Published By: Siddarth Sriram
Last Updated: September 16, 2023, 15:36 IST
United States of America (USA)
Messi with his Inter Miami teammates in training. (Credit: Twitter)
The Miami Sharks will join Major League Rugby from next season and will train and play their home games on the facility which is part of the same complex as the club’s DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami training ground is to be shared with a new rugby union team, the clubs announced on Friday.
The Miami Sharks will join Major League Rugby from next season and will train and play their home games on the facility which is part of the same complex as the club’s DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
EXCITING NEWS! The Miami Sharks are joining forces with Inter Miami CF in a historic partnership. Starting in 2024, we’ll be training and playing home games at their premises. Are you ready to come and join the pink family? ️ Get ready for an unforgettable season.… pic.twitter.com/ef4HgzjS1y
— Miami Sharks Rugby Club (@miasharksrugby) September 15, 2023
“The Miami Sharks will join the Inter Miami CF first team, second team and academy teams at the facilities commencing in the first quarter of 2024,” the club said in a statement.
Like Inter Miami, the Sharks will have a strong Argentinian influence with 33-year-old scrum-half Tomas Cubelli their first major signing.
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Cubelli made 89 appearances for Argentina and is part of the team currently appearing in France at the Rugby World Cup.
“I am very excited to join the Miami Sharks in this exhilarating journey and to move to Miami, the capital of the world of professional sports,” said Cubelli.
The Sharks will be coached by Argentine Jose Pellicena, former assistant coach of the country’s national team.
A more direct connection with the team comes in the form of Inter Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, whose father Pablo represented Argentina in rugby in the 1990s.
“I knew this project was in the works and I am excited for them to get here and get started,” Cremaschi, who made his debut for the United States on Tuesday, told reporters after training on Friday.
¡THE ULTIMATE SYNERGY! With access to Inter’s top-notch facilities, we’re all set to conquer new heights together!! Enjoy the sun at the beautiful stadium we’ll be training and playing at and cheer for the sharks on the stands #FloridaRugby #MiamiSharks ¡LA… pic.twitter.com/1AJt9yzxxu— Miami Sharks Rugby Club (@miasharksrugby) September 15, 2023
“It will be great that this area will have a rugby team so the sport can grow here and in this country,” he added.
Inter Miami are due to move to a new stadium in Miami itself in 2025 but intend to continue training at the Fort Lauderdale venue.
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Major League Rugby was founded in 2017 and currently has 12 teams.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
