How the Lions Approach Rugby Safety
Rugby safety isn’t just about rules—it’s about culture, leadership, and putting players first. At the Chicago Lions, safety is woven into everything we do, from a player’s first introduction to the sport to the most physical moments of competitive play.
As one of the Midwest’s premier rugby programs, we understand that stepping onto the pitch should be as empowering as it is challenging. That’s why we approach player safety with the same drive and discipline we bring to every match. Our club structure—connecting players from youth through senior levels—prioritizes education, mentorship, and long-term development. We train and condition our athletes to be confident, responsible teammates who know how to play hard and play safe.
For families exploring rugby for the first time, we get it—safety matters. That’s why the Lions lead with education, structure, and a commitment to community standards. Because earning the right to wear the black jersey isn’t just about skill—it’s about integrity, responsibility, and trust.
Key Takeaways:
Rugby Safety Is Taught, Not Assumed – We prioritize foundational education—from safe falling techniques to responsible tackling—ensuring every player understands how to protect themselves and others from day one.
Mentorship and Community Drive the Culture – With a unique, fully integrated club structure, senior players, coaches, and youth develop side by side, fostering a sense of accountability and community that reinforces a safe playing environment and rugby safety rules.
Contact Is Earned, Not Rushed – The Lions stagger the introduction of contact based on age and readiness, focusing on skill development and physical maturity rather than aggressive competition.
We Learn from the Top and Lead Locally – Here are the Lions, we proactively adopt evolving rugby health and safety standards from professional organizations and share those insights across all levels, keeping players ahead of the curve.
Trained Coaches and Refs Create Safer Games – Dedicated training for referees and coaches ensures consistency in applying age and ability-specific safety rules. This creates safety for rugby players of all ages with more structured gameplay across every match and training session.
One Club, One Standard
Building a Culture of Safety Through Mentorship and Education
Player Safety from the Ground Up
At the Chicago Lions, rugby safety starts with mastering the fundamentals. Rugby is a contact sport and so, before a player ever steps into a tackle, they’re taught how to hit the ground the right way. We break it down step by step—ankle, knee, hip, shoulder—so players understand not just what to do, but why it matters. Our players build muscle memory, body awareness, and smart mechanics rolled into one essential skill.
For our youngest players and developing athletes alike, these techniques are reinforced consistently at practice to create confidence and prevent injury. It’s not a one-time lesson—it’s a foundational part of how we train, every season, every player.
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What makes our approach different isn’t just what we teach—it’s who teaches it. Senior players and experienced coaches are actively involved in developing the next generation, offering instruction and modeling safe play, good sportsmanship, encouragement, and accountability.
Younger players know they can turn to older teammates and coaches with questions, concerns, or to repeat a skill that needs practice. This level of access builds trust and reinforces our culture around the sport - the belief that growth comes from guidance, not pressure and fear.
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We’ve created an environment where learning is expected—and mistakes are part of the process. No one’s shamed for asking again, trying again, or getting something wrong. Every training session is a safe space to improve, backed by leaders who lead with respect. When players feel secure, they’re more likely to engage, more likely to grow, and more likely to play with the kind of control that keeps everyone on the field safe.
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Most rugby programs divide their levels. We unite ours. From our youth players all the way up to senior men’s and women’s teams, we operate as a single, integrated club. This structure allows our values—like safety, effort, and sportsmanship—to be shared consistently across every age group.
Players don’t just grow physically here—they grow into roles of leadership and responsibility. That kind of shared growth is why our youngest players keep coming back and develop into roles as mentors themselves over time.
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Through events at the Lions for Hope Sports Complex and regular club-wide gatherings, we bring everyone into the fold—parents, players, coaches, and supporters. These moments reinforce that being a Lion isn’t just about playing; it’s about belonging to something that values safety, growth, and the people beside you.
Confidence Before Contact
Rushing the introduction of contact can lead to poor habits and unnecessary injuries. At the Chicago Lions, we take a different approach. We focus on safety for rugby players by building confidence before contact, which means players don’t just participate in the game—they’re prepared for it.
For players under 13, we start by teaching how to work together in close group formations—focusing on technique, teamwork, and body positioning without adding physical pressure. As players get older, around high school, we slowly introduce more advanced elements like lifting teammates during set plays, but only when they’re ready and only in controlled situations. Full-contact play, including tackling and competitive formations, is saved for those who have shown they’re physically and mentally prepared.
This deliberate progression allows players to master body control, spacing, and teamwork before the physical intensity increases. It's not about delaying development—it's about making it stick. It's about making sure rugby safety is second nature and an integral building block in our players' approach to the game.
Development Over Dominance
We don’t teach players to hit harder, we teach them to play smarter. While contact is an essential part of rugby, it’s not the end goal. The goal is control, awareness, and precision. We focus on skill over strength because real toughness shows in how well you protect yourself and your opponent. Knowing when to step in—and when to pull back—is a sign of maturity and good sportsmanship, not weakness. It’s also a big reason why Lions players excel in competitive play: they aren’t just aggressive—they’re accurate, thoughtful, and composed under pressure.
