The NSW Waratahs have announced they have entered a partnership with Major League Rugby club San Diego Legion.
The deal will see the two clubs assist each other in terms of developing potential business and commercial opportunities within the two regions as they look to grow the game and their profile in the USA.
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Along with this, they will work towards a talent exchange between the two sides, as well as talent identification, with the likes of Cameron Clark and Paddy Ryan already making the move to the club from the Waratahs during their brief history in the MLR.
“This is a ground-breaking partnership with the opportunities it creates for both the Waratahs and the San Diego Legion," Waratahs CEO Paul Doorn said.
“The USA is the sleeping giant in world rugby and provides fantastic commercial and player development opportunities.
“The rapid growth and success of the MLR highlights the potential of the game in the USA and we look forward to working closely with the Legion to strengthen both organisations from a commercial and high-performance perspective.”
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The Legion is one of the founding members of the MLR, which continues to expand as the competition welcomes its 13th team (Dallas) in 2022.
"San Diego Legion is very focused on being a world class rugby organization. The US has a phenomenal pool of athletes and has the potential talent to become a legitimate force in world rugby," San Diego Legion Co-owner and US-based Australian lawyer Darren Gardner added.
"To do that, we need to continue to learn and develop our rugby systems, coaches, players and administration and we are excited by the opportunity that the partnership with the Waratahs presents for us to take that to the next level.
“At the same time, the US is the world’s largest economy and the global leader in professional sports. As a rugby market, it offers a commercial opportunity that doesn’t exist anywhere else. It is an amazing time for the game here and we look forward to welcoming the Waratahs into the fold.
“For me personally, growing up in country New South Wales with a life-long passion for rugby, I could not be more delighted with the partnership”.
