LOS ANGELES-Grand Prix Entertainment launches America's First Professional Rugby
League, the Grand Prix Rugby Football League (the “RFL”).
The RFL, a sixteen-team league, will showcase the new Olympic sport of
Rugby Sevens, which will debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer
Olympics.
Nigel Melville, CEO of USA Rugby, recently extended through 2018 the RFL’s U.S. Exclusive Sanction and License rights to own, operate and globally broadcast the professional sport of Rugby Sevens.
“Buttressed by exclusively sanctioned and licensed competitive advantages and protections no new sports league in American history has ever enjoyed, Olympic endorsement of the sport, and Rugby Sevens explosion on the global stage, the time was right for America’s first professional rugby league,” said William Tatham, GPE Founder and Chairman.
“The RFL represents the greatest major market sports franchise opportunity in the last 50 years. Name the last time New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles franchises were all available,” said Eric White, of RFL financial advisor, Capitol Pacific Group.
Globally branded as the ‘Contact Sport of the World,’ Rugby Sevens has seen a global broadcast and attendance explosion via the HSBC IRB Sevens World Series http://www.irbsevens.com/archive/tcode=1270/season=2012/news/newsid=2068533.html#record+broadcast+hsbc+sevens+world+series.
Domestically branded as the “Father of American Football,” the RFL’s exclusively owned sport of Rugby Sevens has also proven to be a major live and television success in the United States. The USAR-hosted Las Vegas-based event, the HSBC IRB Sevens World Series tour stop, drew a U.S. record attendance of 67,000 paid in 2013, while seen live on NBC (http://www.usasevens.com).
“Try to name one new league that ever launched off such a solid legal, market and brand platform. Trust me, there isn’t one,” emphasized Rich Rose, Special Advisor to the Commissioner. Rose served in a similar role with the XFL following his role as President and COO of Caesars World Sports.
Providing the new league a built-in grass-roots foundation, rugby is played at the youth, high school, club, semi-professional, and international levels. USA Rugby has over 115,000 members, the largest segment being college rugby with over 30,000 members.
The RFL will kick off via a Phase One Championship Tour, showcasing the RFL’s 4 Founding Franchises vs. 20 of the worlds great teams in the world’s richest sevens championships. On the back of this Phase One Tour-built team, brand and market foundation, the RFL’s Phase Two regular season will open play with sixteen U.S. franchised teams.
The RFL will offer only 4 RFL Founder Franchises, exclusively targeting the following sixteen major U.S. media markets.
“We have a blank canvas off of which to create a ‘made for television ratings’ league, and we intend on doing just that,” concluded Tatham.
For more information on the Grand Prix RFL, visit www.GrandPrixRugby.com, or contact:
Eric White: 415-847-2715, Email: ewhite@cappacificgroup.com
For Franchise, Front Office and Financial Information, please contact:
Franchise Opportunities: League Counsel
Frank Grant, Esq. | Perkins Coie LLP
1888 Century Park East, Suite 1700, Los Angeles, CA 90067
PHONE: 310-788-9900 x3244 DIRECT: 310-788-3244
E-MAIL: fgrant@perkinscoie.com
www.perkinscoie.com/fgrant/
Front Office, Coaching and Player Opportunities: RFL League Office
William Tatham, Esq. RFL League Office
Kelly & Kelley, LLP
6320 Canoga Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
PHONE: 888-88RUGBY
E-MAIL: LeagueOffice@GrandPrixRugby.com
www.GrandPrixRFL.com
Financial Information: Senior Managing Partner
Eric White, Esq. | Capitol Pacific Group, LLC
Los Angeles - Silicon Valley - Washington, DC
PHONE: 415-847-2715
E-MAIL: ewhite@cappacificgroup.com
www.cappacificgroup.com
ABOUT GRAND PRIX ENTERTAINMENT
Grand Prix Entertainment is a diversified multimedia production and distribution company that owns and manages sports, entertainment and gaming properties. Visit www.GrandPrixRFL.com
ABOUT USA RUGBY
Founded in 1975, USA Rugby is an official member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB). The organization has approximately 115,000 members and is responsible for the development of the boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club rugby programs, and ultimately all of the national teams representing the U.S. in international competitions. USA Rugby's national headquarters is located in Boulder, Colo., and is run by full-time staff under the direction of current CEO and President of Rugby Operations Nigel Melville. For more information, please visit www.usarugby.org.
