The state of Arkansas boasts two excellent college rugby programs, a major select-side program, and some national-level players, but youth and high school rugby hasn’t grown at the same pace within its borders as the elite level… until now.

The American Pro Rugby Training Center, a select-side program in Little Rock, AR, has expanded its high performance camps to open up the game to young players. The Arkansas Rugby Kids Organization has already started with a series of "Fun Days" to expose youth players to rugby. While games are held, no one actually keeps score, because the whole idea is to expose athletes to how rugby works and to allow coaches to help.

January harbingers the beginning of the new high school sevens league, with teams playing short tournaments every Wednesday.

So far, 60 players have already signed up for the league, which will see teams accumulate points throughout the season. This is how Iowa has built its high school rugby infrastructure, reasoning that it’s easier to get a sevens squad of 10 or so than it is a 15s squad of 30.

The Iowa Youth Rugby Association league has already produced some high-level players (Deion Mikesell was capped as a 15s Eagle only a few months after graduation), and Julie McCoy, who is spearheading the ARKO effort, thinks the same can happen in Arkansas.

“Many college coaches are coming to scout players,” said McCoy, the former USA women's national sevens team's coach who is working with coaches to create best practices and get their squads running.

While there’s debate about whether sevens is always the way forward in bringing fans and players to the sport, it’s hard to deny that it’s easier to form a sevens squad than a 15s team and thus easier to create a league from nothing with the smaller-sized teams.

Arkansas, clearly, needed to do something to kick-start the game at the younger level. This might be it.