Major League Rugby

Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition for privately owned, for-profit franchise clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada.[2] While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned by USA Rugby—a member union of Rugby Americas North (RAN)—and is consequently part of World Rugby. The league was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Major League Rugby
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2023 Major League Rugby season
SportRugby union
Founded2017
Inaugural season2018
CommissionerNic Benson[1]
No. of teams12 (from 2023), 13 (from 2024)
Countries United States
(12 teams)
 Canada (1 team)
HeadquartersDallas, Texas, United States
ConfederationRAN
Most recent
champion(s)		New England Free Jacks
(1st title)
Most titlesSeattle Seawolves
(2 titles)
TV partner(s)
Official websitemajorleague.rugby

MLR began its first season in 2018 with seven teams. The league has since expanded several times; the 2022 season was marked by the disqualification, and subsequent departure, of two teams from the Western Conference, LA Giltinis and Austin Gilgronis. This setback was offset with the announcement of a new franchise in Chicago, starting 2023, opening the competition to the Midwestern United States for the first time and bringing the circuit back to twelve teams.

Major League Rugby implemented its first collegiate MLR Draft in 2020.[3][4][5] Also in 2020, Major League Rugby teams started forming youth academies.[6][7]

History

Founding
See also: History of rugby union in the United States

In September 2016, with at least five amateur rugby union clubs across the United States discussing a possible professional league, Dean Howes,[8] who had previously been an executive with Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, stepped in as senior strategic advisor for Rugby Utah in an attempt to provide a pathway for expanding professional rugby stateside.[9]

By February 2017, a total of nine amateur rugby union organizations including the Austin Huns, Dallas Griffins, Glendale Raptors, Houston Strikers, Kansas City Blues, Minneapolis, New Orleans RFC, Rugby Utah and the Seattle Saracens, announced their intentions to form a professional league to begin play the following year.[10][11]

On August 15, 2017, the Austin Huns announced that it would opt-out of MLR in favor of allowing a newly branded spinoff, the Austin Elite compete in the league.[12] The Houston Strikers rebranded themselves as the Houston SaberCats. Whereas the elite players of New Orleans, Utah, and Seattle became the New Orleans Gold, Utah Warriors, and Seattle Seawolves respectively, interests in Minneapolis were replaced by the San Diego Legion.[13] With Kansas City and Dallas still in planning stages, the league continued as seven members for its inaugural season.[14]

On November 6, 2017, Major League Rugby and CBS Sports Network announced a multi-year television partnership which marked MLR's first major television deal for broadcast rights.[15] It was the first time in American history that a new sporting league had a national television deal prior to launch.[16]

Early seasons and rapid expansion

The first regular-season game in Major League Rugby history was held on April 21, 2018, when the Houston SaberCats hosted the New Orleans Gold. The final was contested between the Seattle Seawolves and the Colorado Raptors, with the Seawolves winning 23-19 to become the inaugural champions.

In addition to Rugby United New York, the Toronto Arrows joined the league ahead of 2019 season as the first Canadian team in MLR. Three further American clubs began play in 2020, with the New England Free Jacks, Old Glory DC, and Rugby ATL.[2] With the opening of Aveva Stadium as Houston's permanent stadium in April 2019, MLR gained its first stadium that was specifically built for league play.

Later in April, RUNY announced the signing of French international Mathieu Bastareaud on a loan deal from Toulon for the 2020 season.[17] In October 2019, another major signing was made when it was announced that All Blacks international and multiple World Cup winner Ma'a Nonu would join the San Diego Legion for the 2020 season.[18] The following December saw another World Cup winner sign with the league, namely South Africa prop Tendai Mtawarira with Old Glory DC.[19]

On March 12, 2020, MLR initially suspended its 2020 season for 30 days due to the coronavirus pandemic[20] but then cancelled the remainder of the entire season on March 18, after five rounds had been played.[21]

On April 9, 2020, the Colorado Raptors announced they were leaving the league.[22][23] On May 28, 2020, the LA Giltinis were added as an expansion team based in Los Angeles to begin competition in the 2021 season. The name is a combination of the word "martini" and the last name of owner Adam Gilchrist.[24] This was followed on June 4, 2020, with the addition of Dallas Jackals based in Dallas, Texas, for the 2021 season.[25] However, on January 19, 2021, Dallas announced that the team would postpone their inaugural season to 2022.[26]

