NEWS

Coliseum Booked as Iconic Home for LA Giltinis, the Newest Professional Sports Franchise for Los Angeles

The expansion team set to shake up Major League Rugby (MLR) will kick-off the season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in March 2021

LOS ANGELES (February 25, 2021)

Los Angeles is to welcome its newest professional sports franchise, the LA Giltinis, to Major League Rugby (MLR*) at one of the city’s most storied stadiums.

In a watershed moment for Rugby Union in the United States, the Giltinis have today announced their commitment to the city by signing a long-term deal with the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The partnership is an instant celebration of the bold vision of the LA Giltinis to create a magnetic team and success for Los Angeles at a venue renowned for it.

The Giltinis will be born at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, March 20th when they take on the New England Free Jacks on the opening weekend of the new MLR season.

The Giltinis will revive the rattling hits, speed, physicality and athleticism that was the pulsing heartbeat of the Coliseum when it was home to the city’s NFL teams.

Taking that spectacle to the main venue for the 2028 Olympics is a visionary step that backs the growth potential of the Giltinis and MLR.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the LA Giltinis have settled on a landmark stadium agreement of five-plus years which will only add to the rich history of sporting events and landmark moments at the venue.

MLR is attracting an ever-growing fan base across North America for its intensity, pace, variety and physical confrontations. For others it’s the communal celebration around every match where players and fans from both teams come together to celebrate over food and drinks.

Establishing its own professional rugby franchise, the LA Giltinis, is overdue for a city with such a large and vibrant rugby community. The success and fanfare of the LA Sevens, as part of the World Rugby Sevens Series, only emphasizes the time is right.

The LA Giltinis will be led by former Australian Wallabies player and senior sports Executive Adam Freier as General Manager.

“Rugby World Cup is the third biggest sporting event on the planet and many would agree that Los Angeles is the sporting capital of the world so it became imperative for this city to have its very own Rugby team in the LA Giltinis,” Freier said.

“The game of Rugby is built upon a rich history. It prides itself on its values and tradition, but continues to look at ways to innovate. This is exactly why we are partnering with such an iconic and celebrated sporting arena in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, “The Greatest Stadium in the World” as it is widely tagged.

“Performance and entertainment will drive what we do here at the LA Giltinis. From our performance on the field, to game day presentation right through to our broadcast, we will be innovative, daring and always have our fans front of mind.

“We want to appeal to Rugby fans of all ages and we’ll be working hard to attract plenty of new ones in our local community.

“We have developed and will keep updating COVID-safe plans to ensure our fans can enjoy an experience they have been eagerly awaiting. It’s going to be fun.

“On behalf of the club, I would like to thank the entire team at the Coliseum for not only their support and efforts this past 12 months, but for their passion and vision for Rugby here in LA.”

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has a unique history and a cherished place in the hearts of the people of the city.

The only stadium to host two Olympic Games (1932 and 1984) will host a third in 2028.

It has been the backdrop for two Super Bowls and the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the 1959 World Series.

Across more than 70 years, the Los Angeles Rams, Raiders and Chargers all called the Coliseum home, as professional football teams, for varying periods.

The Coliseum still holds the world record for largest attendance at a baseball game…the 115,300 fans who watched the LA Dodgers play the Boston Red Sox on March 29, 2008.

As the Coliseum nears its centennial in 2023, rugby will start carving out its own history as home of the LA Giltinis.

The full 2021 season schedule can be found by visiting www.giltinis.com and for the full MLR schedule, visit www.giltinis.com

MLR was founded in 2018 with seven teams and has since expanded to a total of 13 teams – 12 which will be competing this season and an additional expansion team, the Dallas Jackals will join the league in 2022. The current teams in the league are: Austin (TX) Gilgronis; Houston (TX) Sabercats; New England (Boston) Free Jacks; NOLA (New Orleans) Gold; Old Glory DC (Washington, D.C.); Rugby ATL (Atlanta); Rugby United New York; San Diego Legion; Seattle Seawolves; Toronto Arrows; Utah Warriors; and the newest addition to the league, the Los Angeles Giltinis.