Tour de Force as youth stalwarts team up

San Francisco Bay Area                                   October 1, 2014

SportStars Media and the Northern California Youth Rugby Association (NCYRA)
announced today that the two youth sports organizations have entered into an
agreement which names SportStars Magazines’ print and digital editions as
the Official Voice of the NCYRA.

“Our vision is to continually build the sport and enjoyment of rugby,” NCYRA
Executive Director Mark Carney said. “We are looking beyond our own
communication vehicles for a partner reaching larger and broader audiences.
We feel SportStars is the ideal partner. Rugby has experienced tremendous
growth throughout the U.S. in recent years and generated excitement and
participation throughout California. Northern California especially is at a
high point. Having the ability to reach beyond our vertical audience via
coverage and columns in SportStars is an attractive growth strategy for us.”

Carney joined the Association as Executive Director in 2013 after a traveled
career spanning the Sedbergh School (England) and Westview High School and
Tempe Old Devils (AZ) rugby clubs. A Sports Management graduate of Salem
State University, Mark received his MBA from Florida Atlantic University and
held positions with the Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers, USA Rugby South
before coming to the helm at NCYRA.

As a wing during his college days for the Santa Rosa Rugby Club, SportStars
Publisher, Mike Calamusa holds a special fondness for the sport. 

“Any time a partner looks to us to help them grow, we take a very special
interest and pride in that,” Calamusa said. “When it’s a sport we’ve enjoyed
and are enthusiastic about, it’s all the more intriguing. We will endeavor to become
Mark’s go-to communication channel. With our print/mobile and digital
publications, I believe we will be an asset to the NCYRA. We should be able
to communicate with ruggers and would-be rugby players regularly, and with
the help of NCYRA staff, authoritatively.”

Spearheaded by SportStars Editor Chace Bryson, content delivery for the new
partnership will begin with coverage of the fall club season in the
magazine’s Club Scene department. Coverage will expand in January with
features and a high school season preview covering both the Bay Area and
Greater Sacramento regions. Coaches, players and fans alike will be able to
follow all the action over the course of the season through regular
association-generated columns, team rankings, tournament announcements and
social media posts.

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About the Northern California Youth Rugby Association: Established in 2010
as a non-profit California corporation, the NCYRA governs youth rugby
throughout the northern part of the State of California. Conferences (for
example Boys Varsity Gold and Coed Under 12) have elected representatives
who sit on the board. There are currently 22 conferences with over 5,000
members playing and participating in the sport at the youth level right here
in Northern California. The NCYRA’s primary mission is to prepare the youth
in our local communities to lead fulfilling lives and be productive members
of society. Rugby is just a platform by which we can teach important life
lessons, and give those who play a sense of community and camaraderie.