A new professional rugby league circuit is set to open in North America this summer.
Organizers of the North American Rugby League say play will begin in June with 12 American teams. Two Canadian franchises in Toronto and Ottawa are scheduled to join in 2022.
The Toronto team, known as Wolfpack, will be a separate entity from the franchise that collapsed last year after resigning from the English Super League in July due to financial problems. Another Canadian franchise is Ottawa Ace, who will join the third tier of the British Rugby League next year.
Ace President Erik Perez called it “the dawn of a new era of professional rugby leagues not only in Canada but throughout North America.”
The bid for a private group to purchase Wolfpack’s intellectual property and re-enter the Super League with new ownership in 2022 was rejected in November.
Perez said in an interview that Ace could compete in both North American and British leagues.
“We don’t guarantee that will happen, but it will be 100 percent at NARL,” said Perez, a longtime rugby league enthusiast who founded Wolfpack before setting up his team in Ottawa. Told. “COVID is pending. We will participate in RFL (Rugby Football League in England), but COVID is clearly the main factor.”
NARL plays the rugby league, a 13-player rugby code played primarily in England, Australia and New Zealand, and has some presence in France and the Pacific Islands. Major League Rugby will play rugby union on Canada’s only entry, the Toronto Arrows, in its fourth year on the 12-team North American circuit. A more popular 15-player version of the game featured every four years at the Rugby World Cup.
Toronto and Ottawa are working on the “Canada Cup”
The East Coast Conference consists of Atlanta Rhinos, Boston Thirteens, Brooklyn Kings, Cleveland Rugby League, New York Rugby League and the Washington Cavalry. The Canadian team will join the East in 2022.
The West Coast Conference will feature Austin Armadillo, Las Vegas Blackjack, Phoenix Venom, Portland Logger, San Diego Swell, and San Francisco Rush.
According to NARL organizers, the first round of the United States will begin on June 19th in Brooklyn and June 20th in Las Vegas. Due to COVID-19, the game will continue to be played in one stadium for one day of the season without fans.
Due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, the Canadian team will not join in 2026. Instead, Toronto and Ottawa are working on a meeting at their home base, the Canada Cup, probably in August.
According to Perez, ownership groups vary, but league organizers have small ownership of some teams. He described the supporters of the new league as “very solid.” The league did not specify ownership in the first release.
Robert Curtis, head of operations for NARL, called the new league “the next major evolutionary step in the rugby league.”
“NARL is the culmination of years of research and market testing and is designed to provide the fastest, fastest and most exciting sport on the planet,” he said in a statement.
NARL games are broadcast via the SportsFlick online streaming service.
Bob Jowet, chairman of the Canada Rugby League Association, said NARL is backed by his group, provided that the teams joining the new league are supporting grassroots development.
“The formation of the North American professional rugby league tournament has long been debated and is considered an important advance in the sport,” he said.
Perez said the new league will feature international players, but will put a “main focus” on domestic talent. This means a steep learning curve, given that few North Americans are currently playing the game.
Organizers announce the formation of 14 teams of professional North American rugby league