Tel Aviv Heat, Israel’s first professional rugby team was launched
today and picked to join the new Rugby Europe Super Cup.
The Israeli professional team plans to apply the Startup Nation’s innovation, values and entrepreneurship to build a sustainable world-class rugby club on and off the pitch that elevates and links Israel rugby to a worldwide community of sports professionals and
fans promoting respect & inclusion.
TEL AVIV, Israel, July 07, 2021
Overview
(1) Today marks the official launch of the Tel Aviv Heat, Israel’s first professional rugby team. The Tel Aviv Heat will apply the high tech and entrepreneurial spirit of Startup Nation to propel rugby in Israel onto the world
stage.
(2) Its selection to compete in the inaugural season of the Rugby Europe Super Cup marks a watershed moment in Israeli team sports, elevating Israeli athletes to compete on a regular basis with world-class players who have represented their countries in Rugby World Cups.
The Rugby Europe Super Cup
(3) The Rugby Europe Super Cup is the first ever Annual European club competition for Europe involving non-Six Nations countries and creates a high performance pathway for the rapid development of pan-European Rugby talent.
(4) In season 1, the Rugby Europe Super Cup will include 8 teams (playing in two pools) from the following countries: Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Georgia, Israel and Russia.
(5) Super Cup teams will play home-and-away series with the other teams in their pool from
September--December , with the top 2 teams from each pool advancing to the Semi-Finals in April 2022, followed by the final in May 2022.
(6) Rugby Europe plans to expand the Super Cup to include 12 teams by 2023 and 16 teams by 2025.
(7) Rugby Europe is in the process of finalizing media and commercial sponsorship rights for the Super Cup and will provide revenue incentivisation for Participating Teams based on performance and marketing criteria.
The Tel Aviv Heat -- the Team
(8) The Tel Aviv Heat team roster will match the most talented players eligible to play for the Israeli National Team in international competitions along with marquee players with experience playing at the highest levels of professional club rugby competitions in Europe, South Africa, the United States, and Oceania.
(9) The Tel Aviv Heat will play their home matches in a state-of-the-art stadium which will be disclosed at a later time.
The Team -- Commercial/Legal
(10) While the Israeli Rugby Union will retain majority ownership stake in the Tel Aviv Heat, Pro Rugby Partners Ltd. (PRP) will retain the remaining equity in the team and lead and manage its budget, marketing, partnerships, operations, and human resources.
(11) To date, strategic investments from committed supporters of rugby based in Israel and abroad have shone a bright light on opportunities for building a passionate fan base throughout Israel and around the world.
(12) In addition to traditional revenue streams built around attendance, advertising, broadcast rights, and merchandising, the Tel Aviv Heat will harness the entrepreneurial spirit of “startup nation” by integrating cutting-edge sports tech and food tech throughout the organization.
Statements/Endorsements
World Rugby Chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont said:
“World Rugby’s strategic mission is to make rugby a global sport for all. The Rugby Europe Super Cup launched today is an exciting growth opportunity across Europe where rugby appetite and potential is significant. Importantly, this competition will bridge the gap between domestic and international competition for the nations involved, reflecting our ambition to increase the overall competitiveness of the international game. I would like to extend my thanks to all involved and look forward to the Rugby Europe Super Cup kicking off.”
Octavian Morariu, President of Rugby Europe:
“The launch of the Rugby Europe Super Cup is the result of a long process to create the
key-milestone in the progression of our unions. Thanks to this annual competition, players will experience the High-Performance level regularly and the national teams will benefit from this permanent training. This is also an opportunity for Rugby Europe to promote European Rugby and open new territories for sponsors and media. "
Statement from Offer Fabian, President, Rugby Israel:
“Rugby in Israel is entering an exciting new phase. A professional rugby team representing Israel in a European competition represents a hugely important opportunity to grow the sport by inspiring a whole generation of Israeli kids to dream of becoming pro rugby players.”
Statement from Adi Raz, Chairman of Tel Aviv Heat and Chairman, Pro Rugby Partners:
“We are thrilled at the opportunity entrusted to us to help elevate the game we all love. Our plan is to combine sport, innovation and entrepreneurship to build an inspiring and sustainable world-class rugby club showcasing respect, inclusion, winning mentality, and the drive to bring people together. “
Statement from Pete Sickle, CEO of Tel Aviv Heat:
“We are excited to build a world-class team on and off the pitch. We will represent the best of Israel to the worldwide rugby community and the best of rugby values – integrity, passion, inclusion, discipline and respect – to grow the rugby community here in Israel.”
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