Miami Sharks
Full nameMiami Sharks Rugby Club
Founded2023 (2023)
LocationMiami, Florida
Ground(s)AutoNation Sports Field (Capacity: 5,000)
ChairmanRonaldo Strazzolini
Alejandro Macfarlane
Marcos Galperin
Coach(es)José Pellicena
League(s)Major League Rugby
Official website
www.miamisharks.com

The Miami Sharks are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) based in Miami, Florida. The team was founded in 2023 and will begin play during the 2024 season.

History

On February 8, 2023, Major League Rugby announced that the Miami Sharks would be joining the league in 2024.[1] Owned by Argentine businessmen Ronaldo “Kony” Strazzolini, Alejandro Macfarlane, and Mercado Libre chairman Marcos Galperin,[2] the team appointed former Toronto Arrows executive Mark Winokur as CEO, Mariano Marco as COO and former Argentina U20 manager José Pellicena as head coach.[3][4] Pellicena has also previously served as an assistant with the Argentina national team under Mario Ledesma and former Super Rugby side Jaguares under Raúl Pérez.[5]

On April 26, 2023 the Sharks announced the signing of Argentine international scrum-half Tomás Cubelli, the first player's signing of the team.[6] The same day, the team held a launch party in Miami with a few Argentine company directors and personalities like tennis player Juan Martín del Potro, model Claudia Albertario and former Argentina international player Juan Martín Hernández who's one of the franchise's ambassadors.[7]

In July 2023 the Miami Sharks parted ways with CEO Mark Winokur and hired Mariano Filippini for the position. Filippini previously played as a flanker for Club San Andrés and more recently was an executive for Univision and HSBC Bank Argentina.[8]

On September 15, 2023 the Sharks announced that a partnership with Inter Miami CF would allow them to play home games at the AutoNation Sports Field. The stadium capacity would be expanded to include up to 5,000 spectators.[9]

Colors and identity

The Sharks' crest displays a blue and white shark with pink strokes alongside a rugby ball and the term "Miami Sharks". The team main colors are neon-styled pink and blue that paid homage to the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice which has become a symbol of Miami and identified with the city.[10][11] Miami Vice relied on a pastel color pallet, reminiscent of the Miami Heat "Vice" special uniforms, that became very popular and inspired the team colours.[11]

After the team's founding, the Sharks quickly unveiled three playing kits. One of the jerseys is mainly white with hints of electric blue and bright pink while the others display pink-to-black and blue-to-pink gradations.[12][13]

Established by Bonaerenses, the team has a strong Argentine connection and ties with Latin America. Two of the three owners played rugby union in Argentina: Macfarlane for Belgrano Athletic Club like Pellicena, and Galperin for Club San Andrés.[7] The latter stated: “We are excited to create a rugby experience in South Florida that will wake the Latin passion in the community and generate a sense of belonging.” Choices of coaching staff and executives reflect the club's Argentine identity.[2]

Ownership

The original ownership pool was led by three Argentine businessmen and company directors: financial services firm Magna Capital president Ronaldo “Kony” Strazzolini, natural gas distribution company Camuzzi Gas main shareholder Alejandro Macfarlane and e-commerce company Mercado Libre funder and CEO Marcos Galperin, the wealthiest man in Argentina with an estimated net worth of $5 billion. Alongside the three founding owners, other investors like Santiago Ocampo, Martín Migoya, Edgardo Defortuna and Gabriel Martino own shares.[14]

