Where can you find complete playoff brackets? (Spoiler: Not on USA Rugby’s site)
• Follow-ups with the Midwest High School Championship teams, especially those heading to the National Invitational Tournament / Which high schools are heading to the NIT, and where are all the west coast club teams?
• Interviews with those clubs heading to the eastern and western regional championships / Check back Sunday morning for TRB photos from the Pacific North final between Sacramento and Emerald City.
An additional shout-out goes to advertisers Life University and Bowdoin College, both of which are promoting their respective summer player camps, as well as FloRugby for the Women’s Six Nations collaboration for the boosts in revenue.
For more information on donations, monthly subscriptions, advertising and more, contact Jackie Finlan at editor@therugbybreakdown.com.