Zack Frongillo has been a baseball fan all his life, a Red Sox Fan as a matter of fact. So when he received a video message from the Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole asking to join the team as the Director of Entertainment, he jumped at the opportunity to bring his talents down to Georgia. Tune in as we learn what it takes to run a Banana Ball game and take a backstage tour of that 9-inning circus.

Who is Zack Frongillo

Zack grew up in Littleton Colorado where he played almost every sport imaginable. But although he’s a huge baseball fan, it was dancing that seemed to really become a passion of his. Due to the fact that Zack suffered from a few sports-related concussions, Zack had to set aside baseball. During the off-season, his sisters were part of the school theater program. They asked him to come out and audition and something clicked. 

Zack continued his dancing at UNLV where he was a part of the dance program in a city that knows how to put on a show.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights

At first, Zack wanted to dance his way to Broadway, yet it was the opportunity to go over to Seoul Korea during college that cemented his interest in ballet which we’ll speak about later.

Not long after his return, The Las Vegas Golden Knights posted open auditions for the ice crew and promo team members. It was the first year entering the NHL and with it being an expansion team at the beginning of the NHL’s new-found popularity, the organization was looking to really put on a show. 

Zack grew up playing hockey, he could skate, he could dance, he could entertain a crowd. He obviously got the job and he absolutely loved it. Everything he had done up until that point in his life had led to this moment. He was a hybrid of the ice crew and promo crew because he was a jack of all trades. 

The biggest piece of advice Zack gave us when it comes to game-day entertainment is to find people who aren’t afraid to go out there on the field and have fun. Yes, fans are there for a hockey game but they are also there for a full entertainment experience from start to finish. 

“I don’t remember the score of the first game I went to as a kid, but I remember how I felt through the entire experience.” 

Taking Inspiration From Other Sports

Zack and his team both at the Golden Knights and currently at the Bananas, spend a lot of time checking out other sporting events for inspiration. Whether it was going to another hockey game, watching golf on TV, or even a big league game, Zack is constantly looking to bring something new to the table. 

But it wasn’t just other sports teams Zack was taking bits from. He was watching sitcoms, movies, and now with Tik Tok, taking bits and pieces from viral videos. 

The goal is for the fans to think or say “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that was a baseball game. 

From Vegas to Bannaland

So how did Zack end up in Savannah directing every Banana live show? It was towards the end of the COVID sports era, with fake crowd noise and no fans. Zack receives a video message from a guy in a yellow tux and it happened to be Jesse Cole.

“We both had very similar ideas on where baseball was going wrong and entertainment as a whole.” 

Zack ended up taking the job just at the beginning of the invention of Banana Ball. And in case you don’t know what Banana Ball is, it’s their own version of baseball. It includes some wild rules that make baseball move a lot faster and far more entertaining. Just think if a fan catches a foul ball, that batter is out!

The biggest difference for Zack is that he wasn’t working directly with players back in Vegas and now in Savannah he was creating a show where the baseball players for the main characters. 

“You’re gonna have to ask these guys to dance. You know, you’re gonna have to ask them to go take a little girl on an ice cream date. They need to trust you and they need to understand that you have their back just as much as they have your back.”

Fans First Experience

Zack, Jesse, and the entire Banana staff pride themselves on being “fans first,” so much so their company is called Fans First Entertainment. They learned pretty quickly that the show they were putting on was a big hit obviously first in Savannah and then in other parts of the South. Now they are embarking on a World Tour that will take them all across the country. 

As a fan, you have to expect the unexpected. A dancing first base coach, a batter on stilts, and even a few World Series winners stepping onto the field for an inning or two!

Listen to the entire episode above to hear more about Zack Frongillo and his mission with the Savannah Bananas.

The post Savannah Bananas Director of Entertainment: Zack Frongillo appeared first on New England Free Jacks.

Full Contact CEO Season 4

Julie Uhrman has done it all. She started a video game company, was an exec at Playboy, and now she’s a Co-Founder & President of the most high-profile NWSL team in the league – Angel City FC. The investor group consists of Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner, Serena Williams, a handful of World Cup-winning soccer stars, and many more. Julie shares how the team is dominating on and off the pitch and how equality takes center stage.

