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Negotiations are underway from Uruguay Rugby (URU) and leading soccer clubs for the country’s two South American professional rugby teams. Referí reports that the national governing body has the revolutionary idea of joining forces with Uruguayan soccer clubs to complete the path to professional rugby.
Soccer clubs Nacional and Peñarol, located in Montevideo and on the outskirts of the city respectively, have been suggested as potentially going into business with the URU. Referí confirms that there have been meetings between the URU and Peñarol President Jorge Barrera as well as Nacional President José Luis Rodríguez.
Both clubs were responded positively to the proposal. The legal team of both clubs subsequently held talks with those of the URU which resulted in them reaching an agreement. Minor details are yet to be finalized notes Referí.
The South American Professional Rugby competition is penciled in to begin in 2019. The competition’s proposal was to be an 8 team league with Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay all being involved. The locations of teams remains unconfirmed as does the number of teams per country. The number, though, may well be ten not eight.
Earlier this month Brazil made it known that it intends on having two teams. Like Uruguay South American Professional Rugby is viewed as a vital piece of the puzzle in helping lift the level of rugby of the country’s leading domestic talent.
With the vast majority of Uruguay’s roster for RWC 2019 set to come from amateur clubs within the country there is a clear gulf which the URU seeks to bridge.
For Uruguay South American Professional Rugby brings with it a path to propel the sport to officially being the number two sport in the country. Achieving this status would be facilitated by the involvement of leading soccer clubs.
Teams would begin by already having an identity, an important part of simplifying the task of promoting a new competition in a new market.
Referí also touches on the model to be used to combine a union run institution with a professional identity. The URU would own 51% of the franchise with the remaining 49% to be owned by private partnerships.
