MLR Weekly: RFC LA CEO Pete Sickle, A Team In Charlotte, Rumors, News, Moves. With Fitzpatrick & Ray

LOS ANGELES, CA – What a week it was for Major League Rugby! The new uniforms were revealed! Okay, while that was cool, the BIG STORY is that Charlotte, NC will have a team in the league. Not next year, nor 2026. Amazingly/ambitiously, they’ll be entering THIS SEASON. But that’s not all! While MLR Weekly broke the Charlotte news, this week’s show also includes an exclusive with Rugby Football Club Los Angeles CEO Pete Sickle.

INCLUDED:
-Will LA and the LA7s play on the same pitch on the same day?
-How the LA reboot took shape
-Big signings to come?
-Staff & Executive Office
-John Fitzpatrick of Rugby Morning with MLR News, Rumors, Kit Stuff
-Bryan Ray of Americas Rugby News re the new Charlotte franchise

BE SURE to check out this week’s critically acclaimed The Rugby Odds.

Watch… Listen/Download the Podcast version…

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Next on mlr weekly CEO Pete sickle of Rugby Football Club Los Angeles Brian Ray of America’s rugby news on the Charlotte franchise and John Fitzpatrick of rugby morning with everything else major league rugby rugby wrap-ups mlr weekly brought to you by sheii auto stores it’s easy at sheii the pig and

Whistle New York City the world’s best rugby PP and lean and limber stretching your way to a healthier [Applause] lifestyle hello again and welcome to mlr weekly as presented by rugby R about Matt McCarthy in New York City thank you for joining us again and a belated happy New Year if you didn’t didn’t get it from us last week this week though we have another great show we have the CEO

Of Rugby Football Club Los Angeles Pete sickle uh we have Brian Ray coming back because we got a lot of stuff about the roster for the new team in charlot and before we get to any of that we have our recurring segment rugby morning’s coffee break with John Fitzpatrick John welcome

Back how are you what do you got hey Matt it’s been raining and snowing cats and dogs and Hawks in New York City the past few days yet It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia how is that that’s amazing yeah yeah you know but uh Hawks you bring up the Hawks riging Hawks not here

But in Charlotte North Carolina where the mlr 2024 season has added another uh uh uh a team a franchise and it’s a it’s backed by World rugby and it’s rif with USA Rugby prospects what do you think of this John Matt I’m all for it I’m I’m

Excited about it you know that the timing is a little irregular considering they have to go back and release a new schedule but hey USA Rugby and World rugby putting money with their mouth is and propping up USA Rugby to make sure they have good showing at 2027 and 2031

So let’s roll you know what you should of all people not be uh dismissing being irregular next well Matt speaking of regular this is not a good segue but Nola gold they revealed their 20 4 roster of course we know it includes tailo fedo or Ed fedo but one notable

Omission is flanker Andrew Guera now you may recall we last saw him on the field back in September of 2021 when the men’s Eagles played the All Blacks he uh injured his uh broke his lower left leg trying to come back but you know he was

Not on that Ross release by Nola go and it sounds like he is considering his f future so Andrew wherever you are man we wish you the best we hope we can see you again on the pitch yeah I got to see him in Chicago and I used to work in Chicago

But that’s a separate story but I got to see him in Chicago at the final great guy looked to be uh physically fit mentally he said he was ready uh rooting for him roting for you Andrew next yeah how about rugby FC Los Angeles whose logo kind of looks like your head

Amongst other things and we have the the CEO Pete sickle waiting in the wings so watch your mouth uh but uh yeah riff it does look like other things the logo is kind of small if you get what I’m going but they confirmed the signing of New

York iron worker Senator Jason Emery who of course they required in the player dispersal draft things are heating up for La solid player solid player and he can also kick for points next Matt Christmas may be over but Chistmas is almost here that’s right mlr T’s new mlr

Team kits I’m excited to see them Matt in your humble opinion what goes into a goodl looking rugby Jersey less is more less is more and uh I want to be able to read the number on the back of the Jersey not have it disappear in a hoop and not be able to

Tell a six and eight a nine a three from each other next what about names on the back of jerseys are you in favor as long as they’re not like the Austin grones when they were peeling off their backs in the first three three minutes of the

