The board of USA Rugby have decided to file for bankruptcy as a result of “insurmountable financial constraints” in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis.
The board of directors voted overwhelmingly in favour of the plan and said that with a financial support package from World Rugby, it hopes to “deliver a foundation for future stability.”
USA Rugby will undergo a restructuring process with input from World Rugby, while the country’s men’s and women’s senior national teams will continue to compete as normal when rugby returns.
Under the reorganization plan there will be no impact on the men’s and women’s senior national teams, which had previously qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
USA Rugby chairman Barbara O’Brien in a statement said: “This is the most challenging period this organisation has faced and all resolves were never taken lightly in coming to this determination”.