by Major League Rugby, the US men’s professional rugby competition, will field a team of mostly young American players, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with support from World Rugby in an effort to boost the US game in the run-up. 2031 and 2033 World Cup.
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The introduction of Anthem Rugby Carolina will restore the league to 12 teams and two conferences, following the recent collapse of the Toronto Arrows and New York Ironworkers, the eventual MLR Champions in 2022. The announcement of the new team was widely reported before it was confirmed. Friday, a little over a month before the start of season seven, falls on the first weekend in March.
Alan Gilpin, CEO of World Rugby, said: “Working with strategic partners in the USA, supported by our executive board, we are implementing a transformative and long-term growth plan for rugby in the USA that will enable a great sporting nation. , and the sport as a whole, to realize the true potential of hosting the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups.
“This ambitious plan is aimed at making sport more relevant and accessible to more people in … a nation that loves sport and events, which are part of entertainment.”
Two MLR champions – New York and the Los Angeles Giltinis, winners in 2021 – have ceased to operate. A new LA team, Los Angeles Rugby FC, will play this year, with new owners having moved the previously Atlanta-based team.
MLR salaries are low and facilities are sometimes basic. The purpose of the league is debated – to succeed as a business, to use the best global talent available, or to work to produce US-qualified players and boost the men’s national team, or to try to to achieve both ends – together with the play from start to finish. out in 2018.
Alex Magleby, chief executive of the New England Free Jacks, champions in 2023, told the Guardian last year: “Right now, in every position, there are professional Americans who didn’t have that opportunity just a few years ago.
“Once the league is fully expanded, you’re talking about 300 to 400 professional athletes in North America. It’s great to see us getting there, hopefully in the next seven to 10 years.”
In the short term, the failure of the US Eagles men to qualify for the 2023 World Cup was another blow, with wins over Uruguay and Chile setting up a final qualifier in Dubai in which Hong Kong and Kenya were defeated but the Americans won against Portugal. Lose
Portugal’s success in France – beating Fiji, drawing with Georgia and clashing with Australia and Great Britain – gave the USA game a picture of what could be achieved. World Rugby has helped improve Portugal, most of the men’s national team that plays for Lusitanos in the European Rugby Super Cup, a competition featuring teams from emerging nations.
In MLR, the Anthem RC team is an attempt to build on the work done by the USA Hawks, the men’s development squad based in Charlotte.
Announcing the new team, MLR, World Rugby and USA Rugby said they would “significantly accelerate that high-performance objective by supporting the long-term goals of the USA men’s national team ahead of qualifying for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.” [in Australia] and host the 2031 edition on home soil”.
Gilpin nodded to Super Rugby, which is mainly based in Australia and New Zealand, saying: “This kind of partnership for the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in Fiji has been very successful with the establishment of the Drua, and we are excited about Anthem’s huge potential. BC, not just as a corridor but as a major franchise within a long-term vision for MLR’s success, shared by all stakeholders.”
Nic Benson, chief executive of MLR, said Anthem RC would “pave new paths for player development and community engagement, building on the excellent foundation our teams have created over the past seven years”.
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Ross Young, chief executive of USA Rugby and former general manager of the Rugby World Cup, described it as a “fantastic collaboration” and “an exciting example of the progress we can look forward to as rugby in America embarks on a trajectory new.
“Anthem RC provides a unique opportunity for accelerated development with USA Rugby High Performance while continuing to strengthen MLR as a key pathway for the USA Men’s Eagles. The level of teamwork that has been put in place across all parties to bring this project to life is unprecedented and we are delighted to see it on the rugby pitch this year.”
Anthem BC’s roster, the partners said, will include “players from various MLR teams who are eligible to participate on behalf of the USA in international competition.”
Named “inspired by the US national anthem”, the new team will play at the 10,500-seat American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, seeking “unique connections to the Charlotte community” by “drawing from its rich military heritage and incorporating recognizable color . a palette that draws from the smoky tones of the Blue Ridge Mountains”.
Team colors and kits for the remaining 11 MLR teams were announced last week. RC Anthem kicks off against the champions, the Free Jacks, in Charlotte on March 3.
