Sharks owner Marco Masotti believes the Vodacom URC, English Premiership and French Top 14 should merge into a single elite competition.
This “NFL of Europe” would be part of a broader push for a global rugby calendar.
Masotti believes the professional game needs fewer, more meaningful matches and clearer alignment between club and international rugby.
“We want a product that’s terrific for fans,” he told The Telegraph. “A proper global season would improve player welfare and help clubs run sustainable businesses. If something helps grow the product, then I’ll support it.”
Under his vision, domestic leagues would work more closely together, with Europe’s top clubs split into conferences similar to American football.
“There could be more co-operation between the Premiership, Top 14 and the URC,” Masotti said. “An NFL of Europe, with conferences, and then EPCR [Champions Cup] becoming a knockout competition at the end – that’s the type of thinking we should be open to.”
ALSO: Sale fired up by Sharks owner’s ‘tuna’ taunt
Masotti’s comments come amid recent social media exchanges with the Sale Sharks, who host the Durban-based side in the Champions Cup on Saturday.The New York-based businessman’s tongue-in-cheek X post suggested Sale rebrand as the “Sale Tuna”, prompting Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson to question whether his side were respected.
Masotti insists the post was light-hearted, but also highlighted deeper branding issues in rugby.
“It’s a great example of what’s wrong in the sport,” he said. “We should have more fun and push the envelope a little. Your brand is what you’re selling – apparel, engagement, growth. Rugby often ignores the business side.
“And if you look at what we are doing on social media, at the Sharks in that part of the business, the growth has been incredible. We added something like 250,000 followers last year, 50,000 just in December, and the growth there is just by having a lot more fun.
“So it is a little bit of tongue in cheek, yeah. I do love the name issue. I will say that if New York had called themselves the New York Patriots, and we had a Boston Patriots, and they were playing in the same competition, the businesses would collaborate and say, ‘Hey you know, why don’t you brand yourself this way, and we will brand ourselves that way?’
“No one in rugby seems to even care about the more business-related [issues]. There are lots of ‘Sharks’ sports teams around the world. Yet it’s almost like you saying something out of left field. Your brand and how you build it is what we are selling, and we want to sell apparel, and we want to get our business to the next level. So, yes, it is a little bit of tongue in cheek, but it is also an example of some of the business concerns that we all have relating to the sport in general.”
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