ABOUT PERKINS COIE
Legal Counsel FOR GRAND PRIX RUGBY, LLC in connection with corporate and general counseling matters. With more than 900 lawyers in 19 offices across the United States and Asia, Perkins Coie represents great companies across a wide range of industries and stages of growth—from start-ups to FORTUNE 50 corporations. Founded in 1912, the Seattle-based firms earliest clients included William E. Boing Sr. Perkins Coie was named the 2011-2012 Law Firm of the Year in Venture Capital Law by U.S. News - Best Lawyers, the Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Group at Perkins Coie helps founders and investors build and protect great companies. Visit www.perkinscoie.com.
ABOUT CAPITOL PACIFIC GROUP
CPG is a boutique advisory firm offering a unique mix of financial advisory, capital raising and strategic business development services focused on the media and entertainment sector. The firm combines its finance and direct business operations experience in several industry sectors – including media and entertainment, producing, sports and technology – and its unique political expertise to help clients achieve their goals. For more information, visit www.cappacificgroup.com.
ABOUT FENZI MEDIA GROUP
Fenzi provides clients with results-oriented corporate development capabilities that include strategy and brand development, marketing, collateral, web technologies, media, advertising, high level corporate documents and decks, and public relations. Fenzi is a highly versatile team, committed to providing products and services that benefit and help their clients to achieve their goals. Their broad expertise and main practice areas include professional sports, technology, biomedical and real estate. For information visit www.fenzi.com
Contacts
Grand Prix RFL / Eric White, 415-847-2715 / ewhite@cappacificgroup.com
www.GrandPrixRugby.com
Nigel Melville, CEO of USA Rugby, recently extended through 2018 the RFL’s U.S. Exclusive Sanction and License rights to own, operate and globally broadcast the professional sport of Rugby Sevens.
“Buttressed by exclusively sanctioned and licensed competitive advantages and protections no new sports league in American history has ever enjoyed, Olympic endorsement of the sport, and Rugby Sevens explosion on the global stage, the time was right for America’s first professional rugby league,” said William Tatham, GPE Founder and Chairman.
“The RFL represents the greatest major market sports franchise opportunity in the last 50 years. Name the last time New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles franchises were all available,” said Eric White, of RFL financial advisor, Capitol Pacific Group.
Globally branded as the ‘Contact Sport of the World,’ Rugby Sevens has seen a global broadcast and attendance explosion via the HSBC IRB Sevens World Series http://www.irbsevens.com/archive/tcode=1270/season=2012/news/newsid=2068533.html#record+broadcast+hsbc+sevens+world+series.
Domestically branded as the “Father of American Football,” the RFL’s exclusively owned sport of Rugby Sevens has also proven to be a major live and television success in the United States. The USAR-hosted Las Vegas-based event, the HSBC IRB Sevens World Series tour stop, drew a U.S. record attendance of 67,000 paid in 2013, while seen live on NBC (http://www.usasevens.com).
“Try to name one new league that ever launched off such a solid legal, market and brand platform. Trust me, there isn’t one,” emphasized Rich Rose, Special Advisor to the Commissioner. Rose served in a similar role with the XFL following his role as President and COO of Caesars World Sports.
Providing the new league a built-in grass-roots foundation, rugby is played at the youth, high school, club, semi-professional, and international levels. USA Rugby has over 115,000 members, the largest segment being college rugby with over 30,000 members.
The RFL will kick off via a Phase One Championship Tour, showcasing the RFL’s 4 Founding Franchises vs. 20 of the worlds great teams in the world’s richest sevens championships. On the back of this Phase One Tour-built team, brand and market foundation, the RFL’s Phase Two regular season will open play with sixteen U.S. franchised teams.
The RFL will offer only 4 RFL Founder Franchises, exclusively targeting the following sixteen major U.S. media markets.