On October 25, 2022, Major League Rugby announced that 12 teams would compete in the 2023 season, but that neither the Austin Gilgronis, nor the LA Giltinis will participate. With the uncertainties surrounding Austin and Los Angeles' team ownership, it was determined to suspend operations of the two teams to ensure a successful 2023 season, and protect the long-term strength of the league.[27] The MLR announced on November 17, 2022, that the latest expansion team would be the Chicago Hounds who will compete as 12th MLR team in the 2023 season in MLR's Western Conference.[28]

On February 8, 2023, Major League Rugby announced that the Miami Sharks will join the competition for the 2024 season.[29]

On August 2, 2023, Major League Rugby announced that Rugby ATL would be relocating to a yet-to-be announced location for the 2024 season. On 17 August the new ownership group confirmed that, subject to closing conditions, the team would be relocating to Los Angeles.[30]

Competition format

Major League Rugby spans five months from Late February through to Early July. The 2019 regular season was a double round-robin with all clubs playing each other home and away.[2] Each team played sixteen games, half of them at home. This was followed by a postseason for the top four teams consisting of two semi-final matches and the Championship Game to determine the season's MLR champion team.[31]

From the 2020 season, MLR changed to a conference format.[32] Both conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, consist of six teams (seven teams took part in the 2022 Western Conference). Each team plays a double round-robin within their conference, home and away, in addition to playing six games against teams from the other conference, for a total of 16 regular-season games.[33] The postseason consists of the top three teams from each conference: a wildcard game between the second and third ranked teams, followed by a playoff game between the wildcard winner and the first ranked team in the conference. The resulting playoff winners from each conference then face off in the league championship.

The league is structured as a closed system and, similar to other American sports leagues, does not have promotion and relegation.[34] It operates as a single entity similar to Major League Soccer and other major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, with each team or "franchise" owned by the league and the franchise operators owning a share of the league.[35]

Teams

Map
Locations of teams for the 2024 Major League Rugby season
          Western Conference
          Eastern Conference
          Announced/confirmed future expansion teams

2023 teams

The twelve teams competing in the 2023 Major League Rugby season are divided into two conferences. The twelfth team, Chicago Hounds, was announced to be joining the Western Conference on November 17, 2022.

Club Location Stadium Capacity Joined Coach Broadcasters
Eastern Conference
New England Free Jacks Quincy, Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Stadium 5,000 2020 (2020)[36] South Africa Scott Mathie NBC Sports Boston
New Orleans Gold Metairie, Louisiana Gold Mine [lower-alpha 1] 10,000 2018 (2018) Samoa Kane Thompson YurView Louisiana
Old Glory DC Boyds, Maryland Maryland SoccerPlex 5,000 2020 (2020)[38] New Zealand Josh Syms Univision DC
Monumental Sports Network
Rugby ATL Atlanta, Georgia

(Relocating to LA for 2024 season)

 Atlanta Silverbacks Park 5,000 2020 (2020) New Zealand Stephen Brett WATL
Rugby New York Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon Memorial Stadium[39] 3,900 2019 (2019) New Zealand James Semple MSG Network
Univision Nueva York
Toronto Arrows Toronto, Ontario York Lions Stadium 4,000 2019 (2019) Australia Peter Smith TSN
Western Conference
Chicago Hounds Bridgeview, Illinois SeatGeek Stadium 20,000 2023 (2023) Australia Sam Harris Marquee Sports Network
Dallas Jackals Arlington, Texas Choctaw Stadium 48,000 2022 (2022) Argentina Agustin Cavalieri KTXA
Houston SaberCats Houston, Texas SaberCats Stadium 4,000 2018 (2018) South Africa Pote Human AT&T SportsNet Southwest
San Diego Legion San Diego, California Snapdragon Stadium[lower-alpha 2] 35,000 2018 (2018) New Zealand Danny Lee[41] FOX 5 San Diego
Seattle Seawolves Tukwila, Washington Starfire Stadium [lower-alpha 3] 4,500 2018 (2018) Ireland Allen Clarke Univision Seattle
Root Sports Northwest
Utah Warriors Herriman, Utah Zions Bank Stadium [lower-alpha 4] 5,000 2018 (2018) New Zealand Greg Cooper KMYU
  1. The Gold Mine is in Metairie, Louisiana, a census-designated place in the New Orleans metropolitan area.[37]
  2. Snapdragon Stadium is located on the campus of San Diego State University at SDSU Mission Valley.[40]
  3. Starfire Stadium is in the Seattle suburb of Tukwila, Washington.[42]
  4. Zions Bank Stadium is in Herriman, Utah, located within the Salt Lake City metropolitan area.[43]

