The Miami Sharks, Florida’s first professional rugby team, took the field at St. Thomas University on Sunday, Oct.15. This event aims to familiarize the community with the sport and has various activities for children, vendor stalls and opportunities to engage in rugby tryouts.
The arrangement between the Miami Sharks Rugby Club and the Florida Blue Training Center, home of MLS team InterMiami, allows the rugby club exclusive use of the cutting-edge training facility on a daily basis. This is the first time a non-soccer organization has gained access to the training facilities.
Mariano Filippini, the CEO of the Miami Sharks, expressed his thoughts on the decision.
“Inter Miami is betting on the growth of the local sport and Miami is a center for sports,” Filippini said. “We are very thankful they made this agreement with us.”
Parents who attended the tryouts to support their children also shared their views on the ongoing growth of rugby in Miami.
“It just continues to expand rugby. Miami has an incredible rugby representation and we’ve found in our couple years of Rugby we’ve been involved a lot down here,” said Bret Van Deman, a parent of two boys who took part in the event.
Miami Sharks Head Coach Jose Pellicena expressed excitement about the team’s future and about the plethora of new learning possibilities related to its formation in South Florida. Additionally, rugby try-out participants shared joy and pleasure with the opportunities this chance gives to the greater rugby community.
The Autonation Sports Field will serve as the official home for the Miami Sharks starting in January 2024. With Miami’s growing prominence in the world of sports, it’s only logical to introduce rugby to the 305.