“We have a blank canvas off of which to create a ‘made for television ratings’ league, and we intend on doing just that,” concluded Tatham.
| EAST COAST DIVISION | WEST COAST DIVISION | ||||||
| Rank | Designated TV Market Area | Rank | Designated TV Market Area | ||||
| 1 | New York | 2 | Los Angeles | ||||
| 4 | Philadelphia | 6 | San Francisco | ||||
| 5 | Boston | 13 | Seattle | ||||
| 8 | Washington | 14 | Phoenix | ||||
| NORTHERN DIVISION | SOUTHERN DIVISION | ||||||
| Rank | Designated TV Market Area | Rank | Designated TV Market Area | ||||
| 3 | Chicago | 7 | Dallas | ||||
| 11 | Detroit | 9 | Atlanta | ||||
| 15 | Minneapolis | 10 | Houston | ||||
| 16 | Cleveland | 12 | Miami | ||||
For more information on the Grand Prix RFL, visit www.GrandPrixRugby.com, or contact:
Eric White: 415-847-2715, Email: ewhite@cappacificgroup.com
For Franchise, Front Office and Financial Information, please contact:
Franchise Opportunities: League Counsel
Frank Grant, Esq. | Perkins Coie LLP
1888 Century Park East, Suite 1700, Los Angeles, CA 90067
PHONE: 310-788-9900 x3244 DIRECT: 310-788-3244
E-MAIL: fgrant@perkinscoie.com
www.perkinscoie.com/fgrant/
Front Office, Coaching and Player Opportunities: RFL League Office
William Tatham, Esq. RFL League Office
Kelly & Kelley, LLP
6320 Canoga Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
PHONE: 888-88RUGBY
E-MAIL: LeagueOffice@GrandPrixRugby.com
www.GrandPrixRFL.com
Financial Information: Senior Managing Partner
Eric White, Esq. | Capitol Pacific Group, LLC
Los Angeles - Silicon Valley - Washington, DC
PHONE: 415-847-2715
E-MAIL: ewhite@cappacificgroup.com
www.cappacificgroup.com
ABOUT GRAND PRIX ENTERTAINMENT
Grand Prix Entertainment is a diversified multimedia production and distribution company that owns and manages sports, entertainment and gaming properties. Visit www.GrandPrixRFL.com
ABOUT USA RUGBY
Founded in 1975, USA Rugby is an official member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB). The organization has approximately 115,000 members and is responsible for the development of the boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club rugby programs, and ultimately all of the national teams representing the U.S. in international competitions. USA Rugby's national headquarters is located in Boulder, Colo., and is run by full-time staff under the direction of current CEO and President of Rugby Operations Nigel Melville. For more information, please visit www.usarugby.org.
ABOUT PERKINS COIE
Legal Counsel FOR GRAND PRIX RUGBY, LLC in connection with corporate and general counseling matters. With more than 900 lawyers in 19 offices across the United States and Asia, Perkins Coie represents great companies across a wide range of industries and stages of growth—from start-ups to FORTUNE 50 corporations. Founded in 1912, the Seattle-based firms earliest clients included William E. Boing Sr. Perkins Coie was named the 2011-2012 Law Firm of the Year in Venture Capital Law by U.S. News - Best Lawyers, the Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Group at Perkins Coie helps founders and investors build and protect great companies. Visit www.perkinscoie.com.
ABOUT CAPITOL PACIFIC GROUP
CPG is a boutique advisory firm offering a unique mix of financial advisory, capital raising and strategic business development services focused on the media and entertainment sector. The firm combines its finance and direct business operations experience in several industry sectors – including media and entertainment, producing, sports and technology – and its unique political expertise to help clients achieve their goals. For more information, visit www.cappacificgroup.com.
ABOUT FENZI MEDIA GROUP
Fenzi provides clients with results-oriented corporate development capabilities that include strategy and brand development, marketing, collateral, web technologies, media, advertising, high level corporate documents and decks, and public relations. Fenzi is a highly versatile team, committed to providing products and services that benefit and help their clients to achieve their goals. Their broad expertise and main practice areas include professional sports, technology, biomedical and real estate. For information visit www.fenzi.com
Contacts
Grand Prix RFL / Eric White, 415-847-2715 / ewhite@cappacificgroup.com
www.GrandPrixRugby.com
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