MLR to Oregon.

A while back I reported that there was movement happening to bring an MLR team to Portland,OR. That movement has died , for now. At the time I knew of one of the men involved but he wanted to remain anonymous and things close to the chest until all the ducks in a row. Some time has passed and even though there is still much passion and hope to eventually see something come to the state of Oregon that gentleman has hung his boots up for now. Like many of us outside of the few who do get paid , rugby must take a back seat to our personal lives and being a new father that is what happened with the what would of been bid for MLR2PDX. 

As I stated before the person who wanted to stay anonymous , a good friend of mine has agreed to answer some what would of been questions for me and is comfortable with letting people know who he is. Raymond T. is a very passionate rugby player and fan and didn't want to just have an MLR team in Oregon but also wanted the team to mean something for rugby as a sport in Oregon and to push the needle in USA Rugby. 

One idea that was floated for something worth trying down the road was why not start an academy in a market first build up to a MLR club from there. You begin building your player pool at a young age in establishing a brand to the local community so when you are ready to make the jump you will have players ready and relationship already built.

Bellow are some questions that we discussed and and his personal answers to them, i hope you find this insightful and helps to answer some people's questions about the process that goes behind wanting to place an MLR team in any market. 

____________________________________________________________________________

LLR- how was the team to be funded ?

R- work with a local financial firm that works with a group of investors and handles over 1 billion in assets, with that said would still have like to work with community stakeholders.

LLR- Was there a plan or idea to try and team up with another of the professional sports teams in Portland ?

R-idea was to get together with the other successful professional teams in the area to create some sort of focus group to learn about the market and how to engage with the fans similar to what the Portland Timbers of the MLS have built.

LLR- Where in the metro Portland area would of been home?

R- there's a park on the border of Oregon and Washington called Delta Park, what the idea would of been was to repurposed portion of it and build some form of home stadium whether that be pop-up stadium or a little more permanent. Benefit about that location is there are hotels nearby with also entertainment shopping center and close proximity to the major highway and airport along with on site parking.

LLR- What was the biggest challenge you where going to face? 

R- close proximity to Seattle, making a good case to the league on why to add a team in Portland along with engaging the fan interest to convince long-term investment. Fans are important for any sports team big or or small if they don't show then you won't stay open too long. the plan would have been to meet with rugby Oregon and the established clubs in the state to engage interest and needs for everyone, how can the different parties benefit from an MR club and how can an MLR club benefit from them.

LLR- where you aware of the process to apply for a franchise , any specific boxes that needed to be checked off?

R- not too much did it want to jump the gun and notify mlr and the owners until everything was ready to present. Part of the reason why had to step away from the Sewolf pod was due to the fact that I didn't want to be the face of the club but work more from behind the scenes.

LLR- Team name and color?

R- Oregon Chinook, a animal that is very important to oregonians. Colors possibly would have been blue and yellow similar to ORSU (Oregon Sports Union) badge. Possibility was to set up some form a connection with local native American tribe maybe provide some form a kickback or financial gain from ticket purchases or merchandise is sold. An investment and part of the community that's overlooked by many professional sports in America.

LLR- what would ticket prices look like?

R- answer really depends on size of stadium, the larger stadiumg gives you more options to play with where a smaller stadium limits what you can do. Higher prices looks good to general public that you are serious, you can't have lower ticket prices but the higher ones will help make up for expenses. 

LLR- what was the ultimate reason that you pulled out?

R- timing was not right, personal life like many of us have to deal with. The fear of the proximity to The Seawolves and what they have built. Plus wanted to see where MLR was going .

(Still a big fan of The Seawolves.)

LLR- you are currently located in Salem.OR. is Salem now an option ?

R- open to Salem area,better possibility for a build out of a venue. Downside is Portland offers more for away fans and teams such as a major airport, hotels and entertainment. But with Salem the benefit is there is a lack of sports team to give the city a identify or for the residents something to rally behind. (Note there is the salem-keizer volcanos minor league baseball team)

#MLR2Oregon #ORMLR #Doitforthekids

* The context of the interview and subsequent reliability - i.e., Q&A conducted over phone, recalled to best ability of , LLRugby approved for publishing by interviewee, for clarification questions email ormlr@protonmail.com

I thank you all for taking the time to read through this. I hope this answered some questions or at least gave you an idea what may go through some of these owners heads who want to place a MLR team in a market.

Pacific Western Rugby Confrence

It has been sometime since LLR last Q&A and I do love doing these because it helps me as a fan and others to gain insight not just into there favorite teams or players but also what goes on behind the scenes and what the player or club opinions are on current events going on national and international.

As a fan of San Jose State it was only natural to contact the rugby conference they play in and get in touch with the commissioner of the Pacific Western Rugby Conference or PWRC. James Founda was a coach once for SJSU till he took the head job of the conference and is now leading all those involved down a bright future as the league continues to enjoy success with in their own conference and also against the rest of the nation, UC-Davis being a example. With so much emphasis given to DI-A and the Varsity cup, DI-AA tends to be over looked in my opinion and am glad to help shed a little more light on a portion of the level of rugby being played at DI-AA.

A man who wears many hats for the PWRC isn't just your ordinary commissioner who just holds the title and attends a few occasion meetings but instead he is also heavily involved with the growth of the conference and growing the collegiate game and helping to build bridges between everyone involved. I will leave the rest to further explain and give insight..

