Major League Rugby (MLR) and its players have reached a landmark collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that aims to raise standards for professional men’s rugby in the United States. This agreement comes after a turbulent off-season during which four teams left the league and two others merged, reducing the competition to six teams. The MLR collective bargaining agreement promises enhanced protections for players and greater stability for the league moving forward.
Negotiations Mark an Important Step Towards Stability and Player Welfare
Chris Mattina, executive director of the United States Rugby Players Association and a former US Eagles winger, expressed satisfaction with the deal.
“We are happy with where the talks landed,”
Mattina told the Guardian, underscoring that the negotiations, conducted in good faith, set a new benchmark.
“It increases the protections for players, but also stabilizes the league and sets it up for success.”
MLR co-president Graeme Bradbury, previously involved with the Dragons in Wales, highlighted this milestone:
“It’s a momentous occasion, it really is, to get to our first CBA … I think it gives us labor stability, and it sets ground standards for how we treat players.”
Despite the positive tone, one insider described the situation leading to the agreement with a grim laugh as “a shitshow,” referring to the upheavals between July and November last year. During that period, San Diego Legion and RFC Los Angeles merged, while NOLA Gold, Miami Sharks, Houston Sabercats, and Utah Warriors all exited the competition. With these challenges behind them, both sides now view this agreement as critical progress given MLR’s difficult history.
Players Reveal Harsh Realities Before the Agreement
Players have previously been vocal about the difficulties they face competing in MLR. Nick Civetta, a forward for the Eagles, recalled the poor conditions during his first season with New York.
“My first season [playing] with New York was on a 30- or 40-year-old high school football field that was hard as a rock,”
he said.
“It took many ACLs and ankles, and helped dislocate my AC joint.”
Kyle Breytenbach, a South African-born lock now in the league’s history, described the financial strain on families.
“I have a 20-month old daughter and I couldn’t provide for her as an MLR player. Every year we get to round 15 or 16 of the season, and internally my wife and I would start to bicker over where the next paycheck is coming from, how we are going to be insured.”
Key Provisions Within the New Agreement
The new collective bargaining agreement tackles these issues by introducing stronger protections for injured players and free agents, improving health and safety measures, and providing a $2,000 payment to each player before the season starts. The agreement also brings a sharper focus on American-born talent, adjusting classifications that previously granted Canadian players domestic status.
According to a source close to the negotiations, the minimum salary for a young American player now approaches $17,000, covering pre-season, the ten-game regular season, and playoffs. While professional rugby in the US has never been lucrative, this CBA provides a clearer economic framework for those involved.
Ongoing Negotiation Framework and Future Review Opportunities
The union reserves the right to reopen discussions after the upcoming season, which begins on March 28 with the California Legion facing the North Carolina-based Anthem Rugby Club. Anthem represents a World Rugby-backed team composed of American players in its third season, still seeking its first victory.
Mattina, who has played for several teams including the Austin Gilgronis (which folded in 2022), Rugby New York (which folded in 2023), and the still-active Chicago Hounds, detailed the union’s approach:
“I think in this process, you’re always strategizing as soon as the first one is done. So we did have an economic reopener, if things change with the league, and getting more feedback on that as the players go through the season is going to be important.”
He added,
I think we’re just going to continue to monitor that and do what we did throughout this whole process, which was get the players’ feedback, understand where potential issues might lie, and take them to the league and see if we can figure something out.
?Chris Mattina, Executive Director, United States Rugby Players Association
Mixture of Give and Take in Negotiations
Bradbury acknowledged the challenges on both sides during talks, saying earlier negotiations had laid much groundwork already. He reflected,
“If we look through how the CBA has been written compared to what we were doing in previous seasons, it’s not that far off the economics we were discussing and a couple of other key areas.”
He further emphasized the balance required to reach agreement:
We both had to cross the fence at times, so we probably came into some positions that made us uncomfortable, and the players had to do the same. But that’s the art of negotiation, and that’s the art of getting the CBA. So I think we’re in a good place … both sides have something they can work with and move forward, and we can focus on the season, on growing this sport.
?Graeme Bradbury, Co-President, Major League Rugby
Plans to Adapt the Presentation of Rugby to American Fans
Bradbury explained that while attracting initial audiences has rarely been an issue, keeping fans engaged remains a challenge. He said,
“You go to your average high-school football game and you see so much entertainment going on even at that level, and we need to sort of lean into that a lot better and explain what we’re doing and make it easier to understand.”
The league intends to make subtle adjustments to how it presents rugby on broadcast and in marketing, aiming to “Americanize” the experience without altering the rules themselves. Bradbury noted,
We’re not going to be changing the rules or anything like that, but just the way we produce the games and talk to the audience is going to be noticeably different.
Preparing for Future Growth as US Hosts Rugby World Cups
The 2031 men’s and 2033 women’s Rugby World Cups, both scheduled to be hosted in the United States, add urgency to developing the sport nationally. In parallel with the men’s game, the semi-professional Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) league recently announced its second-season schedule. The league shifted its campaign from spring to summer to better align with international competition, kicking off on May 2 with a match between the Boston Banshees and New York Exiles. Denver Onyx enters the season as defending champions.
WER co-founder and president Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf described this as a pivotal moment:
Some larger venues and growing fan bases in returning markets mean increased visibility for our athletes and teams. This season reflects our commitment to growing the professional game and creating meaningful opportunities for women’s rugby to thrive in the United States.
Upcoming Women’s International Matches and Global Engagement
USA Rugby has scheduled three spring home games for the women’s Eagles team within the Pacific Four tournament. On April 11 in Sacramento, the US faces New Zealand, while Canada meets Australia. A week later in Kansas City, the US plays Australia as Canada takes on New Zealand. The tournament concludes on April 24 in Chicago, where the US and Canada compete directly.
World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin stressed the importance of these events in the broader global strategy:
The US is at the heart of our global strategy to grow the reach, visibility and impact ahead of men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups being hosted in the US. Partnering with our national federations and cities enthusiastically engaged in the host selection process, we are excited to be bringing some of the very best rugby content to sports fans in the US.