Match but yes we need to put the names on the jerseys to build stars and tell a kid so a kid can go by the number 12 jersey with McCarthy on it or the number three jersey with McCarthy on it or the number one jersey with McCarthy on it or

The number 15 jersey with McCarthy on it you get the you get the J next Matt you certainly played all the positions I’m surprised you haven’t played around at Hooker or with hooker but next Matt last but not least here and I’m sure we’re going to talk about it with Brian rid

But I’m excited to hear all about this Hawks program and new season schedule that is all I got a rough start for episode 2 in 2024 but I’ll pull it together I don’t know about you all right fair enough thank you to John Fitzpatrick of rugby morning for this

Week’s coffee break uh John we’ll see you next time in the me in the meantime ladies and gentlemen we’ll see you after this break with CEO of the LFC or the rfca depending on your perspective right after this digs L A DED mole there need a great price on a new vehicle sheii

Makes it easy easy price shows you our lowest prices on the mid-atlantic’s largest selection find your best price online or at any of our 31 Dealerships you need your cleats you need them tomorrow if you order today by 3 p.m. New York time or noon La time they can have them to you tomorrow young old male female if you’re playing on Turf if you’re playing on grass if you’re playing in the rain you’re

Playing in the heat they’ve got you covered rugby now.com go there Now all right we’re back and we’re back with Pete sickle the CEO of the Rugby Football Club Los Angeles known as rof CL yeah RFC La RFC Los Angeles uh yeah we’re still we’re the the fans will decide what we’re called but I don’t care what you call Pete

Because you know you you you got the thing off the ground and there was all kind we’ve had all kinds of speculation we’ve had stuff circulating we’ve had teams drop out but here you are alive and well in Los Angeles is that is that accurate it’s happening it’s happening

The the boys are starting to arrive uh getting settled into some some preseason Apartments were uh really excited to to to get things going um starting next week we’ll we’ll start you know doing all the preseason stuff and guys are on zooms figuring out attack plans it’s it’s all it’s all happening Rugby

Football Club Los Angeles and you know give you a little bit of a hard time with the acronym pronunciation I you know there’s some stuff going on about the logo too out there and and people are in a in a G-rated fashion are saying it’s my head at least that’s what Fitzpatrick is

Saying in shaped like you know the bald guy but yeah I I can’t control what people think of when they see things but uh the the outline is an acorn um and uh we look we’re we’re we’re trying to uh combine a couple of things in our logo

And logos that try to do too much uh run into trouble logos that don’t do enough run into trouble but um we we want to give uh you know solid props to kind of traditions traditions of Southern California traditions of rugby but also want to be looking forward and being you

Know Innovative and creative the the oak tree is is something that’s that’s a a feature of Southern California uh you know Sherman Oaks Sherman Oaks Thousand Oaks Ino is actually a Spanish word for oak tree so uh you know there aren’t as many oak trees now as there there used

To be but it you know it’s a standard standard uh element of Southern California about you know solidity and strength and and Longevity and nurturing and all those things that for us you know represent some of the core values of rugby as well and then you know RFC is

Rugby Football was been around longer than Football Association so we’re we’re now at you know 200 years into 21st year of uh of Rugby Football and we wanted to to make sure that we were you know sort of paying tribute to the the long glorious history of rug rugby um and you

Know the the style of the logo has has elements of kind of the golden age of Hollywood and Art Deco um but when we put it all together we do think that it’s uh it’s something new it’s looking forward uh uh we’re we’re all about growth and then that comes back to the

Acorn as well what we’re planting now will be around for a long long time and be a source of strength and stability and nourishment for for rugby fans in Southern California and hopefully farther further a field walk us through the process because I know it’s the Atlanta team rugby ATL basically moving

To Los Angeles but it wasn’t that easy and you were in charge of the or working with the Tel Aviv heat walk us through how in a snap of a finger you got you got to what you are now sort of over a year ago there there were some talks um

Um going back with the the la franchise after you know the guilis departed and and that didn’t quite work out but um yeah there there was interest in in La it’s a it’s a fantastic Sports town it’s a fantast Southern California is a fantastic uh rugby

