NEWS

Major League Rugby Details New Partnership with Destination Sport Group

Travel partner to enhance fan experience, support team needs

DALLAS – With an eye focused on the future, Major League Rugby is pleased to announce a comprehensive new partnership aiming to bring greater stability to the travel experience for its teams and staff, plus enhance the fan travel offering. MLR has signed a comprehensive, multi-year partnership with Destination Sport Group, incorporating market-leading brands Destination Sport Travel, inspiresport and Sportsbreaks.com.

As part of the partnership, Destination Sport Travel will handle travel, hotel accommodation, and logistics for each of Major League Rugby’s teams alongside staff and officials.

A specialist sports travel management company, Destination Sport Travel is deeply experienced in rugby, working on behalf of Scottish Rugby and nine domestic clubs that compete across the Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship competitions. In total, Destination Sport Travel works with more than 40 professional teams and governing bodies, including Manchester City, British Cycling and International Ice Hockey Federation.

“Destination Sport handles highly demanding travel logistics operations for some of the most prestigious brands in sports, and they have an unparalleled grasp of the complex logistics associated with professional rugby,” said Nic Benson, CEO of MLR. “As Major League Rugby grows ahead of the 2031 World Cup, having a trusted travel partner to take care of our teams, staff, officials, and fans, is essential. We’re looking forward to working with them and continuing to raise the profile of our sport in the U.S.”

Destination Sport Group’s youth development tour division, Inspiresport, will collaborate with the league to support American rugby’s grassroots and youth infrastructure through curated development tours across global destinations like the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Major League Rugby and its teams will also work in collaboration with Inspiresport to deliver player and coach education programs.

Sportsbreaks.com, which specialises in providing fans with a trusted source of packages for many of the world’s top sporting events, will continue to offer fan-focused, ticket-inclusive packages to MLR events.

“We are delighted to announce our relationship with Major League Rugby, a partnership which not only evidences the depth of Destination Sport’s offering but also our strategic expansion into the North American market,” said Destination Sport Group’s Paul Hemingway. “During the past 18 months, we have made a significant investment into building our U.S. infrastructure across Destination Sport Travel, Sportsbreaks.com, and Inspiresport. We’re looking forward to bringing our knowledge of delivering best-in-class rugby travel programs across professional sports team travel, fan travel, and youth development tours, to support the continued growth of Major League Rugby.”

About Major League Rugby

Major League Rugby is a professional sports league representing the highest level of rugby competition in North America. MLR prides itself in fostering intense, high-stakes competition while bringing together a passionate community built on the values of Respect, Inclusivity, and Tradition. Matches are televised on Fox Sports, among other national and local market platforms, and its OTT Platform, The Rugby Network offers fans the ability to stream select MLR matches live, along with Gallagher Premiership Rugby, and other international rugby content. For more information, visit www.Majorleague.Rugby and follow @USMLR on Twitter and Instagram.

About Destination Sport Group

Destination Sport Group is a specialist, global sports travel business. Headquartered in United Kingdom, Destination Sport Group counts 300 employees across 15 countries globally including North American offices in Atlanta and Boston. The business supports with all elements of sports travel including travel management for elite organisations, supporter travel experiences, endurance, and mass-participation travel plus global destination management. Destination Sport Group is well-versed within rugby via its partnerships with Scottish Rugby and nine domestic European rugby clubs. To find out more, visit www.destinationsport.com.