Who is Julie Uhrman

Julie is a born and raised Angelino. Aside from going to college in St Louis, Julie has built her life and career in Los Angeles. She says her tenacity, grit, and love for competition started at a young age playing basketball at the YMCA with her sister among a group of 80 boys. 

Basketball took her to Washington University in St Louis where she also studied business. Needless to say, it didn’t take her long to apply what she was learning in college to building two businesses as a student-athlete. 

Julie learned right away how difficult and time-consuming it was to do laundry. She bought a laundry business and ran it right through college. She also created a storage company where students could store their items in between semesters. The laundry business is still there!

Initially out of college Julie wanted to be an investment banker and she spent a few years working in the industry, but it wasn’t long until the entrepreneurial bug hit her again.

Starting a Video Game Company

Julie founded and created the video game console Ouya in 2012 in an attempt to rival Xbox and Playstation and essentially disrupt the billion-dollar gaming industry. 

At this time mobile and tablet games were on the rise with the consistent new iterations of smartphones. Think Clash of Clans and Farmville. Julie noticed this and realized she could build a game console on the Android operating system. She had an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign with over 8 million in funding. But ultimately the gaming system struggled to make an impact in an industry that is dominated by 4 major companies and consoles. What really stood out though was Julie’s determination to change an industry very much stuck in its ways and try to bring independent video game makers and engineers into the spotlight. 

Angel City FC

Most of Julie’s career is in entertainment, gaming, and content. What she calls “bringing joy into people’s lives.” 

“And as you build your skillset and as you expand your network and your capabilities, it’s bringing people closer to understand what you’re good at and also what you’re passionate about. With Angel City, I have two co-founders, Natalie Portman, the actress and activist, and Kara Nortman, who’s a venture capitalist here in LA”

It was Kara and Natalie who had the idea for the Angel City but they needed an entrepreneur and builder of things to help put the team together both on the pitch and in the backroom. 

What was wild is that Julie had no idea that NSWL existed even though the US women’s team had just won the 2019 World Cup. It was perfect timing because Julie had just left Playboy where she had helped transform a bit of a “boy’s club” company into a more inclusive brand.

As Julie explained when Angel City started to become a reality, “Our ultimate goal was to drive equity. Initially, it’s pay equity, but that also means, you know, sponsorship, equity viewership, equity attendance, mindshare.”

The second major goal was to tell a story. “So we wanted Angel City to be bigger than the game from day one.” The vision was to have Angel City become a major global brand that is recognized worldwide that tells a story, represents something good, and drives revenue. 

Julie studied massive brands and teams including the likes of Barcelona who are arguably one of the most famous soccer clubs in the world. ”I wanted to be the platform of Manchester City Football Group, the global brand of Barcelona, and add the mission impact of Angel City a hundred percent. And that’s how we’ve been building Angel City.”

Want to listen to the entire episode and learn more about Angel City FC? Click the episode above and subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. 

The post Co-Founder & President of Angel City FC: Julie Uhrman appeared first on New England Free Jacks.

Full Contact CEO Season 4

Marco Masotti is not afraid to be outspoken on Twitter. He brokers huge sports acquisition deals like the recent takeover of Chelsea FC and the complete re-imagination of the Milwaukee Bucks. But through it all, rugby has been a constant in his life. Now as an owner of the one and only Sharks, as well as as a stakeholder in Saracens, Marco is helping change the game and his influence is rubbing off in the MLR.

Who is Marco Masotti

Alex Magleby is joined by one of the most outspoken and successful leaders in the world of sports and rugby. Originally hailing from Amanzimoti, South Africa, we find Marco sitting in his home office in New York. 

Rugby fans will know him as the owner of the Sharks in Durban. He also is a stakeholder in the very successful Saracens who have dominated the English Premiership for the past decade. What most people don’t know is that Marco is a Partner at Paul Weiss, a very large and successful US law firm.

Marco, whose first and last name is Italian, gets his origins from his father who moved from Italy to South Africa and worked in the automobile industry. 