Timeline
Miami Sharks (rugby union)Chicago Hounds (rugby union)Dallas JackalsLA GiltinisRugby ATLRugby ATLOld Glory DCNew England Free JacksToronto ArrowsRugby New YorkRugby United NYNOLA GoldUtah WarriorsSeattle SeawolvesSan Diego LegionHouston SaberCatsColorado RaptorsGlendale RaptorsAustin GilgronisAustin Elite

Future teams
Team Location Stadium Joining
Miami Sharks Miami, Florida AutoNation Sports Field 2024

The expansion franchise fee is US$4 million as of 2019.[44]

The Mexican Rugby Federation is exploring adding an MLR team.[45]

On February 8, 2023, it was announced that the Miami Sharks would be joining the league in 2024.[46]

On August 17, 2023, Major League Rugby announced that Rugby ATL would be relocating to Los Angeles for the 2024 season.[30]

Former teams
TeamLocationStadiumJoinedLeft
Colorado RaptorsGlendale, ColoradoInfinity Park20182020
LA Giltinis Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 2021 2022
Austin Gilgronis Austin, Texas Bold Stadium 2018 2022

On April 9, 2020, the Colorado Raptors announced that they would withdraw from Major League Rugby after three seasons in the league, effective May 2, 2020,[47] the first team to do so. Their announcement explained their withdrawal by saying that "our greater responsibility lies in the development of American players who can win the World Cup for the United States."[47] Asked to explain how withdrawing from the league would help to develop American rugby players, the Raptors referred the question to Glendale City Manager Linda Cassaday, who said on April 10, 2020, that MLR had been founded with a core mission of developing American rugby players and originally had limited teams to three foreign players, although this expanded to five players before the first season began in 2018.[47] MLR had expanded from seven teams in 2018 to 12 in 2020 without having enough American players to fill out rosters and had raised the ceiling on foreign players to 10 per team.[47] The Raptors believed that both this overall number of foreign players and the higher proportion of foreign to American players no longer best served the goal of developing American players who could compete successfully in the Rugby World Cup, and therefore chose to withdraw from the league to better focus their efforts on the development of American players who could compete on an international stage.[47]

On October 25, 2022, Major League Rugby announced that 12 teams would compete in the 2023 season, but that neither the Austin Gilgronis, nor the LA Giltinis will participate. With the uncertainties surrounding Austin and Los Angeles' team ownership, it was determined to suspend operations of the two teams to ensure a successful 2023 season, and protect the long-term strength and continued growth of the league.[27]

Champions

By year
YearTeamsChampionScoreRunner-up
20187Seattle Seawolves23–19Glendale Raptors
20199Seattle Seawolves26–23San Diego Legion
202012Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
202112LA Giltinis31–17Rugby ATL
202213Rugby New York30–15Seattle Seawolves
202312New England Free Jacks25–24San Diego Legion

By team
ClubMLR ShieldsYear(s) WonConf champsYear(s) WonPlayoff appsYear(s)Total seasons
Seattle Seawolves22018, 20191202242018, 2019, 2022, 20236
Rugby New York120221202242019, 2021, 2022, 20235
New England Free Jacks120231202322022, 20234
LA Giltinis†1202112021120212
San Diego Legion0-1202342018, 2019, 2022, 20236
Rugby ATL0-1202122021, 20224
Houston SaberCats0-0-22022, 20236
Utah Warriors0-0-22018, 20216
Toronto Arrows0-0-120195
Old Glory DC0-0-120234
Colorado Raptors[upper-alpha 1]†0-0-120183
NOLA Gold0-0-0-6
Austin Gilgronis[upper-alpha 2]†0-0-0-5
Dallas Jackals0-0-0-2
Chicago Hounds0-0-0-1
† Franchise no longer competes in MLR

MLR rivalry cups

In Major League Rugby, several teams annually compete for secondary rivalry cups. Most cups are deliberately conceived as local derbies between teams in the same region.

