Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
New American-based professional rugby startup PRO Rugby, officially unveiled just a couple weeks ago by CEO Doug Schoninger, has posted an application form for international talent. While the league has confirmed two California-based teams – Sacramento and San Francisco – with Denver, among others, almost certain to follow, no coaches or players have yet been named.
Makeups of those rosters are also undetermined, or under wraps, though the published form indicates that “a limited number of international professional rugby players” will be considered. The form also asks that players have “recently competed at provincial or national team levels”, though American visa requirements seem to indicate that international experience is a must. Professional athletes fall under the P1 visa category, which states:
“You must be coming to the United States to participate in individual event, competition or performance in which you are internationally recognized with a high level of achievement; evidenced by a degree of skill and recognition substantially above that ordinarily encountered so that the achievement is renowned, leading or well known in more than one country.”
What is also made clear is that the form is for “non-USA” players only, suggesting that Canadian and South American players will be considered in the same category as an overseas player. Player pay is also an unknown at this point, so it remains to be seen what kind of interest will be generated from outside the confines of the Americas.
A similar form for those interested in a head coaching position was released a few days ago. While it does not explicitly indicate a preference for international or domestic applicants, it asks for for “experience in a professional or high performance rugby environment”. Even given a loose interpretation of ‘high performance’, potential candidates currently residing in the Americas appear to be small in number.
The international player application form can be seen here.
The head coach application can be seen here.