Physical Readiness, Mental Discipline
Progressive contact isn't just about age—it's about mindset. Some players are physically ready but need more time to develop spatial awareness, essential skills, or communication. Others may grasp the game quickly but benefit from refining their mechanics before full engagement. Our coaches assess each athlete, ensuring no one is rushed, overlooked, or put at risk. For us, teaching contact isn’t about preparing players for a weekend—it’s about preparing them for a lifetime of safe, smart rugby and athleticism.
Learning from the Best: Sharing and Adopting Global Best Practices
Safety Laws Don’t Stay Static—Neither Do We
Rugby has come a long way—and so have the standards that protect the players who love it. The Chicago Lions have been setting the pace for safety for rugby players for 60 years, long before Rugby 7s made its Olympic debut in 2016 and helped bring the sport into the mainstream. As the game grows, so does our responsibility to lead with care. That’s why we’ve always stayed ahead—adopting smart, effective rugby safety practices and making sure every player, at every level, steps onto the field with confidence and the right foundation.
Rugby Health and Safety
Our coaches and leadership team actively monitor international developments in rugby health and safety, staying in step with global authorities like World Rugby. When professional leagues roll out new strategies, rule modifications, or injury prevention protocols for player safety, we don’t just observe—we evaluate, adapt, and apply what fits our club’s needs.
From global trends to local clinics, we’re constantly absorbing fresh insight. Whether it’s a new tackle technique, concussion protocol, or match regulation, if it protects our players, reinforces safety in rugby, and enhances the game, we bring it home to Chicago and put it into play.
Continuous Improvement Is a Team Value
Improvement is a mindset for every coach, every level for every season. We prioritize making time to meet, review, and refine our approach to safety. This is an essential part of our operating rhythm as a club.
It’s this kind of built-in discipline that keeps the entire Lions organization aligned and ahead. By committing to regular safety reviews and sharing knowledge across all teams, we ensure player safety by making sure our teams train and compete under the highest, most current standards of care.
Contact Confidence: Empowering Players with Safe Habits
It’s About Control, Not Chaos
At the Chicago Lions, contact is treated as a core skill - one that’s taught with intention, practiced with precision, and reinforced with purpose. Every player, from youth to senior level, learns how to enter contact situations with their head in the right place, feet planted with purpose, and eyes up. We teach players how to protect themselves—and their opponents—while staying fully engaged in the game.
This focus on control doesn’t just reduce injury. It elevates performance. Athletes who understand safety for rugby players engage in the game with more confidence, make better decisions under pressure, and contribute more meaningfully to their teams.
The Power of Reinforcement and Routine
Learning safe contact isn’t a one-time lesson; it’s a skill that’s honed and practiced over and over again, and the result is skills that last a lifetime in athleticism. Even our most experienced players revisit the fundamentals of rugby safety each season. We intentionally build repetition into every level of our training model. It’s how we create consistency across teams, prevent bad habits from forming, and help players adapt their technique as they grow and evolve. We don’t leave safety to chance—we reinforce it with structure, focus, and repetition that builds better athletes, year after year.
Training Coaches and Referees to Lead with Safety
Consistency Starts at the Top
You can’t build a safe game without informed leaders. That’s why every Chicago Lions coach is trained to understand and apply age-specific rugby health and safety guidelines, not just in theory—but in the heat of real-world play.
Our training includes everything from tackle-height enforcement to concussion evaluation protocols and detailed guidance on when and how to introduce physical elements like scrums and rucks. This ensures that no matter who’s on the pitch, the expectations are clear—and enforced with care. It’s not just about knowing the rules. It’s about understanding how to use them to protect players and promote smart, structured competition at every level.
Accountability That Raises the Standard
When coaches and refs speak the same language—and share the same safety-first mindset—everyone wins. Players benefit from consistency. Parents gain peace of mind. And the game itself becomes more respectful, disciplined, and enjoyable.
That alignment is built into how we operate. We hold each other to high standards because we know that rugby health and safety isn't a department—it's a shared responsibility.
Rugby Safety Is a Culture—Not a Checklist
From learning how to fall to executing high-level tackles, safety is embedded in every phase of the Chicago Lions’ journey. But what truly sets us apart isn’t just our structure or our curriculum—it’s the culture we’ve built around them.
We lead with mentorship, develop with discipline, and grow through community. Every athlete who puts on the black jersey becomes part of that legacy—a legacy that values resilience, preparation, and trust. Here, rugby safety isn’t just a policy we implement. It’s a principle we live by. It’s reflected in every session plan, every whistle, every word of encouragement. And that’s what gives our players the confidence to grow, compete, and lead—on and off the pitch.
If you're ready to be part of a program that prioritizes player safety, values development, and plays the game the right way—you're ready to be a Lion.