| Teamname: | Rugby FC Los Angeles |
| Countryflagvar: | USA |
| First Season: | 2020 |
| Location: | Los Angeles, California |
| Ground: | Dignity Health Sports Park |
| Capacity: | 27,000 |
| Captain: | Niall Saunders |
| Coach: | Stephen Brett |
| Url: | https://rugbyfcla.com/ |
| League: | Major League Rugby |
| Season: | 2023 |
| Position: | 5th (Eastern Conference) |
| Leftarm1: | 00382d |
| Body1: | 00382d |
| Rightarm1: | 00382d |
| Shorts1: | 00382d |
| Socks1: | 00382d |
| Leftarm2: | ffffff |
| Body2: | ffffff |
| Rightarm2: | ffffff |
| Shorts2: | ffffff |
| Socks2: | ffffff |
Rugby FC Los Angeles (RFCLA) is a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) from Los Angeles. The team began play in 2020 as Rugby ATL, based in Atlanta, Georgia but announced they would relocate to Los Angeles for the 2024 season, under new ownership.
On September 21, 2018, Major League Rugby announced that Atlanta was one of the expansion teams joining the league for the 2020 season.[1] The team name Rugby ATL was revealed on February 26, 2019.[2] The team was unofficially known as the Rattlers and in 2021 an alternate logo with a rattlesnake was unveiled.[3] Rugby ATL played its first three seasons at Lupo Family Field on the campus of Life University in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta. The field was damaged by flooding in September 2021 and the team moved to Silverbacks Park ahead of the 2022 season.[4]
Following the death of their original team owner, S. Marcus Calloway, the ownership of the team was placed into an investment group, acquiring control of the franchise on an interim basis. The move kept Rugby ATL operational, until a permanent ownership group was acquired in 2023.
On August 2, 2023, Major League Rugby announced that Rugby ATL would be relocating to a yet-to-be announced location for the 2024 season.[5] On August 17, it was announced the team would relocate to Los Angeles. On December 21, it was announced that the team would be renamed to Rugby FC Los Angeles, abbreviated to RFCLA.[6] [7] On the same day, it was announced that RFCLA would play out of Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA.
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Other Shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Canterbury | None | None |
| 2020–2023 | Paladin Sports | Barbour Orthopedics and Spine | None |
| Terrapin Beer Co. Body Armor Sports Drink |
The Los Angeles squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:[8]
Scott Lawrence (2020-2022)
Stephen Brett (2022–) Stephen Brett (Attack, 2020–2021)[9] Blake Bradford (2022–)