Summary

Each win is counted as an official title. Only official MLR games are considered as official rivalry games unless an exhibition game is specifically marked as a Rivalry game. Several teams now participating in cups played matches before the creation of the cups.

Active
Rivalry name Most wins Titles Other club(s) Titles Recent winner
Chowdah CupNew England Free Jacks5Rugby New York1New England Free Jacks
I-45 FeudHouston Sabercats3Dallas Jackals0Houston Sabercats
Dog BowlChicago Hounds2Dallas Jackals0Chicago Hounds
Coffee CupNew England Free Jacks2Seattle Seawolves1New England Free Jacks

Inactive

These Cups are currently listed as inactive, due to teams withdrawing from, or relocating within, Major League Rugby. Individual cups may return with new teams in the future.

Rivalry name Most wins Titles Other club(s) Titles Last winner
Texas CupAustin Gilgronis3Houston SaberCats0Austin Gilgronis
Lone Star ChampsAustin Gilgronis1Houston SaberCats
Dallas Jackals		0
0		Austin Gilgronis
Cali CupLA Giltinis2San Diego Legion1San Diego Legion
Champagne CupRugby New York1LA Giltinis1LA Giltinis
Cuisine Solutions CupOld Glory DC2Austin Gilgronis1Austin Gilgronis
Gillys CupLA Giltinis3Austin Gilgronis1LA Giltinis
Fire and Ice CupRugby ATL3Toronto Arrows0Rugby ATL

Players

Major League Rugby players include those drawn from North American clubs, as well as foreign signings. Although the original concept was to limit club to three foreign players, the limit grew to five before the start of the first season, before then being increased to ten. This increased allotment of foreign players led to some criticism that MLR was not providing enough opportunities for American players to develop.[48]

Awards
MLR season
Player of the Year Forward of the Year Back of the Year Coach of the Year Rookie of the Year S. Marcus Calloway Community Impact Award
2019
  • Not Awarded
  • Not Awarded
2021
  • Not Awarded
2022
2023
  • Josh Syms
  • Old Glory DC
  • Sam Golla
  • Dallas Jackals
MLR championship
MVP of the Championship Match MVP of the Championship Series
2018
  • –
2019
2021
  • –
2022
  • –
2023
  • –

Television coverage

For the 2022 season, MLR and FOX Sports have partnered up once again to broadcast the matches. MLR Commissioner George Killebrew said, "Having FOX Sports involved as the national television broadcaster for Major League Rugby this season is an amazing opportunity for the league. FOX Sports' reach and audience will not only bring our fans the rugby coverage they expect but also introduce our sport to entirely new rugby fans."[49]

Major League Rugby programming runs in prime weekend time slots on Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings.[50]

The CBS Sports Network televises 13 matches nationally over the course of the season. This includes a Game of the Week during each of the 10 rounds of the MLR regular season along with all three post-season matches.[31] Live streaming is also available through the CBS Sports Network streaming platforms.[31] Dan Power (Play By Play), Brian Hightower (Color Analyst) and Stacy Paetz (Sideline) were the CBS Sports commentators for the 2019 season.[51] The remaining games are available on ESPN properties and regional sports networks.[52]

ESPN has the national and international rights to an 18-game package covering regular season matches to audiences across its various platforms.[52]

AT&T Sports Networks have a 17-game package covering six of the seven MLR teams for games not broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.[50] Home-and-away matches for Austin, Houston and New Orleans are carried on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. Seattle's matches are carried on Root Sports Northwest and all Colorado and Utah games are hosted on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.[50]

