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Rugby ATL

Rugby ATL Announces Inaugural Major League Rugby Match

January 23, 2020 - Major League Rugby (MLR)
Rugby ATL News Release


ATLANTA, GA - There's only one opportunity to attend a franchise's first-ever regular-season game. Rugby ATL is excited to open its doors - officially - on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3 pm EST against Utah Warriors. As part of Major League Rugby (MLR), the team will play all its home games at Rugby ATL Stadium at Lupo Family Field headquartered in Marietta. Atlanta is tackling Major League Rugby by building a team from the ground up in a city that has an existing raving rugby fan base that is primed to support its first professional rugby team.

As MLR enters its third season, it has quickly grown to represent the highest level of competition in North America. The league increases to 12 teams this year, featuring 11 teams from the U.S. and one from Canada, growing faster than MLS did in initial years. With premier players from all across the country and the globe, Rugby ATL is comprised of passionate players who seek to make the market proud of their on and off the field accomplishments.

"We believe that fans new to rugby will feel the excitement instantaneously when attending a match," says President and CEO Bob Taylor. "Our franchise expects to take care of business by delivering on our mission of excellence every day, on and off the field, along with providing a fantastic game-day experience and fan engagement program."

According to the Market Strategies International (now named Escalent) market and analytics research, there are approximately 230,000 avid fans in Atlanta and one million residents that are highly likely to become self-identified fans of an Atlanta MLR team and attend home games.

The coaching staff brings decades of experience to Rugby ATL. General Manager and Head Coach Scott Lawrence is a former USA Eagles player and his assistants include Valenese Malifa, Lee Allan and Blake Bradford. Malifa has represented the US on the international stage, playing in three Rugby World Cups.

"We will play fast and we will play hard," said Lawrence. "Our roster is full of young, energetic, and talented players with the work ethic required to play a high speed, exciting brand of rugby. Our success doesn't hinge on one or two key players, our entire team of outstanding athletes work together and play for each other and for the fans."

The team's name and shield were designed to represent the great city of Atlanta. The established 'ATL' airport code is an easily recognizable symbol of Atlanta. Plus, the red, black and silver colors were selected because the city and other professional sports teams have already adopted the colors as a form of city unity. MLR has revealed Paladin as the official on-field kit provider for the 2020 season. All 12 teams have new home and away kits for the 2020 season, which are now available for purchase.

For more information about Rugby ATL, the schedule, merchandise and tickets, please visit www.rugbyatl.rugby.

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