Scottish Rugby bosses take a very curious punt on a yet-to-play MLR outfit
Scottish Rugby has become the first tier one national governing body to link with a club in the newly sanctioned Major League Rugby competition in the United States.
A relationship has been formed with new expansion team Old Glory DC, based in Washington, which will play in an expanded 12-team MLR competition from February 2020.
Scottish Rugby has taken a minority stake in the East Coast side and will provide a combination of financial and rugby support to the Old Glory DC team and see its chief operating officer, Dominic McKay sit on the franchise board.
The strategic partnership was born out of conversations in the US market around expanding the PRO14, and Scottish Rugby’s board has taken the decision to align with MLR at the start.
Washington is one of America’s rugby hotbeds, with the D.C area boasting 190 clubs and 7,500 players at school, college and club levels. Overall, the demographics of the market offer great economic potential, with Greater Washington alone including more than 8.5 million residents and rated the 3rd largest media market in the U.S.
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The Washington franchise has been developed and is led by former USA Eagles player Paul Sheehy, an owner of Sheehy Auto Stores and prominent local businessman Chris Dunlavey, President of project manager firm Brailsford & Dunlavey. Both are long-term sponsors, coaches and supporters of rugby in the area.
The MLR season runs from February to June and currently has nine franchises competing in its second season following the arrival of the Toronto Arrows earlier this year. The number of teams will expand to 12 in 2020 with the inclusion of Old Glory DC along with teams from Atlanta and New England.
Scottish Rugby COO McKay, said: “This is a very exciting moment for both Scottish Rugby and our new partners, Old Glory DC. We have been working with the team behind this new franchise for some time, and I’m delighted we are now in a position to announce our association and support their arrival next season into the MLR.
BREAKING | Scottish Rugby becomes the first Tier 1 national governing body to link with a club (@OldGloryDC) in the newly sanctioned Major League Rugby competition in the United States.https://t.co/zH8nl9rdFR
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) March 28, 2019
“The US market has long been a strategic target for us and the potential and passion for rugby will undoubtedly grow in the years to come. It is important we are creative and develop opportunities beyond our own borders and we are very much looking forward to growing our relationship with the team in Washington in the years to come.”
SRU CEO Mark Dodson, added: “This is a strategic international partnership, which I am pleased we have secured to become the first tier one nation to take this step with a team in the MLR. We see this relationship as having a number of benefits for rugby in Scotland as well as developing our global rugby footprint.”
The founding partners of Old Glory DC agreed. “From the day we joined forces to explore the feasibility of creating an MLR team in DC, we carefully pursued additional partners who could bring not only capital but also strategic value,” said Old Glory chairman Chris Dunlavey. “We could not have imagined this search ending with a better strategic partner than Scottish Rugby.”
His partner Sheehy added: “Scottish Rugby is not only one of the top-ranked tier one national governing bodies in rugby, but they own two professional rugby teams in the PRO14; they own and operate Murrayfield Stadium; they’re a one-sixth owner of the Six Nations tournament; and a one-third owner of the PRO14. Whatever we need to learn in rugby, this is a relationship to guide us.”
“This investment by Scottish Rugby is not just a commitment to our team in DC,” said Dunlavey. “This is also a major statement of confidence in the future of Major League Rugby and the growth of the sport in the U.S.”
Old Glory DC and Scottish Rugby worked openly with, and with the full support of, both MLR and USA Rugby while forging this association. “From the start, the owners of MLR’s Washington, DC membership have demonstrated the highest professionalism and a long-term view toward building a sustainable, successful rugby organization,” said MLR Commissioner Dean Howes. “Their link with Scottish Rugby is just another sign of that commitment.”
D.C.'s professional rugby team secures sponsorships as it moves toward 2020 launch https://t.co/NAG5DW7SpY via @WBJonline
— Christopher Dunlavey (@christodunlavey) March 14, 2019
The team’s founders adopted the name “Old Glory” from a nickname for the flag of the United States – but with what they see as decided connections to rugby culture. The original namesake was a US flag owned by a former American naval captain, who had flown it on his ship as he sailed around the world.
He later kept the flag hidden while he lived in rebel-occupied Nashville Tennessee during the American Civil War, only to fly it again with pride when Union armies marched in to liberate the city. The original Old Glory now resides in the Smithsonian Institution museum in Washington.
“Sure, it’s meant to be patriotic,” said Old Glory DC’s Dunlavey. “Here in the DC area, it’s only right that our brand celebrates our country. But Old Glory is not just any flag. It’s been places. It’s battle-scarred. It’s weather-beaten. But still it flies proud. It symbolizes all the strength, resilience, commitment, and substance over style that are the hallmarks of rugby.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments