The RFL, the Newly Formed US Rugby Sevens League, Appoints Whitecap Sports Group (WSG) as Exclusive Franchise and Investors Management Partner

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The partnership will see WSG assist the RFL to engage and manage investors (Qualified Purchasers) for the RFL's US franchises. Kicking off the RFL's Champion Sevens in October 2022 in Las Vegas, the RFL aspires to create a truly new fan experience by using live gaming and betting to engage fans.

The inaugural RFL Las Vegas Champion Sevens will feature the world's greatest 12 international teams pitted against four "founding" US franchise teams representing media giant markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas. The 16 teams will fight to win their share of the RFL's world record $1,000,000 prize money.

From 2023 through 2026, the RFL will smartly expand its regular season into the top sixteen U.S. major cities, with these 16 franchise teams competing with top international teams.

WSG is a Sports M&A and advisory firm located in Tampa, FL. Their core business is aligning and advising investors on sports related opportunities, with a primary emphasis on sports team ownership. They operate across both major and minor team sports, as well as within sports technology and facilities.

Philippe Bourdarias, CEO of the RFL said: "WSG have worked on behalf of a wide variety of clients, including ownership groups, prospective ownership groups, and major leagues such as the MLB, the MLS or the NFL. It's fantastic to have WSG working with us to identify and manage the investors that will support the fast and ambitious development of the RFL"

Bourdarias added "The RFL's Smart Start model is committed to offering coveted major market franchises in a league that can both "survive and prosper". In traditional leagues, franchisees are responsible for most aspects of their participation including players, staff, stadium, matches, marketing and so on. This results in very high costs and unstable ownership. The RFL will provide league stability, labor cost control, as well as relieve franchisees of the traditional model franchisee operational burdens. The RFL will maximize revenues and minimize risk by managing, operating, and marketing all league tournaments. The franchisees can then simply enjoy their franchises, hiring coaches, recruiting, drafting, trading and cutting players, and put all of their energy into the fun of building their teams without the financial and operational headaches and potential risks."

Bob Malandro, CEO of WSG added: "The RFL is a unique venture that will certainly create a lot of interest among investors and fans. We are delighted to be able to be part of this journey and we look forward to working with the RFL team".

For more information, please contact:

Bob Malandro: Whitecap Sports Group / [email protected]

Media contact:
Jennifer Bradley
[email protected] 
702-234-9385

SOURCE RFL Rugby