National Collegiate Rugby has just launched a new strategic partnership with FirstPoint USA, designed to better connect high school rugby talent with collegiate programs across the United States.
This partnership is centered on a shared goal: making the pathway from high school to college rugby clearer, more informed, and more accessible for student-athletes and their families. By combining NCR’s expertise in collegiate rugby with FirstPoint’s proven leadership in the recruitment process, the two organizations will work together to enhance the depth and quality of information available about college rugby programs across the United States.
Each year, thousands of prospective student-athletes face the challenge of navigating college options while managing the complexities of athletic recruitment. FirstPoint USA addresses this by pairing firsthand athlete and coaching experience with advanced technology, a global network of college coaches, and structured recruiting strategies that help athletes identify and pursue best-fit opportunities.
“Partnering with FirstPoint USA aligns directly with our commitment to expanding access and opportunity across all levels of collegiate rugby,” said NCR CEO, Jeremy Treece. “By simplifying the recruiting journey and connecting high school athletes with college programs more effectively, we are strengthening the future of the sport.”
Through this partnership, NCR and FirstPoint USA will provide student-athletes, families, and coaches with better tools, deeper insights, and stronger connections, helping more players successfully transition to collegiate rugby.
Andrew Kean, Founder and CEO at FirstPoint USA, added: “We are excited to be launching this new partnership with National Collegiate Rugby which further strengthens our commitment to supporting talented young rugby players and their progression from high school to college. Rugby is the fastest growing collegiate sport, providing life-changing opportunities to aspiring young athletes, and we look forward to working with NCR to build a stronger pathway into some of the leading programs in the country.”
About National Collegiate Rugby
National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) is the amateur athletic association for collegiate rugby in the United States, representing 20,000 members across 665 men’s and women’s college teams. NCR proudly operates five premier national championship events annually, including the Men’s and Women’s XVs, National 7s, and the Men’s and Women’s National All-Star Tournaments.
Learn more at ncr.rugby.
About FirstPoint USA
FirstPoint USA was founded in 2001 by Andrew Kean, a former student-athlete, All-American award winner and Hall of Fame inductee at the University of Cincinnati. For Andrew, like many athletes today, US college sports were a mystery. It was a process athletes and families wanted to understand, yet no one was there to tell you how to do it – and do it well.
Supported by the Princes Trust, Andrew created FirstPoint to provide aspiring sportsmen & women with opportunities to pursue both their academic and sporting careers at American universities.
Today, FirstPoint is recognized as the world’s leading sports scholarship and university admissions service, having supported more than 40,000 student-athletes over 25 years, securing in excess of $2.4bn in scholarship funding across 18 different sports.
