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There have been several attempts to get something up and running in terms of professional rugby in the United States over the past ten years.
Some were mere myth and others more public in the operations. Off the top of my head we’ve had the Grand Prix sevens, the APRC, the NRFL the American rugby sevens and the Super 7s.
Now, while in the case of GP7s and APRC seem to have gone quiet the likes of the NRFL, AR7s and Super 7s are still plugging away with their individual visions of what the professional game will look like in the States.
It appears however that they have been beaten to the post by the USA Rugby and World Rugby sanctioned ProRugby group.
Those in the know have been hinting toward this group for the better part of 12 months without offering too many details. This has apparently been primarily due to the tight-lipped nature of the group’s operations focusing on getting all the pieces in place before they were ready or willing to make any noise in what often a skeptical domestic rugby community.
The first murmurs of this group emerged just prior to the Eagles versus All Blacks game in Chicago. There was speculation as to whether an announcement was imminent in the afterglow of the event, however one wasn’t made.
The second big movement that signaled something was abound followed in December when USA Rugby announced the formation of Rugby International Marketing (RIM) the organisations for profit wing. Under US law, non-profit organising bodies aren’t allow to operate in a for profit nature and thus directly administer a professional league.
USA Rugby chose to adopt a similar model to that of USA Soccer on this front by establishing a separate entity in which they are majority stakeholders to commercialise the game in the US. This included the establishment of a professional league(s) and broadcast of Eagles games. The latter (and likely the former) will form the backbone of the soon to be launched USA Rugby Channel, an internet based 24/7 rugby channel.
More rumblings emerged around the time the NRFL ran its last combine at the LA Coliseum. The NRFL emerged with big claims offering the opportunity for athletes to earn decent money. In the range of $95-125,000 a season. Back then, the scuttlebutt was that players within the then unknown ProRugby structure would earn between $25-40,000 a season.
And then, for several months there has been nothing.
That is, until a fortnight ago when an article published on America’s Rugby News regarding the expected announcement of a professional rugby league under the name of ProRugby being a matter of weeks away. This has been followed by the group establishing a Facebook page hinting that a formal announcement is expected soon. To further back this up, Alex Goff from Goff on Rugby published a short article on Wednesday (US time) that the formal announcement is set for next week.
This announcement is expected to detail the plans. Something I’ve seen mentioned about this group was that they were unwilling to come forward with this announcement until they had everything set up and all the necessary contracts were signed.
So, the fact they are set for next week suggests they have achieved these goals. They seem to have already begun operations on the corporate level out of New York.
Piecing the bits together it appears there will be around four or five US-based franchises various locations. This could be in New York as part of an East Coast league, but there is also the potential for a Canadian side.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.