Environment um and so yeah we had a lot of interest in uh making sure that mlr had good representation in in Los Angeles and that Los Angeles had a professional rugby team we think it’s it’s a fantastic fit the discussion actually happened with uh by chance uh

Meeting with somebody uh over a coffee in London in June wow uh and the the discussion it David Barry it was David Barry uh am I good or what you’re good you’re good so you know there was discussion about LA and how that could work and and he brought up Atlanta and

The discussion was well we’d be interested if there was a possibility of of relocating it to LA and that that was the end of June and so that touched off what you know what we understood was Atlanta was not going to be um participating in the 24 season uh unless

They found a buyer and until that point I think there had been some expressions of interest but no offer had come forward in a serious enough fashion um to to preserve the team in Atlanta our intention was not to move a team and uh the you know the owners had been running

Atlanta in 22 and 23 were trying to keep the team in Atlanta but at that point of of the summer of 23 the best option uh available for both sides was to to move the team so you know I I know that was a bitter pill for still is a bitter pill

For for lots of supporters of ATL it’s it’s really hard to lose a team uh especially after all they had uh all the Blood Sweat and Tears and passion and love that that people in Atlanta had poured into that team I know it’s it’s hard and it wasn’t our intention to you

Know to to inflict any kind of pain the way we see it is e either that team was was going to dissolve the way that we’ve just seen um with Toronto and New York or we could give it new life in La who’s the hierarchy I know there’s a couple of

Hollywood Big Shots big big shot types in there so who’s who can you who can you tell us about yeah um we we are still putting together uh we are still building out U bits bits of the ownership team and so we we are are still teasing uh you and

Others but but we want to announce it once it’s once that group is is more fully fleshed out um uh but let’s put it this way the is the rock involved uh not that I’m aware of but I haven’t checked my email this morning so there’s a

Chance yeah no there look there’s there there are people you know Jason bamoa if you you know there were there were a few people showing up at the World Cup in France uh that that we if they’re you know we we would expect them to to be fans of of

Rfcl this is Mr Sullivan he represents Prestige Fighting Alliance kona’s League yeah well you got an uphill battle on this one I don’t think so big guy copies of the membership card swipes from the gym Mr Kona was at last night someone else could have swiped his card video on

These tapes was taken from the gym surveillance cameras showing exactly when Mr K arrived and left we still got him for battery um we’ll we’ll see if somewhere down the road they want to join the ownership group but um no the we feel that we’re in a very strong

Position in the sense of trying to put a group together that has deep roots in LA uh that has strong expertise um not only in rugby in sports more broadly and in entertainment because ultimately I think the the future of mlr we we have to uh you know tap into

People who already love the game and you know have grown up playing it and follow it and so on but to to thrive to really uh you also need some business types and some sports entertainment business types and my Intel tells me that you have that you have those boxes checked

Uh I I think we’re I think we’re going to be in good shape there yeah so yeah we have to we have to figure out a way to engage fans and and bring bring people into the the rugby tent and so there we we want to make sure that you

Know people who have really good uh backgrounds expertise networks in entertainment and in marketing and in promotion and branding um are are there from the GetGo you mentioned uh your partners AEG right because you’re playing at dignity Health Sports Park we we are very very fortunate to be playing

In in uh you know one of the best rugby venues uh in the states we’re really really fortunate um not only to be um playing in an AEG facility but you know we’re going to be working with a on uh on ticketing and with their ax platform and and their knowledge and expertise

And and networks in Southern California through you know the Galaxy and the King and crypto.com and you know they they anything that and and certainly again entertainment and music so we we can’t think of a better partner in terms of how to how to give a fantastic world

Class um uh Fan Experience at matches uh we’re excited that our first round uh our first home game will be at the conclusion of the HSBC 7s uh that first weekend of March uh we kick off on on Sunday the 3D after the the conclusion

Of the HSBC 7 so you know there will already be thousands and thousands of excited rugby fans uh at Dignity Health all right hold on now this is the Cliffhanger but we got to get to it because this we’re running out of time so your your home weekend opens during the

La7s and you’re on for that Sunday yep are we going to be playing right after inside the same stadium or are fans are you going to have fans are they going to be asked to leave like a like a like a bad MLB double header where they kick

