Over the next five years World Rugby plans to invest $250 to $270 million in the US market, according to Sports Business Journal. The funds will go toward fan engagement, matches in key parts of the country and the development of women’s rugby.
“It’s not just about one-off matches in Washington or Chicago,” says World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin. “It’s about building those audiences.”
World Rugby decided three years ago, in 2022, to host the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup in US. It is therefore, as Gilpin says, “building the game and building audiences” so as to enable the sport to “thrive in the U.S.” subsequently. Bill Goren, CEO of USA Rugby, which will be helping to administer the funds, agrees that the intent goes beyond “hosting a tournament” to “igniting a movement.”
World Rugby’s general manager of US operations, Ross Young, and his team have been trying to whittle down the list of potential venues to 13 to 15 stadiums. Rugby World Cups hosted by the US are to take place as usual from September to October, during the regular season of the National Football League (NFL), which Gilpin says has been cooperative on scheduling. But there are other constraints.
World Rugby requires for its pitches natural grass and, like FIFA, dimensions other than those of American football – especially in width. Medics are to have an established space of their own – rather than be relegated to locker rooms or tents on the sidelines, as in NFL stadiums. The Washington Commanders (former Redskins) will apparently be keeping such things in mind when building their new stadium. Capacity is another point of interest.
Young says that the last several Rugby World Cups have averaged “above 45,000 a game.” The stadiums of professional and college American football tend to hold between 60,000 and 100,000 – too big to achieve the effect of a capacity crowd.
