First-Ever U.S. Elite Professional Rugby Union Match To Be Played At Lincoln Financial Field
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Two renowned rugby clubs, the Leicester Tigers and the National Rugby Football League's (NRFL) Rough Riders, will face off at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, August 8, 2015, at the inaugural Independence Cup. This will be the first time ever that an elite professional rugby union match is played in the United States by a professional American team. Game time is slated for 3:00 pm.
Tickets will be made available to the general public on Friday, April 17 at 10:00 am. Tickets can be purchased by either visiting www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
"We are excited to showcase the inaugural Independence Cup at Lincoln Financial Field this summer," said Eagles President Don Smolenski. "This match kicks off the first rugby game for an elite US team, the Rough Riders, against a historic rugby stalwart, the Leicester Tigers."
America's first professional rugby team will take on one of the most successful and well-known rugby clubs in the world, the Leicester Tigers of the Aviva Premiership. The Tigers are 10-time English Champions and back-to-back European Champions. In 2000-01, the Tigers made history by winning a Zurich Premiership, a Zurich Championship and a Heineken Cup treble.
The Independence Cup will kick off the formation of America's first professional rugby league, the NRFL. The NRFL's Rough Riders, the first elite pro rugby team in U.S. history, is a collection of the best professional rugby prospects who worked out at the NRFL's first two combines. The team is made up of former NFL athletes, former college football players, collegiate and club rugby players, and the finest international players.
"The Independence Cup will truly be the rugby game heard around the world as America steps onto the pitch for the first time with professional ruggers to take on the creators and long-lived champions of the sport," said Michael A. Clements, Founder & Managing Partner, RugbyLaw, LLC. "The event is a real life Philadelphia Rocky story. The NRFL Rough Riders can be likened to Teddy Roosevelt's cavalry who were men from many different states, countries and walks of life. They represent a 'made in America' heritage that will inaugurate the NRFL entering the global sport of elite pro rugby. How fitting to begin the next major league in the great, historic city of Philadelphia and at Lincoln Financial Field."
Since 2003, Lincoln Financial Field has served as an international destination for a variety of fan attractions and entertainment. It has hosted 19 national and international soccer matches, 16 sold-out concerts, the NCAA Lacrosse Championships, the annual Army-Navy game as well as many other family-themed events. For more information, please visit www.LincolnFinancialField.com.
For more information on the NRFL, please visit www.NationalRugbyFootballLeague.com.