MLR 2020 cancellation.

Opinion 2

A while back I did reach out to James Fonda, commissioner of PacWest Rugby Conference, on his opinion for some questions that where also asked a few post back. 

It has been sometime since he has responded and I unfortunately am just getting to posting them now. 

apologies to all, and I am currently working on a new post also.  

LLR-Over the course of the last five years have you seen growth of rugby in NorCal or has it gone stagnant?

JF- I do not get see all levels of rugby but I think some levels are going strong like the collegiate women.  I think there needs more competition levels with a pathway to move when programs are getting stronger or weaker. 

LLR- Is there more that can be done to grow the game at a youth level for both boys and girls? There is always more that can be done. 

JF- I think one of the things that could be done is college programs need to do more to get youth involved such as rugby camps, speaking to programs, invitations to watches matches or practices.   

LLR- The amount of girls rugby programs compared to boys through Rugby NorCal is very minimal. What should or can be done to change that and prevent programs from folding. 

JF-  Programs so often fold for a couple of reasons.  One, a coach has a son or daughter on a team so there is invested interest in really helping a program.  Once that son or daughter leaves that program so does that coach or parent who really has done a lot of work for that program.  It leaves a huge void that needs to be filled.  Second, just a lack of organization and understanding the game. 

LLR-With NorCal having quite a few big cities like San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and San Jose where would a MLR team fit best, or is there room for two teams? 

JF- I think in time there could be room for two teams.  Right now MLR needs to establish itself first and build that foundation.  It has some recent high profile signings but those players will leave eventually.  Broad expansion can kill MLR however no expansion looks like no growth and therefore no interest.  MLR has done well to expand in markets that can use a sports team and yet not get over their head financially.  So, I think Sacramento will be a good choice.  

LLR-With the news of yet another financial failure from USA rugby is it time to blow it up and restart the governing Union or do you think there should be drastic changes done before we get to that point ?

JF- I think USA Rugby should actually stop and try to reinvent the wheel.  They are always thinking multi-dimensional when it comes to the game that is has caused good people to leave and constant chaos.  USA Rugby is great at doing post season competitions and governance of those competitions.  It is here that should be trying to make them better and better.  I also think they should really start looking for different revenue streams no matter how small.  USA Rugby constantly weighs on the dues from its members.  They really need to explore other revenue streams at different levels of rugby.

LLR-What are your expectations for the USA men's xv's in the 2023 world cup (IF they qualify of course) and the women's xv's 2021 World cup.

JF-  I honestly think we have great coaches in the last few years.  The men need to spend more time playing as a team.  They are doing a little better with new competitions but they need to have a little more practice time.  I am very hopeful for both sides. 

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. 

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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.

Toronto Wolfpack super league jersey.