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Executives in the highest ranks of rugby talk about why they're targeting Charlotte as a growth market for the sport and a potential host of future World Cup matches.
On a recent Saturday night at American Legion Memorial Stadium, three of the top executives in the sport of rugby gathered for a glimpse of a unique joint venture. Their collaboration is a professional rugby team — Anthem RC — jointly owned and run by sanctioning body executives.
Which explains why USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren, Major League Rugby CEO Nic Benson and World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin made their way around the field as players from Anthem RC and RFC Los Angeles warmed up for their match. Anthem RC debuted in March as Charlotte’s expansion team in Major League Rugby, with an eye on developing a strong U.S. team by the time the Rugby World Cup is played in America in 2031.
Gilpin, who lives in London but promotes the game all over the world, told CBJ that the Charlotte team is considered an important ingredient for helping rugby grow. The roster, by design, features younger players being seasoned for future international play.
Dallas-based Major League Rugby consists of 12 teams, including Anthem RC.
Benson and Gilpin, during an interview in the stands at Memorial Stadium, emphasized what they said will be an in-it-for-the-long-haul approach with the Charlotte team — and building overall interest in the U.S.
“There are a couple of things that are really important for 2031: How do we build out participation and, also, how do we build up performance,” Benson said. “We have to aim big.”
Anthem RC is co-funded and co-owned by the governing bodies. While 2031 is the big target, the executives hope to see enough progress that the U.S. national team qualifies for the Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027. Twenty-four teams will compete.
In 2031, the Men’s Rugby World Cup will be in the U.S., but specific sites and cities have yet to be selected. Charlotte is interested in hosting matches, the executives said. Bank of America Stadium would be the likely venue if Charlotte lands Men’s Rugby World Cup matches. In 2033, the Women’s Rugby World Cup will be in the U.S.
“So, that’s a quite intentional pairing of those two tournaments,” Gilpin said. His organization owns and runs the Rugby World Cups. “This is all about building national team, high-performance pathways. But also, in a city like Charlotte, that we know is a great sports city, building a presence for rugby in a really important market.”
Looking out at the Memorial Stadium field and a small but enthusiastic pregame crowd, Gilpin pronounced the facilities and environment perfect for developing young pro players. Benson of Major League Rugby pointed out that rugby participation in North Carolina has shown consistent growth, the main motivation for bringing a team here.
According to statistics from USA Rugby, there are 100,000 rugby players across the nation. Of that number, about half are high school- or college-aged.
“We’re showing the community what the game is all about and we’re getting these guys ready to play internationally,” Benson said.
Gilpin said that governing body developmental investments have been tried successfully in other countries in South America and Europe, among others. Benson added that the 11 other privately owned teams in Major League Rugby supported the addition of Anthem RC because the Charlotte club represents a step toward growth for the sport as a whole.
The 10-day Men’s Rugby World Cup has never been played in the U.S. It’s a large-scale event: Last year, France hosted, with 2.5 million tickets sold for a 20-team, 48-game World Cup. In Australia, Gilpin said, expectations are for ticket sales of 3 million as the event expands to 24 teams and 52 matches.
U.S. host sites will be determined over the next two years, he added. The Men’s Rugby World Cup lasts six weeks. About 26 cities and 30 venues have expressed interest, including Charlotte. That number will likely be narrowed to 12 cities that stage matches in 2031.
Women’s Rugby World Cup features 16 teams in eight venues. The U.S. women’s team has qualified for the World Cup next year in England.
The executives acknowledged that they got a late start for Anthem RC’s inaugural season but they’re pleased with initial results.
“It’s early days,” Gilpin said. “The fact that these guys are playing and training together all the time is going to set them up for the future. So, we’re going to see them improve next season, the season after — this is not invest for six months and then we all disappear.”
Benson and Gilpin said they knew coming in that break-even or profitability will be several years away. That, too, they said, is part of growing into a more mature sport.
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