This weekend Major League Rugby will celebrate its inaugural season with a championship match in sunny San Diego, but just up the coast in Los Angeles, “the expansion organization operating in the shadows” is now ready to grab headlines.

LA Coast Rugby has operated quietly to this point in order to minimize distraction. But on July 1, team founders Stuart Proctor and Patrick McCullagh officially announced their MLR expansion franchise will debut in the 2019 season as the league's ninth team.

Under The Hood

While the MLR was in its formation, Matt Hawkins of the San Diego Legion sought an impartial ear and reached out to his good friend Proctor. The two once coached the SoCal Griffins together and were no strangers to bouncing organizational ideas off each other. 

As general manager, Hawkins was trying to assemble a professional rugby team. Little did Proctor know he too would be assembling his own team just 12 months later. Their preseason exchanges provided “a look under the hood of the car in the league's planning and aspirations,” said Proctor.

League Stock Rises

One of the stated aspirations of MLR leadership was signing three major media deals before the league's inaugural season, an objective Proctor thought ambitious at the time. The MLR quickly signed deals with CBS, ESPN+, and AT&T Sports Network. 

“They proved me wrong and MLR stock went way up,” Proctor said.

Since then Proctor partnered with McCullagh as co-founders and the two named their organization LA Coast Rugby. Proctor and McCullagh immediately put together an investment group and began the player acquisition process by reaching out to local talent ID consultants. 

Financial Viability Key

The seven 2018 MLR teams—Rugby United New York is also joining the league in 2019—all have somewhat different approaches to making the venture work financially. Glendale has city backing in Colorado, a rugby-specific stadium, and a strong development structure; Austin has leveraged its French connections to garner sponsorships; other teams have a key investor providing the money. For LA, Proctor and McCullagh are confident their club will be financially viable and hinted at the potential for commercial partnerships.

“We will be operating in the entertainment capital of the world,” Proctor said.

No Set Home Yet

Like most of the current MLR teams, LA Coast Rugby will not debut in its own rugby-specific venue. 

“We have several viable options but have not closed on a deal, thus cannot disclose names,” Proctor said. “We want to debut in a manageable location for the first three to four years while we focus on building a fan base and engaging a community.” 

Proctor also hopes to build relationships with the StubHub Center in Carson and Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. Both stadiums will host Olympic rugby in 2028.

Talent Identification A Must

LA Coast will have to come up with a team that can compete with the likes of a San Diego Legion, which boasts eight Eagles. Ownership does not feel disadvantaged in player acquisition coming into the MLR a year late; instead, Proctor and McCullagh actually feel they hold an advantage by locating their franchise in a hotbed of rugby. 

“What a lot of people don’t realize is the strength of LA Club Rugby, and we’ve reached out to all the clubs in the region,” Proctor said. “We sent out talent ID consultants in New Zealand and Canada and receive resumes on a daily basis.” 

Belmont Shore and Santa Monica were both mentioned as probable clubs that would provide LA Coast players.

Short-Term Goals

In the next two weeks, LA Coast Rugby plans to bring its organization to the marketplace by releasing several different targeted marketing pieces. Proctor and McCullagh plan to hire a commercial director to start making critical sponsorship decisions. 

Having looked under the hood and taken the measure of the job at hand, Proctor and McCullagh are now ready to bring LA Coast Rugby out of the shadows.