World Rugby believes it can benefit from Louis Rees-Zammit’s move to the NFL as it seeks to penetrate the North American market.
The Welshman made the switch to American football in January and has since signed with the defending Super Bowl champions, Kansas City Chiefs.
Rees-Zammit is currently training alongside some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, as he aims to be included in the final 53-man squad.
Some see his move to the NFL as a concern for rugby but World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin disagrees, arguing it is an opportunity for the sport to grow.
“An important part of that story.”
“I think it’s fantastic to see someone like Louis Rees-Zammit not only take his athleticism into a new sport but into the biggest shop window as an athlete,” he said. US Sun.
“this [brings] It creates a conversation about rugby in markets like this, and that’s important. Rees-Zammit is a key part of that story and he’s an incredibly talented athlete.
“His success here will be a good story for rugby.”
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Governing bodies have tried but so far failed to effectively promote the sport in the United States.
There have been small steps forward, such as the introduction of Major League Rugby, but the sport has yet to really take off.
The struggles of the national team, currently ranked 19th in the world, won’t help, but there is hope that hosting the Rugby World Cup in the United States will spark a big leap for the sport.
World Cup and Olympics
In May 2022, it was announced that the United States had been selected to host the men’s and women’s World Cups in 2031 and 2033, while the Olympic Games, including rugby sevens, will be held in Los Angeles in 2028.
As a result, World Rugby feels there is significant scope for the sport to grow.
“This is huge for rugby. Over the last two or three years we’ve been working on a strategic plan to grow rugby globally and there’s no question that the greatest opportunity for growth is in the USA and women’s rugby,” Gilpin added.
“When you look at the trajectory of women’s sports in the United States, it’s interesting.
“These two growth opportunities are happening simultaneously and that’s why we’re creating these runways to culminate the event and using the World Cup moment to drive interest, but really it’s all the stuff that surrounds it that matters.
“If we can make rugby a more mainstream sport in the United States in terms of participation, spectators and commercial rights, it will have a huge impact on rugby globally.”
read more: Patrick Mahomes praises Louis Rees-Zammit after the NFL great witnessed the Welshman’s “unreal athleticism”