Major League Rugby

[Mellsblue]

https://x.com/seawolvesrugby/status/169 ... MV3j-SK8yQ

[Puja]

Rugby ATL have been bought out and moved to Los Angeles: https://www.majorleague.rugby/news/majo ... svWZgg3OdU

Sad, but ATL has been an utter basketcase for a while. Management failing to engage with fans, that stupid name, rebrand that everyone hated, poor marketing - it was coming and better that it's been rescued and moved elsewhere than just allowed to die.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

https://x.com/bedfordbluesrfc/status/17 ... MV3j-SK8yQ

[Puja]

https://x.com/bedfordbluesrfc/status/17 ... MV3j-SK8yQ

That's a good signing for the Legion - he'll do well there. Frankly, if he settles, I don't see any reason why he couldn't be playing for the US in 5 years' time.

Have you seen the latest news from the league though? Toronto Arrows have folded after the founder and owner died and his heirs didn't have the same enthusiasm for bankrolling a rugby club.

ETA. But in good news, have just seen Seattle have signed Tevita Kuridrani - hell of a signing!

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Hadn’t seen that. Another example of how precarious the finances are.

[Mellsblue]

Here’s the answer to my question ‘How can Nordli-Kelemeti not get in to this terrible Newcastle team?’

https://x.com/nefreejacks/status/173100 ... MV3j-SK8yQ

[Puja]

Ooft. New York's just folded as well. Not great for the league as a whole to contract this suddenly and across two very big markets.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

If you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere…

[Puja]

If you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere…

And apparently rugby can't, at least not now. Mind, RUNY/NY Ironworkers always seemed to be a bit of a muddle. I say this having no money of my own with which to buy and run a professional rugby club, but it always seemed like they tried to do it low-key and on-the-cheap, which just isn't going to attract any attention in New York. Open with a fanfare, playing at the Red Bull Stadium, advertise this brand new exciting attraction bringing this big-time sport to New York and, while it would be bloody expensive to run, it would at least stand a chance of catching enough attention to become self-sustaining. It'd be glory or bust - sure you'd need 10k crowds to make it work, but with the population of New York, that's not out of the question.

Playing in penny-hapenny stadia in Hoboken and Coney Island, scrabbling with crowds of 1-1.5k - might've been cheaper to run, but it relegated them to being "that little weird minor sport" to anyone who came across them, assuming anyone outside of the rugby community did even actually hear of them.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

https://x.com/usmlr/status/173329552090 ... MV3j-SK8yQ

Toronto and NY players exempt from the salary cap.

[Mellsblue]

If you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere…

And apparently rugby can't, at least not now. Mind, RUNY/NY Ironworkers always seemed to be a bit of a muddle. I say this having no money of my own with which to buy and run a professional rugby club, but it always seemed like they tried to do it low-key and on-the-cheap, which just isn't going to attract any attention in New York. Open with a fanfare, playing at the Red Bull Stadium, advertise this brand new exciting attraction bringing this big-time sport to New York and, while it would be bloody expensive to run, it would at least stand a chance of catching enough attention to become self-sustaining. It'd be glory or bust - sure you'd need 10k crowds to make it work, but with the population of New York, that's not out of the question.

Playing in penny-hapenny stadia in Hoboken and Coney Island, scrabbling with crowds of 1-1.5k - might've been cheaper to run, but it relegated them to being "that little weird minor sport" to anyone who came across them, assuming anyone outside of the rugby community did even actually hear of them.

Puja

Reading replies under official statements, there’s plenty of moaning about moving around stadia. There’s a couple that say that Hoboken was by far the worst facility but the easiest to get to and had the best atmosphere, and that they team should’ve stayed there whilst building a solid supporter base.

[Mellsblue]

https://x.com/usmlr/status/173683422869 ... MV3j-SK8yQ

[Puja]

8 team playoffs in an 11 team league seems somewhat over the top.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

https://x.com/raysrugby/status/17437764 ... MV3j-SK8yQ