- USA Rugby and the Rugby Football League (RFL) finalize sanctioning agreement, look forward to inaugural US Rugby Sevens Major League event in Las Vegas, October 2022.
- The inaugural event will feature the top 12 international teams against four US teams, competing for a share of $1,000,000 in prize money.
- The RFL aspires to create a truly new fan experience combining the energy of rugby sevens events with the excitement of live gaming to engage fans.
- The new organization will break new ground by offering fans the unique opportunity to own a share of the RFL when buying a ticket for the Las Vegas Sevens 2022 event, via an Online Public Offer (OPO).
LAS VEGAS, NV (Wednesday, December 1, 2021) - USA Rugby and the newly formed Rugby Football League (RFL), have today announced a sanctioning agreement where the new organization looks to break new ground on rugby sevens events in the United States. The RFL will host its inaugural competition in Las Vegas, October 2022 as part of the US Rugby Sevens Major League. The event will see the world’s best international men’s rugby sevens players compete against the best US players for record breaking prize money of $1,000,000.
Kicking off October 2022 in Las Vegas, the RFL aspires to create a truly new fan experience combining the energy of Rugby Sevens with the excitement of the Kentucky Derby experience by using live gaming to engage fans. From 2023, the RFL expects to expand to 17 tournaments in major US cities and feature up to 16 US team franchises playing with top international teams.
The RFL has assembled a team of expert professionals lead by former World Rugby Competition General Manager Philippe Bourdarias (RFL CEO) who said, “The RFL is an amazing development for the game of Rugby in the US. There is a huge appetite for Rugby Sevens events in the US, as shown by the record-breaking Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 in San Francisco and the success of the Las Vegas Sevens over the years. We feel that there is a huge growth opportunity for the RFL and franchises with an innovative model whereby the League centralizes all expenses and rights, leaving the fun side of the League, managing the teams, to the franchisees.”
Sanctioned and supported by USA Rugby, CEO Ross Young added, “We are excited to announce this sanctioning agreement with RFL and their plans to expand the rugby sevens landscape in the US. The inaugural event in October 2022 is one for all rugby and general sports fans to look forward to as we welcome more first-class international rugby with a focus on US qualified athletes and competition.”
The RFL will break new ground by offering fans the unique opportunity to own a share of the RFL when buying a ticket for the Las Vegas Sevens 2022 event via an Online Public Offer (OPO). The OPO also provides a unique 100% return on investment opportunity for investors who decide to resell their ticket via the RFL ticket office. It will start in January 2022 and will be hosted on the innovative crowd funding platform wefunder.
Philippe is supported by former Las Vegas Sevens organizer Rob Cornelius (COO), Paddy Power, formerly of the European Rugby Cup (Heineken Cup) and Racing Post executive Eugene Delaney (Gaming and Commercial Adviser), to build and deliver this ambitious project. Backed by a US-based financial consortium, the US Rugby Sevens Major League looks to be a game changing breakthrough for the development of the game in the US.
RFL COO, Rob Cornelius said, “Having led the development of the Las Vegas Sevens until 2019, it is truly exciting to see the best of international rugby sevens teams coming back to Las Vegas. There is huge support from key stakeholders who supported the Las Vegas Sevens in the past such as Rhino Rugby the Official Ball and Equipment of the RFL and from the local community. From my experience, there is a huge opportunity to replicate the Las Vegas success to other major cities and I look forward to developing the League over the next few years.”
RFL Gaming and Commercial advisor, Eugene Delaney said, “The RFL delivers a truly innovative concept with fan engagement front and foremost. We want to provide a new and unique experience for fans at the stadium and at home by working with Sportsbooks to create dynamic betting offering, something not available in any of the other US Sports leagues. Our Racetrack Rugby concept will enable us to leverage the fast-growing live betting market, providing Sportsbooks with a fantastic opportunity for customer acquisition and engagement. Given our unique positioning, we are already in partnership talks with US and European operators.”
For more information on The RFL and US Rugby Sevens Major League, please contact:
Philippe Bourdarias (CEO): philippe@rflrugby.com / +353-89-401-4362
Rob Cornelius (COO): rob@rflrugby.com / +1-702-283-2212
Eugene Delaney (Commercial/Gaming): eugene@rflrugby.com / +44-7770-701-225
