Wallabies fixture in the USA to boost game development

USA Rugby Chairman Bob Latham has confirmed today that the USA Rugby Eagles will host the Wallabies at Chicago’s Soldier Field in a test match on Saturday 5th September.

The historic match will be the Wallabies’ first in the USA in almost 40 years and will be just the fourth time Australia has played on US soil.

For both teams the game will feature as part of their 2015 Rugby World Cup preparations.

Looking forward to the event, Latham, a keynote speaker at the upcoming 2015 Sports Fan Summit stated “we are excited to be returning to Chicago for this important match which will be a final Rugby World Cup send-off game for both teams.”

The match is the second time in less than 12 months that USA Rugby will play a top-tier international rugby union in Chicago after the Eagles played the All Blacks there in November 2014.

Returning to Soldier Field and its unique fan experience, Latham added “rugby fans from all over the country will make their way to Chicago’s Soldier Field to see another great match against one of the best teams the world of rugby has to offer.”

With rugby being the fastest-growing team sport in the United States, the match is seen as a great step forward for game development by not only by the two national unions but also by World Rugby, the international governing body.

In referencing both this match and the earlier All Black match last November, Latham said that hosting two of the very best rugby sides in the world within eight months was monumental for USA Rugby.

He continued  “the exposure is terrific, with well over 50,000 at Soldier Field and broadcast in the US and internationally. It is attractive to national television and it’s high-level rugby, which we’ve never had much of before.”

Australia Rugby Union Chief Executive Bill Pulver said that the opportunity to bring the Wallabies to a new market in the United States would be a major boost for Australian rugby.

Pulver explained “the match has significant revenue benefits for the ARU during a 2015 season where the Qantas Wallabies play only two Test matches on home soil.”

World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset has also backed the test, adding “I am delighted that Australia is playing the USA at Soldier Field, Chicago – it is another example of how our sport is growing.

“Rugby is spreading across the globe through the hard work of ambitious unions like USA Rugby.

“When the Wallabies take on the Eagles, it will be another opportunity to show our wonderful game to thousands of potential new fans and players throughout North America and beyond.”

USA Rugby’ Latham is speaking at the 2015 Sports Fan Summit about the critical role that the All Blacks and Wallabies matches are playing in game development for rugby in the USA. The conference is being held 23rd and 24th June at the Sydney Cricket Ground .

Australian Leisure Management is a proud sponsor of the Summit.

Image shows (from left): ARU Chairman Michael Hawker; USA Rugby Chairman Bob Latham and ARU Chief Executive Bill Pulver.

For more information on the 2015 Sports Fan Summit, click here to view event details in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

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