LLR- For those who may not know who you are, can you please share with us who the commissioner of PWRC is and your rugby back ground?

JF- My name is James Fonda and I am the commissioner of PWRC.  I have been involved in rugby for 28 years starting from years at Chico State to ending my playing career at Back Bay RFC in Newport Beach, CA.  I have coached, BBRFC, UCI Men's Rugby and San Jose State Men's Rugby.   As being the commissioner of PWRC currently, I also sit on the Collegiate Eligibility Committee for USA  Rugby and scout for the Collegiate All Americas.


LLR- The Conference last experienced growth in 2014 with the inclusion of Sacramento State and UC Davis, does the conference have plans to grow more or is 8 teams it for now?

JF- With the constant change of competition year after year, we are looking to expand that makes sense for all the teams.  There are numerous competition idea's floating around and we review it every year.  But, in the end our conference universities wants to compete for a national title year after year both in 15's and 7's.


LLR- When Sacramento and UC Davis joined what was the process, was there certain criteria that clubs must meet before coming in, who has a say in the process?

JF- Any change in competition, gets review by the board, which consists of 5 elected members, and than members are told to vote on it.  


LLR- UC- Davis are defending DI-AA champs and find them self’s in the Finals once again, how significant is this for the conference?

JF- It is massive!!!  Especially if UC Davis repeats again as a national champion, the only team that has beat UC Davis is another conference team Chico State.


LLR- For those who are not aware of the PWRC, what makes this rugby conference different from the others in the west and California?

JF- First off,  we have back to back USA Rugby Div 1AA National Champions.  Second, our top four teams can beat other top teams from other conferences and some Div1A teams.  Third, we were first conference both Div 1A or Div 1AA that has a representative side.  We are going into our third year and will be heading to the Aspen Tournament.  


LLR- How many conference games do you attend as commissioner, how involved are you with the 8 clubs and relationship with USA Rugby?

JF- Since we do have a representative side,  I attend a match a week during the season.  I get involved when teams are struggling or when they are bending the rules.  I try to help prepare teams get ready for a national title run.   Otherwise, the teams run their own programs.  
I work very closely with USA Rugby.  I am trying to build a healthy relationship with them while also building a successful national competition.   I also try to build relationships with other conference commissioners.  


LLR- Now to move on to some world rugby news, what do you make of the Super Rugby mess that has accord, do you agree with the axing down to 15 teams, how would you like to see it played out? 

JF- I think rugby has a major issue.  If you watch some of the super rugby matches, there are some clubs that can barely fill the stands.  The bottom line is that some clubs do not have a good product on the field and our barely being supported  or definitely losing money.  This in return,  puts pressure on the governing body to help fill in the deficit.  I think they are tired of doing this.

They need to consolidate.  They need to get the high standard of the product back on the field.  This brings back the fans and better TV viewing from around the world.

LLR- -there was a article out recently that there is still a shot for a super rugby team to be placed in Canada and USA come 2020, Patrick Johnston from The Province. Is having a team in super rugby and say the PRO12, USA Rugby future or should we just focus on developing our own “League” for Union? 

JF- Well it sounds like super rugby is definitely getting back to consolidation so I do not see this happening anytime soon.  I think a pro rugby league will happen in the US.  But, it's success will depend on how the competition is built.  It can be rushed, it really needs to be thought through.  Every time we try this, we fail and than it takes a few more years to get the fans back.  Remember, the key is the product on the field has to be excellent so people can say to themselves, "Wow, that was entertaining".       

LLR- Next year is the 7’s world cup played in the Bay Area, what are your predictions?

JF- It will be successful.  I also think the world should take notice if USA Rugby does well from operating the tournament than this can lead to the grand daddy of hosting the 15's world cup.  I also think the Pat Clifton does not know what he is talking about when is stating that the USA Rugby is built on a house of cards from his article on www.rugbytoday.com.   If I had to evaluate where we are in 7's it is that we are right on track to really give it a go in 2018.  I even like the depth of some real talent coming in as well.    

LLR- Last two questions, the Toronto wolf pack kicked off this year in the league 1 and plan on working their way up to the super League, if things go according to plan there is talks to start 2-3 US based Professional league clubs just like the Wolf Pack, with that talk and also again with Pro12 and Super Rugby eyeing US for potential teams, could League and Union work at the professional level in America?  

JF- Union by far, it is really grabbing on the roots level while league has no youth program what so ever.  Once again, it is the time to set up the competition properly and not rush it that will make the difference.

LLR- Lastly, if you could see one match up of any National side or Club team, what would that be?  

JF- Wow, a tough question, I think that a collegiate representative side tournament brought back could really be huge.  The college game is where it is at.  The structure is there as well.  I am hoping to see this in 2018.  

PWRC representative side.

________________________________________________________________________________

I would like to thank James for taking the time to respond and hope to do one of these again in the lead up to the 2018 season and what new developments we can expect from the Pacific Western Rugby Conference. if anyone has any question for me or James please feel free to use the contacts listed below, and I encourage everyone to not only fallow and support the PWRC but also there own local college programs, the more support and enthusiasm shown to these programs the more serious those university associated with them will begin to lend a helping hand in many shapes and ways.

*Stanford over the weekend won the PacWest 7s tournament and will be heading to the USA 7s nationals. 

PWRC: pacwestrugby.com/

PWRC Commissioner: James Fonda - jamesfonda@pacwestrugby.com

LLR: llrugby@yahoo.com