San Diego has a separate local rights agreement for their market with all the Legion's home-and-away MLR games that are not on the CBS Sports Network being televised locally on Channel 4 YurView California.[53]

MLR Weekly presented by Rugby Wrap Up is a weekly Major League Rugby magazine show featuring weekly highlights, previews and interviews with players, coaches and rugby personalities. The show is broadcast on American TV including Cox Communication’s YurView Channel 4 in San Diego and Santa Barbara, and Channel 118 in Orange County and Palos Verdes, YurView California. YurView Arizona, YurView Vegas as well as Marquee Sports Network in Chicago (Official TV broadcaster of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs and Major League Rugby's Chicago Hounds)[54]

Austin Elite Rugby partnered with Facebook Watch for their Texas-based viewers during the 2019 season.

Rugby United New York announced regional television partnership with SNY, which will televise nine games of RUNY's inaugural season (2019), with the premiere game airing LIVE Sunday, January 27 at 5:00 PM EST.[55] Also, NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Philadelphia+ will join SNY in televising match coverage of eight remaining games, beginning Saturday February 16 at 3 PM EST when RUNY travels to face the NOLA Gold. The partnership with the NBC Sports Regional Networks expands RUNY's TV market into two key East Coast markets.[56]

Toronto Arrows Rugby announced a television partnership with GameTV for the 2019 season.

The 2019 Championship game was broadcast on CBS, the first MLR game to be televised on free-to-air TV. It gained a 0.32 Sports TV rating which equated to 510,000 two-plus-person households.[57]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MLR adjusted its 2020 season schedule and turned its attention to ensuring the league would rebound with a strong showing in 2021. League and team officials have been "diligently working to build strong rosters and enhance the fan experience" for the season. Matches were televised on CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports 2, among other national and local market platforms. The MLR Championship was broadcast on CBS on Sunday, August 1, 2021.[58]

For the 5th (2022) and 6th (2023) seasons of MLR competition, FOX Sports nationally broadcast select matches on FS1 and FS2.[59] FOX broadcast the 2022 Final between New York and Seattle, with an average audience figure of 281,000.[60] During the 2023 season, FOX Sports 1 broadcast three regular season matches, with average audience figures ranging between 53,000 and 147,000.[61] Fox Sports 2 broadcast one regular season match with an average audience of 36,000.[62]

Finals TV ratings
YearTV ViewershipRatingsChannelStadium AttendanceRef.
2018CBSSN2,901[63][64]
2019510,0000.32CBS6,000[65][66][67]
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021478,0000.28CBS7,389[68][69]
2022281,0000.16Fox1,979[70][71]
2023269,0000.2Fox10,103[72][73]

Streaming

On March 16, 2021, MLR launched The Rugby Network.[74] It is a free streaming platform in conjunction with RugbyPass which streams MLR matches and highlights. This digital network provides rugby fans with a single destination to stream select MLR matches, international rugby matches, game highlights, and other content.[75]

MLR App

On March 17, 2021, MLR launched its official mobile app. This allows MLR fans to view MLR news, schedules, match scores, team profiles, statistics, and other video content. The app is part of a multi-platform deal with digital sport innovators PT SportSuite for MLR's digital media capabilities. The MLR app is available to download on iPhone App Store and Android Google Play.[76]

Attendance

Top attendances for Major League Rugby matches all time, from 2018 onward:

