Wolfpack officially says hello to Toronto
The Toronto Wolfpack, a Rugby League outfit set to become the first North American franchise to play a trans-Atlantic schedule, finally introduced itself to its home market at a Wednesday news conference.
Bringing the franchise from concept to public unveiling took more than two years for Wolfpack CEO Eric Perez and his backers — and 11 more months will pass before the team hits the field.
Wednesday afternoon the club unveiled its logo and revealed its new nickname — The Den — for Lamport Stadium. Officials outlined a 22game schedule running from spring through autumn, and showed off jerseys in the world’s most basic team colours: black and white.
Finding success in a new franchise playing in an overseas league while trying to sell Torontonians on Rugby League won’t be so straightforward, but the people behind the Wolfpack say they have answers to questions about logistics and viability. Is Toronto really going to embrace a minor-league team?
Probably not, otherwise the Marlies would sell tickets the way the Leafs do, and suburban teams like the Raptors 905 and Brampton Beast would fill their arenas.
But Wolfpack executives say their club won’t play third tier rugby forever. Like many soccer circuits, Rugby League uses promotion and relegation. The Wolfpack will start in the bottom-rung Kingstone Press League 1, playing teams based in England, Wales and France. But the team could earn promotions to the Kingstone Press Championship and eventually to Super League, which plays to full stadiums and big TV audiences in England.
“Winning comes with rewards and losing comes with consequences,” Perez said. “We’ll be accountable to the city of Toronto.” Playing in a UK-based league? Isn’t that superexpensive?
Absolutely. Perez says the Wolfpack’s backers already have spent more than $2 million to start the club, and costs for marketing, player salaries and travel will add up quickly. The club will save money by play- ing away games in blocks of four, but will also pay to bring opposing clubs to Toronto.
But Perez points out that exchange rate — a British pound cost $1.83 Canadian Wednesday — helps his club. Leaguewide revenue sharing will give the Wolfpack a steady flow of British currency, which will stretch further when paying expenses in Ca- nadian dollars. League One payrolls are capped at less than two million pounds per season, and Perez says player salaries will average about $50,000 Canadian. What about travel?
It’s an issue. Last week, the New York Times chronicled the struggles of Los Jaguares, an Argentine club competing in Super Rugby, which has franchises in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Their biggest nemesis: jetlag-induced sleep deprivation.
Wolfpack head coach Paul Rowley says the club already is working with sleep experts to find ways to mitigate the effects of trans-Atlantic travel. Increasingly, pro sports teams are monitoring sleep to optimize performance, but dealing with disparate time zones will be a new challenge for Kingstone League One clubs. Where will players come from?
Official recruiting doesn’t begin until next Friday, but Rowley says he’s already fielding calls from rugby league veterans in the UK expressing a mixture of eagerness and curiosity about joining the club.
Beyond that, the Wolfpack is planning a multi-city North American tryout tour in August, hoping to audition both established rugby players and North American footballers keen to switch sports.
Executives are confident the strategy will boost the club’s Canadian content quickly, and help establish rugby league as a mainstream player participation sport.