The fans out for a nuke set especially when like the Mets are all like lost their last 70 games and we’re kicking getting kicked out or are you gonna what how are we working this yeah uh the details are still being worked out HSBC 7s is uh the is a world rugby property

So they they have have control over the the event itself AEG is is working hand inand with World rugby to to fulfill their needs so we are still working out some of the details about exactly how it’ll work World rugby has been tweaking their uh their plans for that weekend of

Sevens uh so the there still isn’t a final final version of the HSBC sens but our expectation is as soon as the sevens uh finishes the final championship game will switch over into pregame mode for for mlr uh then in in April April 27th we’ll play a double header with the USA

Women’s against Canada uh cool and then you know we’re excited to to reignite the the freeway series between San Diego Legion and and RFC Los Angeles we think that’s going to be a great rivalry over the years so we host them Memorial Day Weekend uh Sunday

May 26th so we we expect those uh you know we we’d like to pack the the place every game but uh if we if we really look at the the games that we expect to to draw kind of an extra element uh th those are kind of the three highlights I

Would say of our our home calendar all right so how what’s success for the team the the strong rugby Community that’s already in Southern California but you know as we all know when uh friends of ours who didn’t grow up with the game come out to an mlr game they they love

It because it’s it’s a it’s a different level uh you you get to meet the players after the game you you know it’s it’s accessible in a way that going to an NBA or Major League Baseball game or an NFL game isn’t they have their own level of

Spectacle and and uh and production value I think for rugby it it’s something that’s more uh authentic and accessible and about community so what’s the relationship with the Tel Aviv heat is there a reciprocal relationship any relationship what’s there yeah um so we we see lots of opportunities for for an

Alliance uh we have a number of players who have been with the Tel Aviv heat who are under contract with with LA um so some of our you know some of the better players who have been playing with the Tel Aviv heat in in Europe over the last

Couple Seasons we’ll be we’ll be wearing an LA Jersey um uh we have a 910 combination NY Saunders and Jordy chatt um that you know have been playing together it’ll be nice to see them to continue and then semi kunatani at at at 8 who had a fantastic season this past

Year um with Tel Aviv will will be in La so um on on the player level uh uh there is some crossover uh the guys who have been playing together uh in Tel Aviv will be playing together in LA but no on a on a formal level

Uh you know the the two teams don’t don’t overlap at all in terms of schedule or anything else so you know we we hope that fans of one team uh now have another team to to get behind and support yeah that’s cool well thank you

For your time Mr Pete sickle the CEO of the Rugby Football Club Los Angeles thanks Matt appreciate it likewise we’ll be right back with Mr Brian Ray of America’s rugby news after this I wouldn’t like to be at the bottom of that if you’re in New York City and

Want to watch some great rugby have some great food and some great times go to the world’s best rugby Pub the pig and whistle on West 36th Street this is the rugby odds where an unlikely punded panel of a word Smith a WWE legend a rugby star and a supermodel scour the globe seeking Best Bets and bad behavior are you not [Applause] Entertained [Applause] and we’re back with Austin Elite fan Brian Ray of America’s rugby news Brian welcome back to mlr weekly hey great to be here again and another eventful week there Mr M Brian what what are we talking about what do you got we we got to be talking about Charlotte well

That’s where I’m hanging out here so I hope we’re talking about that this beautiful city in the background here what a great place to play rugby so what do you make of all this I think it’s amazing news for USA Rugby and I don’t understand how you know I’ve

Seen some odd comments online so to speak you know people say oh well you know they’re rushing this out the team’s gonna get smashed and blah blah this and that and I just I can’t understand that this is an opportunity a golden opportunity why would you waste one

Second in in making this happen I so they have to rejig the schedule again a couple days in the you know what it’s already been such a tumultuous offseason make the change you get a 12 team it’s the best thing for American rugby we’ve heard probably in a while I mean this is

This is a big deal I didn’t think this was possible did did you I I didn’t and I’m with you 100% any of you idiots out there that are criticizing this deal yeah I’m saying idiots because this is my show and I can’t get canceled from anything so in your face World

Rugby finally coming around and recognizing ml our owners as the people that perhaps have been spending a ton of money on American rug and Ina in Canada Canadian rugby and American rugby right on in the seven years or six years that we’ve had so far what 700 million