RankAttend­anceGameDateSeasonVenueLocation
111,423San Diego Legion vs Utah Warriors
Week 1		February 18, 20232023Snapdragon StadiumSan Diego, CA[77]
210,103San Diego Legion vs New England Free Jacks
Championship Final		July 8, 20232023SeatGeek StadiumChicago, IL[73][78]
39,186Utah Warriors vs Glendale Raptors
Pre-season exhibition		March 30, 20182018Rio Tinto StadiumSandy, UT[79][80]
48,926San Diego Legion vs New York Ironworkers
Week 15		May 28, 20232023Snapdragon StadiumSan Diego, CA[81]
57,389Los Angeles Giltinis vs Rugby ATL
Championship Final		August 1, 20212021Los Angeles ColiseumLos Angeles, CA[69]
66,000San Diego Legion vs Seattle Seawolves
Championship Final		June 16, 20192019Torero StadiumSan Diego, CA[82]
74,880Los Angeles Giltinis vs Utah Warriors
Week 9		May 15, 20212021Sofi StadiumLos Angeles, CA[83]
84,758New England Free Jacks vs Houston SaberCats
Week 18		June 18, 20232023Veterans Memorial StadiumQuincy, MA[84]
94,560Utah Warriors vs Rugby Atlanta
Week 15		May 27, 20232023Zions Bank StadiumHerriman, UT[85]
104,500San Diego Legion vs Rugby United New York
Semi-Final		June 9, 20192019Torero StadiumSan Diego, CA
4,500Utah Warriors vs Rugby Atlanta
Week 17		July 11, 20212021Zions Bank StadiumHerriman, UT[86]
4,500Seattle Seawolves vs New York Ironworkers
Week 1		February 18, 20232023Starfire StadiumTukwila, WA[87]
4,500Seattle Seawolves vs Chicago Hounds
Week 14		May 20, 20232023Starfire StadiumTukwila, WA[88]
4,500Utah Warriors vs Houston Sabercats
Week 14		May 20, 20232023Zions Bank StadiumHerriman, UT[89]

Attendance for the inaugural season was approximately 1,800 per match.[90] That average increased by about 300 per game in 2019 with an average of 2,133 per game and a total of 159,000 attendees.[90] George Killebrew reported that in 2022 an additional 70,000 tickets were sold compared to the 2021 season, with crowd averages remaining around 2,000 per game.[91]

Executives

Commissioner/CEO

Deputy Commissioner

  • Nic Benson (2016–2023)[94]

Sponsorship

The Gem Garden in San Marcos, California, makes all MLR Championship rings, as of 2018.[95]

On October 28, 2019, Major League Rugby announced that, starting for the 2020 season, Paladin Sports will be the new supplier of all uniforms/kit for the league.[96]

On January 2, 2020, MLR partnered with Rhino Rugby for the 2020 season. Rhino Rugby is the official ball and technical training equipment supplier for the 2020 MLR season. The Rhino Rugby "Vortex Elite" ball is the official MLR match ball for all 12 teams. The Vortex Elite is currently the official ball of Rugby Europe, and Asia Rugby, and has been used in the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) the past several years[97]

In March 2021, American Airlines became MLR's official airline and travel partner.[98][99]

On February 23, 2023, the MLR signed a partnership with OVAL3, the brand specializing in Web3 and fantasy rugby. OVAL3 will be the "Exclusive NFT Fantasy Game" of Major League Rugby. OVAL3 plans to provide "world-class immersive experiences" and Web 3.0 engagement to rugby's rapidly-growing North American fanbase.[100]

On October 6, 2023, the MLR signed a partnership with Legends to lead sponsorship sales and commercial outreach.[101]

Jersey sponsorships
Team Sponsor Manufacturer
Dallas Jackals None Paladin Sports
Houston Sabercats None
Chicago Hounds None
New Orleans Gold Louisiana Office of Tourism
Rugby New York None
San Diego Legion Kings and Convicts Brewing
Seattle Seawolves WaFd Bank
Toronto Arrows Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation
Utah Warriors InterMountain Healthcare
New England Free Jacks Alloy Therapeutics
Old Glory DC Cuisine Solutions
Rugby ATL Barbour Orthopedics and Spine

See also

References

Explanatory notes
  1. Competed as Glendale Raptors in 2018 and 2019.
  2. Competed as Austin Elite in 2018 and 2019.

