Over a decade in the making, Raptors ready to earn new acclaim in Major League Rugby.

Professional rugby has arrived in the United States, with the Colorado-based Glendale Raptors as one of the seven founding member teams in the new professional league, Major League Rugby (MLR).

Starting in April 2018, MLR will field a 10-game schedule with each team playing eight regular season games with two bye weeks. The season will begin April 21, 2018 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado with the regular season concluding on June 24, 2018.

The Raptors will join six other founding teams in the inaugural season of MLR including the Utah Warriors, San Diego Legion, Seattle Seawolves, Houston SaberCats, New Orleans Gold and Austin Elite Rugby.

Each team is deeply invested in its respective community in order to increase youth participation and grow the game. Athletes take pride in the values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship. MLR looks forward to establishing these values in youth programs throughout rugby communities.

The Raptors have assembled an impressive player pool, signing many from their championship winning elite men’s team that have competed since 2007 in USA Rugby Men’s Division 1, Pacific Rugby Premiership and, most recently, Major Rugby Championship. A number of the Raptors squad have also been selected to play with the United States national team, the USA Eagles, further demonstrating Glendale’s ten-year history of consistent success. Raptors Head Coach David Williams acknowledges the team’s readiness for professional competition, noting that the Raptors have had “really good preparation and a great platform, making us ready to launch into the MLR.”

MLR has partnered with CBS Sports Net who will broadcast the season opener April 21st from Infinity Park, and with AT&T Sports, who will broadcast the remaining home matches.

Glendale Raptors Players

Bryce Campbell – Center

Jake Christmann – Scrumhalf

Connor Cook – Back Row

Dustin Croy – Wing/Fullback

Peter Dahl – Back Row

Harley Davidson – Wing/Fullback

Shaun Davies – Scrumhalf

Maximo de Achaval – Fullback

James DelBozque – Hooker

Zach Fenoglio – Hooker

Kelepi Fifita – Prop

Seth Halliman – Wing/Fullback

Kyle Hitt – Center

Nick Kwasniewski – Prop

Benjamin Landry – Lock

Chad London – Center

William Magie – Flyhalf

Ata Malifa – Center

John Quill – Back Row

Casey Rock – Lock

Blake Rogers – Prop

John Ryberg – Wing

Devin Vaughter – Back Row

Brian Wanless – Back Row

Luke White – Prop

Glendale Raptors Coaches and Staff

Mark Bullock – Director of Rugby

– Director of Rugby David Williams – Head Coach

– Head Coach Kieran Browner – Assistant Coach

About Glendale Raptors Rugby

The Glendale Raptors Rugby Football Club was established in 2007, accompanied by the creation of Infinity Park. The first rugby-specific stadium built in the U.S., Glendale’s Infinity Park is both a milestone in the development of rugby in this country and a major investment in the future of the city and the sport. Since the team’s creation, the Raptors have become standard-bearers for U.S. rugby, creating a template both on and off the field for what a successful rugby team looks like. In the decade-plus since the club’s inception, the Raptors have hoisted multiple championship banners in Infinity Park. As one of the teams across the country entering the forthcoming professional Major League Rugby organization, the Raptors enter a new chapter of competition at the highest level.



Glendale Raptors Media Contact

Diana Anderson

Director of Marketing and Sponsorship

Infinity Park at Glendale, Colorado

diana@glendalerugby.com, 303.639.4417





About Major League Rugby

MLR is a professional rugby league that will launch in April of 2018. It’s an initiative of the American rugby community, in partnership with private investors, who believe that American rugby can thrive at the highest levels as a commercial enterprise; as an influential player on the international scene; and as a participation sport at the youth and senior level. MLR will be the pinnacle of the American rugby, and provide a rallying point for local communities, a focal point for American rugby fans, and an aspirational destination for young athletes. By stitching together the local with the national, the national with the global, MLR will be the embodiment of rugby’s character-driven model of sport and athleticism, teamwork and diversity, participation and community – and an open invitation for the American public to join the unique and vibrant rugby world.

Major League Rugby Media Contact

Jessica Kunzer

jkunzer@mtsports.com, 801-647-2510