Collectively so instead of putting a professional team from Glendale and Vancouver into Super Rugby Americas they have finally seen the light and kudos to Allan gilin and World rug for making this happen yeah I mean I’ve been you know anybody who follows me on social media or anywhere knows I’m

Very very critical of of of a lot of what world rugby does all you can do you’re pretty much everything you’re yeah pretty much everything all you can do this time is say thank you job well done I mean they’re saying okay this is what you want uh you know Scott Lawrence

I know this was on his wish list this has his fingerprints written all over it say all right you think this is going to work uh you know we’ve maybe criticized mlr in the past but maybe maybe we were wrong maybe this wasn’t the right way so

Let’s go with what you want to do and you have to give credit to the mlr owners as well because they’re picking up a significant portion of this tag as well uh you know and they’re allowing I mean I didn’t think frankly that the owners would ever allow a team run by

Effectively you know a national organization within I mean this team is going to operate completely differently from everybody else they’re number one you know the thing is for them to play American players it’s not some giant commercial entity we have to worry about this and that no this is our our our

Main function is to develop American players so to have that the arrows were no no come on so no they weren’t they weren’t well they were built to feed the New England free Jacks yeah all right touche so you know I I just didn’t think this this was possible it seemed to be

That the option was if you wanted a team like this it had to be in this Super Rugby America’s thing so to see it in mlr I mean it’s kind of The Best of Both Worlds right you’re building up your own competition and you’re developing the I

Mean this to me tis all the boxes so uh yeah huge huge thumbs up for me are we going to get like a pie in the face at some point is this this is all is are we being punked is anybody still a thing I hey man I mean you’ve talked to people

I’ve talked to people we know this is happening we actually know that players have have signed with the team uh we we’ve we’ve been privy to kind of uh you know there’s a list going around of some players who’ve been we may or may not have seen the list ladies ladies and

Gentlemen seen the list I think this team is you know obviously not all the players in that list are going to end up there but this team is going to end up better I think than than some of these naysayers think they’re going to be I

Don’t think they’re going to be losing a 100 to nothing and even if they do have a couple 50 to nothing losses to start who cares this program is only going to go upwards from here so I just think that yeah I can’t say it enough this is

Huge win for American rugby yeah if I have one complaint it’s the same one that everyone from my country is where’s our Canadian team throw us a bone here you know what I mean that’s that’s my he complain maybe this is a maybe this is the the precedent maybe this is the

Pathway to that maybe maybe this is what happens and maybe it’s a team in Vancouver where the weather isn’t as prohibitive as it is in Toronto perhaps and you already have Seattle right there as a Ral and you got that West Coast now full of San Diego and la and then Utah’s

Not too you know so there might be some Synergy here I I I I’m this the two of us were as down as two people could have been in the last month and now both of us are you know it’s got to be right

Folks if the two of us are are are this giddy about it I’m I’m giddy about it I’m a professional kagin and and I’m excited about this and I’m a Canadian and I’m excited for American rugby that this is happening so I just anybody who’s who’s saying those things like oh

You know we should have waited next year why would you waste a year no why World rugby Hey listen man World rugby they’re showing that they actually give a rat’s ass about us yes and they’re recognizing it and they’re recognizing it the the effort by these mlr owners that have

Been hemorrhaging cash and if if my Intel is right it’s like a four-year commitment and not going to take equity in the league and then at that point if the owners have an investor that want to take it over so be it man I this kind of

Really just turns the tables on this whole offseason which has been so messy like you said it’s been utterly depressing for all of December and then to get this kind of Bolt from the blue h i I just think it’s such a great pickme up and this you know I other people have

Said this to me I’m I’m stealing this this comment uh you know that this really is the story of the Season uh on that note Brian I want to thank you Mr Brian Ray of America’s rugby news I want to thank John Fitzpatrick of rugby morning and Mr Pete sickle the CEO of

The rfca rift CLE and thank you for tuning in please check out our other shows including the critically acclaimed the rugby odds hit that subscribe buttton on YouTube sign up for our Weekly Newsletter and please join our American Red Cross Blood Donor team