ABOUT
APR
We're building America's premier pro rugby tournament from the ground up — player-first, Las Vegas-based, and built to last. This is the story of how and why.
WHY WE
BUILT THIS.
PLAYER FIRST.
ALWAYS.
Rugby in America has always been club-first. Governing bodies, season commitments, club fees — the player comes last. We flipped that. At APR, you register directly with us. $299 gets you in the tournament, in your kit, on the field. No club politics. No gatekeeping. Just rugby.
This individual-first model is the foundation of everything APR does. It means players from anywhere in the world can compete — not just those embedded in established club structures.
PRO RUGBY.
LAS VEGAS.
Vegas rugby is our home and our identity. Las Vegas isn't just a location — it's the most recognisable sports and entertainment city on earth. The energy, the lights, the scale of it. We're building pro rugby in America in the one city that can give it the stage it deserves.
The APR Games takes place every Memorial Day Weekend — evening kickoffs under floodlights, purpose-built venue, three fields running simultaneously. Vegas sells itself. We just had to bring the rugby.
THE APR
WAY.
10-a-side. Two 20-minute halves. Full contact, full laws, nothing watered down. 10s is fast, open and brutal on the fitness — more space, more line breaks, and every player is in the game.
Rugby in America shouldn't be isolated from the global game. Our invitational team slot, international player recruitment, and world-class coaching clinic connect APR to the wider rugby world.
The week before every APR Games, world-renowned coaches run intensive seminars for coaches across America. We're not just running a tournament — we're raising the standard of the game.
$15,000 across three divisions. Rugby players in America don't get paid to compete. We're changing that — $10,000 for Men's Elite, $5,000 for Women's Social, medals and trophies for Youth.
Every detail of the APR Games is designed around the Las Vegas experience — evening kickoffs, purpose-built floodlit fields, opening night ceremony. This isn't a club weekend. It's an event.
APR is building its audience one player, one coach, one fan at a time. The tournament is the destination — but the community we're building year-round is the real product.
HOW WE
GOT HERE.
April 2026 — americanprorugby.com goes live with the APR Games 2027 announcement. Five founding franchises established. Tournament concept confirmed: 6 teams, 3 divisions, Las Vegas, Memorial Day Weekend. The waitlist opens. The build begins.
Throughout 2026, all five APR team jerseys are revealed one by one — Vegas Kings, Vegas Knights, Vegas Blackjacks, Downtown Rugby, and Vegas Lions. Each reveal is a content moment. Pre-orders open. The teams take shape.
The $299 player waitlist is open. Players from across the USA and internationally can sign up now. Each registration will be confirmed with a kit allocation and team assignment, and rosters will build in real time.
Mid-2027 — the full coach lineup is announced for all five APR teams. The mystery invitational 6th team is revealed. International players confirmed. Coaching clinic week schedule published. The tournament is fully formed.
Las Vegas. Three fields. Evening kickoffs. Six teams. $15,000 prize money. Men's Elite final at 8:00 PM under full lights on Memorial Day, Monday May 31. Year one of what becomes an annual institution in American pro rugby.
APR FOUNDING
TEAMS.
Five Las Vegas-based founding franchises. One mystery invitational team revealed mid-2027. All six compete at the APR Games every Memorial Day Weekend.
ABOUT
APR.
BE PART
OF HISTORY.
The first APR Games happens Memorial Day Weekend, May 29–31, 2027. Join the waitlist now — be first when player registration opens.