Atlantic Coast Rugby League

The current 8 member schools of the ACRL were below. Most schools are members of the ACC and joined the ACRL in its year of inception in 2011. Navy was the first non-ACC member, and announced in 2012 it would be joining the ACRL for the 2013 season. The University of Maryland left the ACC to join the Big Ten Conference in July 2014.

• Georgia Tech (2010-2012)
• Duke University (2010-2011)

Organization of college rugby has been evolving since 2009, with many schools organizing into conferences similar to the traditional NCAA conferences. In November 2010, USARFU's college management committee set out a plan for transitioning universities to NCAA style conferences.^[2] The purpose of the realignment is for college rugby to capitalize on the marketability of major college conference rivalries.^[3]

The ACRL is one of the first college rugby conferences that re-aligned along traditional NCAA conference lines. In March 2010, eight of the twelve schools that participate in the NCAA's Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced that they had formed the Atlantic Coast Rugby League (ACRL) and would begin play in spring 2011.^[4]

The ACRL was formed to improve rugby in the Atlantic Coast universities by capitalizing on traditional ACC rivalries, increasing the number of fans, attracting talented high school rugby players, and playing other regional schools, which would both reduce travel and create more competitive matchups with traditional college rivalries.^[5]

The ACRL quickly gained commercial success. The ACRL announced in February 2011, before it had even begun its inaugural season, that it has partnered with Adidas as its corporate sponsor.^[6]

Patrick Kane has served as the League Commissioner since the ACRL's founding in 2010. Kane also sits on USA Rugby's men's collegiate competition committee. Kane has been the Head Coach of the Wake Forest men's rugby team since 2004.^[7]

Maryland won the 2011 inaugural ACRL, defeating North Carolina 39–32 in the title match held at Charlotte RFC.^[8] Maryland, by virtue of its conference championship, qualified for the national playoffs, but lost to Florida in the Round of 16.^[9]

In the 2012 season, the championship was determined based on final table standings, rather than a championship match. Maryland repeated as champion, despite the loss early in the season of Matias Cima, their flyhalf and 2011 ACRL co-player of the year.^[10] Maryland and Clemson both finished with a 6–1 record, but Maryland won the league table due to the bonus point earned in its 19–22 loss to North Carolina State. Maryland, by virtue of its conference championship, qualified for the national playoffs, but lost to Tennessee in the Round of 16.^[11]

Notes:

• Green shading indicates conference champion. Red shading indicates last year in conference.
• In 2011, despite North Carolina's undefeated regular season, Maryland was conference champion due to its 39–32 victory over NC in the championship game.
• In 2012, Virginia Tech finished third, despite its 3–4 record, due to its 9 bonus points (6 from tries, 3 from losses).
• In spring 2013, Navy elected to play in the Varsity Cup post-season competition, meaning that runner-up Clemson participated in the USA Rugby Division I-AA playoffs instead.
• In 2013, the ACRL switched from a spring schedule to a fall schedule, resulting in two tables for 2013. The Fall 2013 champion, Clemson, qualified for post-season play in the newly formed American Collegiate Rugby Championships.

The Atlantic Coast schools started moving in the direction of setting up their own conference in 2008, beginning with the Atlantic Coast Invitational tournament.^[12] The ACI tournament was co-founded by Andy Richards (Head Coach, North Carolina) and by Patrick Kane (Head Coach, Wake Forest). The ACI tournament is one of a number of college rugby tournaments that are tapping into the increased interest of sevens while also targeting traditional collegiate conference rivalries.

The Atlantic Coast Invitational tournament changed to a sevens format in 2010.^[13] The ACI was switched to a 7s tournament this season in response to 7s becoming an Olympic sport and in the wake of the success of the Collegiate Rugby Championship which was broadcast live by NBC. The ACI tournament also experienced commercial success in 2010, landing USA Sevens as tournament sponsor.^[14]

Beginning in 2011, the winner of the Atlantic Coast Invitational has advanced to the USA Rugby National Championship.^[15] N.C. State won the ACI tournament in 2011 defeating Virginia 24–17 in the final.^[16]