Citations
  1. "Major League Rugby Commissioner Killebrew Steps Down". Major League Rugby. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  2. "MLR 2020: LEAGUE FORMAT". Major League Rugby. July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  3. "2020 MLR Collegiate Draft Summary". June 14, 2020.
  4. "MLR Draft Picks 2020". Major League Rugby.
  5. "2020 Major League Rugby Draft Application and Useful Athlete Info". USA Rugby. May 6, 2020.
  6. "Glendale Announces 2021 Colorado XO Team". January 22, 2021.
  7. "Utah Warriors Co-Founder to build Liberty Boys Academy - djcoilrugby". December 2, 2020.
  8. "'We learned a lot': Major League Rugby commissioner Dean Howes sees success where others failed". www.sportspromedia.com. April 30, 2019.
  9. "Dean Howes, Former Real Salt Lake CEO, Joins Rugby Utah" (Press release). Utah Rugby. August 24, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  10. "Major League Rugby Coming in 2018". Americas Rugby News. February 13, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  11. "Nine Teams Confirmed for Major League Rugby". Americas Rugby News. May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  12. "Austin Huns Opt Out of Inaugural MLR Season" (Press release). Austin Huns. August 15, 2017. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  13. "San Diego Join as Major League Rugby Eyes Rapid Expansion". Americas Rugby News. September 21, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  14. "Major League Rugby: All you need to know about U.S. rugby's newest competition". ESPN. April 30, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  15. Bristol, Jason (November 13, 2017). "Houston, rugby has landed; to be broadcast on CBS Sports Network". KHOU-TV. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  16. Hamilton, Tom (April 20, 2018). "Major League Rugby: Inside rugby's latest attempt to crack America". ESPN. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  17. "France international Mathieu Bastareaud signs for Rugby United New York on loan deal". ESPN. April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  18. "Rugby star Ma'a Nonu of New Zealand joins San Diego team". KSWB-TV. October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  19. "Rugby World Cup winner Beast Mtawarira joins Major League Rugby club Old Glory DC". ESPN.com. Reuters. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  20. "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS". Major League Rugby. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  21. "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  22. "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby". KUSA (TV). April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  23. "Major League Rugby welcomes Nonu and Ranger – but could say goodbye to Colorado". the Guardian. November 25, 2019.
  24. "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY OFFICIALLY WELCOMES THE LA GILTINIS". Major League Rugby. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  25. "MLR Introduces the Dallas Jackals". Major League Rugby. June 5, 2020.
  26. "Dallas Jackals move inaugural season to 2022". Major League Rugby. January 19, 2021.
  27. "Major League Rugby Issues 2023 Competition Update". Major League Rugby.
  28. "Major League Rugby Officially Announces Expansion into Chicago".
  29. "Expansion Teams Headline Off-Season of Growth for Major League Rugby". Major League Rugby. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  30. "Major League Rugby's Atlanta Team to Relocate". Major League Rugby. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  31. "CBS Sports Network Partners with MLR". Major League Rugby (Press release). November 6, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  32. "Major League Rugby to add three new teams in 2020". ESPN.com. April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  33. Rowe, James (April 11, 2019). "Major League Rugby Announces New League Format For 2020". The Runner Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  34. Parkes, Geoff (May 6, 2018). "Why Major League Rugby could finally be the USA's game changer". The Roar. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  35. "Major League Rugby nears kick-off as next attempt to make US a union power". The Guardian. UK. November 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  36. "Major League Rugby confirms Boston and Atlanta for 2020". Americas Rugby News. September 21, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  37. Mackel, Travers (August 30, 2019). "When Baby Cakes leave, what happens to "Shrine On Airline?'". WDSU. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  38. "Washington DC team to enter Major League Rugby 'no later' than 2020". Major League Rugby. May 15, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  39. "2023 HOME STADIUM ANNOUNCED". rugbynewyork.com. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  40. "San Diego Legion announces Snapdragon Stadium as permanent home starting in 2023". SD Legion. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  41. "Former All Black Danny Lee named new Legion head coach and Directory of Rugby". SD Legion. August 11, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  42. "Contact". Starfire Sports. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  43. "Utah Warriors Announce Home Venue for the Major League Rugby Season". Utah Warriors. January 25, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  44. "Major League Rugby expanding to 12 teams in 2020". www.americasrugbynews.com. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  45. "Mexico eyeing a Major League Rugby future". Americas Rugby News. December 18, 2020.
  46. "Expansion Teams Headline Off-Season of Growth for Major League Rugby". Major League Rugby. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  47. Petersen, Will, "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby," 9news.com, April 10, 2020 Accessed March 27, 2021
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