Professional rugby franchises to begin play in Pittsburgh in 2023
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Premier Rugby Sevens, a top-tier women’s and men’s rugby organization in North America, has announced that the Pittsburgh Steeltoes Rugby Club will begin operation in 2023.
The expansion franchise will host the PR7s 2023 Eastern Conference Finals at Highmark Stadium on July 23.
The Steeltoes also will host an open tryout March 19 at Chatham University to give local talent an opportunity to join the teams.
There are plans for PR7s to host five tournaments in 2023 with additional dates and markets to be announced soon. Tickets for the tournaments in Pittsburgh, as well as San Jose and Austin, are now available at PRSevens.com/tickets.
“Pittsburgh and Western PA are home to some of the most passionate and knowledgeable sports fans in the country,” said Owen Scannell, CEO of Premier Rugby Sevens.
“We’re thrilled to bring professional rugby to Pittsburgh for the first time and introduce rugby sevens to new audiences. The Steeltoes will be focused on engaging the local community throughout the year and growing grassroots initiatives in greater Western Pennsylvania with a capstone event as the hosts of the Eastern Conference Finals on July 23.”
The PR7s tournaments will include a series of eight 14-minute games, rotating between the men’s and women’s competitions on the same day. Each event will crown a men’s and women’s winner.
The 2023 PR7s United Championship tournament will be awarded at the end of the season as a combination of a franchise’s men’s and women’s results.
Also, the top men’s team will win the A. Jon Prusmack Cup, while the top women’s team will take home the Kathy Flores Cup. Each title award is named for and honors two major pioneers in American rugby.
At the March 19 open tryouts, the Pittsburgh franchises will evaluate male and female athletes for the rosters alongside Olympians and national-team players.
The professional league offers pathways for players to have opportunities to also play internationally.
With league expansion, the top two teams this year will qualify for the championship tournament. The Eastern Conference features the New York Locals, Southern Headliners and a team from Texas competing with the Steeltoes.
Teams in the Western Conference are the Golden State Retrievers, Northern Loonies, Rocky Mountain Experts and the SoCal Loggerheads.
PR7s 2022 season included more than 30 matches throughout tournaments at MLS stadiums in San Jose, Washington, D.C. and Austin.
The Southern Headliners took home the first United Championship.
The Headliners women’s team also took home the Kathy Flores Cup. The SoCal men won the A. Jon Prusmack Cup as they were led to victory by U.S. Olympians Martin Iosefo and Matai Leuta.
For more information on Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s), visit PRSevens.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.