Miami Sharks (rugby union)

The Miami Sharks are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) based in Miami, Florida. The team was founded in 2023 and will begin play during the 2024 season.

History
On February 8, 2023, Major League Rugby announced that the Miami Sharks would be joining the league in 2024. Owned by Argentine businessmen Ronaldo “Kony” Strazzolini, Alejandro Macfarlane, and Mercado Libre chairman Marcos Galperin, the team appointed former Toronto Arrows executive Mark Winokur as CEO, Mariano Marco as COO and former Argentina U20 manager José Pellicena as head coach. Pellicena has also previously served as an assistant with the Argentina national team under Mario Ledesma and former Super Rugby side Jaguares under Raúl Pérez.

On April 26, 2023 the Sharks announced the signing of Argentine international scrum-half Tomás Cubelli, the first player's signing of the team. The same day, the team held a launch party in Miami with a few Argentine company directors and personalities like tennis player Juan Martín del Potro, model Claudia Albertario and former Argentina international player Juan Martín Hernández who's one of the franchise's ambassadors.

In July 2023 the Miami Sharks parted ways with CEO Mark Winokur and hired Mariano Filippini for the position. Filippini previously played as a flanker for Club San Andrés and more recently was an executive for Univision and HSBC Bank Argentina.

On September 15, 2023 the Sharks announced that a partnership with Inter Miami CF would allow them to play home games at the AutoNation Sports Field. The stadium capacity would be expanded to include up to 5,000 spectators.

Colors and identity
The Sharks' crest displays a blue and white shark with pink strokes alongside a rugby ball and the term "Miami Sharks". The team main colors are neon-styled pink and blue that paid homage to the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice which has become a symbol of Miami and identified with the city. Miami Vice relied on a pastel color pallet, reminiscent of the Miami Heat "Vice" special uniforms, that became very popular and inspired the team colours.

After the team's founding, the Sharks quickly unveiled three playing kits. One of the jerseys is mainly white with hints of electric blue and bright pink while the others display pink-to-black and blue-to-pink gradations.

Established by Bonaerenses, the team has a strong Argentine connection and ties with Latin America. Two of the three owners played rugby union in Argentina: Macfarlane for Belgrano Athletic Club like Pellicena, and Galperin for Club San Andrés. The latter stated: “We are excited to create a rugby experience in South Florida that will wake the Latin passion in the community and generate a sense of belonging.” Choices of coaching staff and executives reflect the club's Argentine identity.

Ownership
The original ownership pool was led by three Argentine businessmen and company directors: financial services firm Magna Capital president Ronaldo “Kony” Strazzolini, natural gas distribution company Camuzzi Gas main shareholder Alejandro Macfarlane and e-commerce company Mercado Libre funder and CEO Marcos Galperin, the wealthiest man in Argentina with an estimated net worth of $5 billion. Alongside the three founding owners, other investors like Santiago Ocampo, Martín Migoya, Edgardo Defortuna and Gabriel Martino own shares.

Current squad
The Miami Sharks squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:


 * Senior 15s and senior 7s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
 * * denotes players qualified to play for the on dual nationality or residency grounds.
 * MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.

Current coaching staff

 * José “Cochi” Pellicena (Head Coach)
 * Tui Osborne (Assistant Coach)
 * Oscar Durán (Forwards Coach)

Head coaches

 * 🇦🇷 José “Cochi” Pellicena (2023-Present)

Sponsorships
The Sharks have signed sponsorship deals with investment advisory company BlackToro and Argentine financial services company VALO.