The Dallas Jackals are officially back in the picture for the 2022 Major League Rugby season. League Commissioner George Killebrew confirmed the expansion to 13 teams during the Eastern Conference Final broadcast, with the Jackals now set to go live one year after their false start in 2021.
Dallas were meant to join LA as the two new teams in 2021, but in mid-January – two months prior to the season’s start – the Jackals announced that they were delaying entry until 2022 largely due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 schedule had to be adjusted as a result.
Of the 30 players signed by the club, 19 would find new homes in MLR with others moving on. A new Head Coach will also be required as Allen Clarke has now signed a multi-year agreement with the Seattle Seawolves after initially joining the team on loan from the Jackals.
The venue remains the same with Globe Life Park to act as home turf for Dallas in their inaugural campaign. Season tickets are already being offered to deposit holders. Plans to construct a multi-sport facility at Reverchon Park were disrupted by the pandemic and have now been scrapped entirely.