Players and personnel

Current squad

The Miami Sharks squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:[15]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Alex Glover Hooker United States United States
Sean McNulty* Hooker Ireland Ireland
Kirby Myhill Hooker Wales Wales
Rob Evans Prop Wales Wales
Alec McDonnell Prop United States United States
Jonas Petrakopoulos* Prop Netherlands Netherlands
Reinaldo Piussi Prop Uruguay Uruguay
Alex Tucci Prop United States United States
Setu Vole Prop American Samoa American Samoa
David Beach Lock United States United States
Michael Etete Lock England England
Rick Rose Lock United States United States
Stan van den Hoven Lock Netherlands Netherlands
Manuel Ardao Back row Uruguay Uruguay
Benjamín Bonasso Back row United States United States
Tomás Casares* Back row Argentina Argentina
Dan Pryor Back row New Zealand New Zealand
Chase Schor-Haskin Back row United States United States
Roelof Smit Back row South Africa South Africa
Player Position Union
Tomás Cubelli Scrum-half Argentina Argentina
Damian Morley Scrum-half United States United States
Felipe Etcheverry Fly-half Uruguay Uruguay
Shane O'Leary Fly-half Canada Canada
Giuseppe du Toit Centre Canada Canada
Nick Grigg Centre Scotland Scotland
Tomás Inciarte Centre Uruguay Uruguay
Josh McAdam* Centre South Africa South Africa
Connor Burns* Wing England England
Nicolas Elewaut Wing Argentina Argentina
Eric Naposki Wing United States United States
Avery Oitomen Wing Canada Canada
Marcos Young Wing United States United States
Matías Freyre* Fullback Argentina Argentina
Santiago Videla Fullback Chile Chile
  • Senior 15s and senior 7s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
  • * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
  • MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.

Current coaching staff

  • José “Cochi” Pellicena (Head Coach)
  • Tui Osborne (Assistant Coach) [16]
  • Oscar Durán (Forwards Coach)

Head coaches

  • Argentina José “Cochi” Pellicena (2023-Present)

Sponsorships

The Sharks have signed sponsorship deals with investment advisory company BlackToro and Argentine financial services company VALO.[17][18]

References

  1. ↑ "Expansion Teams Headline Off-Season of Growth for Major League Rugby". Major League Rugby. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Miami Sharks joining Major League Rugby in 2024". America Rugby News. February 8, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  3. ↑ @miasharksrugby (March 19, 2023). "Please join us in welcoming Mariano Marco as the new COO of the Miami Sharks". Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Instagram.
  4. ↑ Harvey, Joe (April 26, 2023). "Miami Sharks CEO Mark Winokur on MLR's incoming team and taking professional rugby to the next level". The Rugby Network. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ "José Pellicena to coach Miami, Tomás Cubelli first signing". America Rugby News. April 25, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  6. ↑ Bendon, Philip (April 27, 2023). "Major League Rugby: Miami Sharks Sign Los Pumas Star For 2024 Season". FloSports. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Ikeda, Paula (April 28, 2023). "Marcos Galperin. Todos los invitados a la presentación de Miami Shark, su club de rugby, en el Faena Theater". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  8. ↑ "MLR Notes: Miami poised to sign trio, Arrows trade, and more". Americas Rugby News. July 29, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Inter Miami CF's Florida Blue Training Center and the Miami Sharks Rugby Club Strike Landmark Deal". OurSports Central. September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  10. ↑ Winderman, Ira (December 1, 2020). "Miami Heat unveil dramatic new finale edition of Vice uniforms". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Lowe, Zach (December 1, 2020). "Why the Miami Heat are going even further with their stunning new 'Vice' uniforms". ESPN. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  12. ↑ @miasharksrugby (March 3, 2023). "Help us choose our team's jersey" (Tweet). Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ @miasharksrugby (May 12, 2023). "Gear up with the Sharks" (Tweet). Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Miami Sharks: el empresario más rico de Argentina y un grupo de socios compraron un equipo de rugby en EEUU". Infobae (in Spanish). April 27, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Miami Sharks". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Osborne named assistant for pro team in Miami; will remain with Bonaventure rugby program". St. Bonaventure University. November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ @miasharksrugby (March 10, 2023). "Miami Sharks and BlackTORO Global Investments have signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding to enter into a Sponsorship Agreement". Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Instagram.
  18. ↑ @miasharksrugby (April 5, 2023). "Please welcome VALO to the Sharks family". Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Instagram.
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