Glendale Raptors: 2018 Major League Rugby Squad
Glendale Raptors ready for professional rugby
Over a decade in the making, Raptors ready to earn new acclaim in Major League Rugby
Glendale Raptors Release: January 29, 2018
“GLENDALE, Colo. – Professional rugby has arrived in the United States, with the Colorado-based Glendale Raptors as one of the seven founding member teams in the new professional league, Major League Rugby (MLR).
Starting in April 2018, MLR will field a 10-game schedule with each team playing eight regular season games with two bye weeks. The season will begin April 21, 2018, at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado with the regular season concluding on June 24, 2018.
The Raptors will join six other founding teams in the inaugural season of MLR including the Utah Warriors, San Diego Legion, Seattle Seawolves, Houston SaberCats, New Orleans Gold and Austin Elite Rugby.
Each team is deeply invested in its respective community in order to increase youth participation and grow the game. Athletes take pride in the values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline, and sportsmanship. MLR looks forward to establishing these values in youth programs throughout rugby communities.
The Raptors have assembled an impressive player pool, signing many from their championship, winning elite men’s team that has competed since 2007 in USA Rugby Men’s Division 1, Pacific Rugby Premiership and, most recently, Major Rugby Championship. A number of the Raptors squad have also been selected to play with the United States national team, the USA Eagles, further demonstrating Glendale’s ten-year history of consistent success. Raptors Head Coach David Williams acknowledges the team’s readiness for professional competition, noting that the Raptors have had “really good preparation and a great platform, making us ready to launch into the MLR.”
MLR has partnered with CBS Sports Net who will broadcast the season opener April 21st from Infinity Park, and with AT&T Sports, who will broadcast the remaining home matches.
Season tickets are available for purchase now at glendaleraptors.com
2018 Regular Season Schedule
- April 21 Saturday, 3 pm MDT – Austin Elite Rugby @ Glendale Raptors
- April 28 Saturday, 8 pm MDT – Glendale Raptors @ Seattle Seawolves
- May 5-6 Date/Time TBA – Glendale Raptors @ Utah Warriors
- May 12 Saturday, 3 pm MDT – San Diego Legion @ Glendale Raptors
- June 2-3 Date/Time TBA – Glendale Raptors @ NOLA Gold
- June 9 Saturday, 2 pm MDT – Houston SaberCats @ Glendale Raptors
- June 16 Saturday, 3 pm MDT – Seattle Seawolves @ Glendale Raptors
- June 23 Saturday, 7 pm MDT – Glendale Raptors @ San Diego Legion
Glendale Raptors Squad
Bryce Campbell – Center
Jake Christmann – Scrumhalf
Connor Cook – Back Row
Dustin Croy – Wing/Fullback
Peter Dahl – Back Row
Harley Davidson – Wing/Fullback
Shaun Davies – Scrumhalf
Maximo de Achaval – Fullback
James DelBozque – Hooker
Zach Fenoglio – Hooker
Kelepi Fifita – Prop
Seth Halliman – Wing/Fullback
Kyle Hitt – Center
Nick Kwasniewski – Prop
Benjamin Landry – Lock
Chad London – Center
William Magie – Flyhalf
Ata Malifa – Center
John Quill – Back Row
Casey Rock – Lock
Blake Rogers – Prop
John Ryberg – Wing
Devin Vaughter – Back Row
Brian Wanless – Back Row
Luke White – Prop
2018 Glendale Raptors Coaches & Staff
- Mark Bullock, Glendale Director of Rugby
- David Williams, Head Coach
- Kieran Browner, Assistant Coach
For more information and media opportunities, visit www.glendaleraptors.com.
About Glendale Raptors Rugby
The Glendale Raptors Rugby Football Club was established in 2007, accompanied by the creation of Infinity Park. The first rugby-specific stadium built in the U.S., Glendale’s Infinity Park is both a milestone in the development of rugby in this country and a major investment in the future of the city and the sport. Since the team’s creation, the Raptors have become standard-bearers for U.S. rugby, creating a template both on and off the field for what a successful rugby team looks like. In the decade-plus since the club’s inception, the Raptors have hoisted multiple championship banners in Infinity Park. As one of the teams across the country entering the forthcoming professional Major League Rugby organization, the Raptors enter a new chapter of competition at the highest level.
Glendale Raptors Media Contact:
Diana Anderson
Director of Marketing and Sponsorship
Infinity Park at Glendale, Colorado
diana@glendalerugby.com, 303.639.4417
About Major League Rugby
MLR is a professional rugby league that will launch in April of 2018. It’s an initiative of the American rugby community, in partnership with private investors, who believe that American rugby can thrive at the highest levels as a commercial enterprise; as an influential player on the international scene; and as a participation sport at the youth and senior level. MLR will be the pinnacle of the American rugby and provide a rallying point for local communities, a focal point for American rugby fans, and an aspirational destination for young athletes. By stitching together the local with the national, and the national, with the global, MLR will be the embodiment of rugby’s character-driven model of sport and athleticism, teamwork and diversity, participation and community – and an open invitation for the American public to join the unique and vibrant rugby world.
