It wasn’t quite October, as we originally predicted, but it appears as if Pro Rugby North America is making an official announcement regarding their launch and plans on Monday November 9th, 2015. The question is whether the day will go down as a historic moment for rugby in North America or if it will fall into the pile of failed professional rugby ventures… of which there painstakingly have been many.

Pro Rugby North America seems to have taken the path less travelled when it comes to professional rugby in the USA. Instead of prematurely announcing plans and stoking fires, they have waited until it was time to come public. Of course, we wouldn’t be the rugby media if we hadn’t already caught wind of their plans. However, it wasn’t easy. It certainly was not as easy as it has been to get other groups to open up. In my opinion, that is a good thing.

Let’s talk about what we know (or think we know) so far.

It is a North American competition with a planned kickoff of Spring of 2016.

The season is set to run from April-July/August with breaks in place for the June test window. The Pre-season will take place right around Americas 6 Nations time and could present some potential issues during the first season of play.

So, where are there going to be teams? There have been very few leaks in this area, so nothing is guaranteed.

There are likely going to be six teams in the competition, but it sounds like there will not be any Canadian teams involved in 2016. Word is that they were in the plans, but have passed on this season. Ditto for Houston as the stadium in their plans (BBVA) is booked solid. There is an excellent chance Houston could be added in 2017.

So, who is in? This is purely theory (or is it?), but I think Chicago and New York are safe bets as the group behind the competition has ties in Chicago and their home office is now open in New York. After that, who knows? I’ve heard lots of names come up, but none with any sort of information to verify the claims.

San Jose, Philadelphia, Dallas, Seattle, and Atlanta have all come up. I have even heard rumblings about an unnamed city in North Carolina. Again, all just rumors, but sometimes where there is smoke there is fire.

Whether Pro Rugby North America releases the names of the team locations in their announcement on Monday is to be determined. I think it would be a great idea for them to come out of the gate and announce the host cities. Not having teams named will be a huge letdown for fans. If they want to get the marketing machine rolling, the best thing they could do is name some teams.

Plus, it will save everyone from having to ask a million questions about “where are the teams going to be”.

Now, let’s move on to the players. From what we have gathered, the rosters are going to have around 30 players. Of those players, only five can be from overseas, but all have to be either Eagle or Maple Leaf eligible.

I think this was one of the major concerns that everyone has expressed at one point or another. Bringing in players was inevitable. The player depth just isn’t there in North America to stock six teams. While Canada isn’t putting a team in for the first season, there is still a possibility that Canadian players could be contracted on American based teams. This could be an interesting storyline to follow, so keep an eye on it. I hope that they are given the opportunity as there are a number of excellent players based in Canada that do not have overseas contracts.

If there are 5-6 teams, that is 100-120 players that are based in the USA and hopefully Canada. There are a lot of players that are going to have the opportunity to play professional rugby. There have been groups that have done feasibility studies on pro rugby in the USA. The number of professional grade players found to be in the USA was nothing near that number.

I’m certain that the hope is that with professional opportunities, North America will be able to attract and retain more high level players. I believe this to be true. We lose a lot of very good college players that can’t afford to pursue rugby after they finish playing collegiately.

Now, the concern is how much they are going to get paid. I’d be willing to bet that these will not be year round, full-time paid positions. These players are likely going to only make money during the season. Perhaps a handful of guys (current Eagles and Maple Leafs) on each team will make what would amount to a livable wage. The rest are going to need off-season jobs. Especially the guys that are on the fringe of the squads or in some sort of taxi-system limbo between a D1 club and the Pro team.

I could go on and on with concerns and thoughts. I’m sure we’ll be addressing many of them in the near future.

Such as:

What happens with competitions like the PRP and ARP?

How are players contracted? Draft? Free agency? Strategic placement?

How does this change the club rugby landscape? Note: There will be changes. I have heard some of the plans.

How does this all tie in with RIM, the RFU, and their not so open plans about conquering America?

The list could go on and on.

Time for a nice deep breath…. ahhhh.

Questions or not, we are about to embark on a path that will either launch North American rugby to the next level or break a ton of American rugby fan hearts that have been long awaiting this news.

While it is time to get excited, it is also important for us to remain realistic. Please understand that this is just the beginning of the story. Having a pro league doesn’t make the USA or Canada automatically into Tier 1 nations. We’re still looking at 5-10 years and that is if this competition is able to make it through the first few years and not fold up shop.

Make no bones about it… the fans are going to be the ones that determine the success of failure of this competition. We’ve been waiting for years for something to come along. Support it or don’t be surprised if it doesn’t last long. The ability of rugby players in North America isn’t the only thing about to be tested, the passion of the American rugby public is going to be put to the test.

Think about that when you have a chance to purchase the online rugby channel that is almost certainly going to air these games. Think about that when you have a team within driving distance and look at buying tickets. Think about that when merchandise hits the online rugby stores.

This is just as much about you and I as it is about getting players paid to play rugby.