“We have 11 teams today that I think are, across the board, the strongest ownership groups we’ve ever had,” said Dunlavey, a partner in a program management firm and club rugby lifer who has co-owned Old Glory with Sheehy (a leading auto-salesman, once a US Eagles wing) since day one in 2020.
But Old Glory DC were safely indoors, preparing for the return of Major League Rugby, the US professional rugby union competition that kicks off year eight this weekend.
Dunlavey said: “I think it was our third year when Paul and I met and determined we were going to make a commitment to what we believe MLR should be about, which is the development of American talent, in support of our international team’s performance and in the broader interest of growing the game and developing interest and loyalty among supporters.
Hailing a new TV deal with ESPN – “I don’t think I’ve ever heard as much positive press and texts and contacts about the league” – Sheehy said: “As we approach [Old Glory’s] season six, we’ll be heading down to Miami.
“When Paul and I first met Dean Howes, the commissioner at the time, one of the things he told us was that essentially MLR was modeled on the organization and business plan that Major League Soccer had pursued for the preceding 20 years.