What we deciphered very quickly is that Marco is an incredibly humble person, who has worked very hard in life and he absolutely loves rugby. At the time of recording, he had just taken Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira to a New York Giants game.

From Coastal South Africa to the Big Apple

Marco humbly will say that his trajectory in life came about because of good fortune but there’s a lot more to unpack there. 

He studied at the University of Natal in Durban around the same time Nelson Mandela was being released from prison. At that time South Africa was going through some incredible changes and leaving apartheid behind. 

Marco received a Fulbright Scholarship from the University of Virginia. “I was surrounded by a great group of friends and fellow law students who carried me. It was an exciting time. I had great teachers. And, you know, the timing worked out well with, you know, the opportunity to come to the United States.”

Marco became best friends with Max Kennedy son of the late Bobby Kennedy. He was able to spend Thanksgiving at the Kennedy compound with essentially American Royalty.

Marco also was lucky enough to meet Ted Sorenson who was JFK’s speechwriter and soon enough Ted became a mentor to Marco at Paul Weiss.

To this day Marco is incredibly thankful for the mentorship from Ted that he has introduced a program at The Sharks where players have a local and foreign mentors.

Rugby Ownership

Marco’s first rugby game was the Springboks vs The All Blacks in 1976 at Kings Park. “Morne du Plessis was Captain and I think I sat in the last row of King’s Park, which is the Shark Stadium, you know in the bleachers and just totally, of course, the Boks won. And I totally and utterly fell in love with the sport.”

Marco always says “I was born with a rugby brain but not a rugby body.”

Marco got to where he is in ownership by making great rugby friends including Francois Pienaar and Vincent Mai. It was a friendship first before business and the opportunity to invest in The Sharks came about because of great timing. 

Marco loved that Vincent actually paid for Sia Kolisi’s schooling and scholarship which ultimately led him to play rugby, captaining the Springboks and of course winning a World Cup. 

Marco initially closed his investment with the Sharks during the pandemic while the team was still a part of Super Rugby. These South African rugby teams needed investment at this time, especially after years of decline in the pro rugby scene. Not to mention there were echoes of the South African clubs playing in the URC with the opportunity to play in the Champions Cup.

Rugby is the USA

“Rugby is part of the DNA in the United States.”

Marco learned that very early on from his first few years in the country. It was the Cherry Blossom Tournament in Washington DC that really opened his eyes to the potential rugby can have in America.

“I was on the Virginia Club team, and I couldn’t believe it. You know, you sit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and they’re like rugby fields to your right. And there were teams from all over. It’s like, you know, 2,500 clubs all over the United States.”

The issue has always been about messaging and spreading the game, especially in such a crowded space. 

Marco believes in a way the NFL can be a vehicle. It can be the “Football of the Spring.” But he wants there to be personalities and controversy to help bring the spotlight on the sports. 

“Rugby has its traditional values but we can also still celebrate the players and they can have names on the back of shirts. It’s a team sport but there is an inherent individuality.”

This is something we’re starting to see more especially here in the MLR and The Free Jacks. We’re creating and highlighting hometown heroes and characters. We’re also diving deep into the team and going behind the scenes. Not to mention we’re turning our game days into a full festival for everyone!

For more on Marco Masotti, his incredible story, and the time he met Muhammed Ali, listen to his full episode of Full Contact CEO.

The post Wall Street Power Broker and Sharks Owner: Marco Massotti appeared first on New England Free Jacks.

Full Contact CEO Season 4

Ahead of the start of the 2023 MLR Season Alex Magleby caught up with the now-former and incredibly successful MLR Commissioner George Killebrew. George provided our listeners with some encouraging updates and partnerships ahead of the 6th Major League Rugby Season

Looking back with the Commissioner

Ahead of joining on as Commissioner of the MLR in time for the start of the third season, Commissioner Killebrew was a longtime executive with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are famously owned by Mark Cuban who played Rugby at Indian University. George had been a part of a successful NBA franchise for almost 30 years, he knew how to run a team, and more importantly, he knew how to run a business. 

“For an upstart sports league entering season 6, we should be starting to get in our groove.” George compares the early years of MLR to MLS and draws the comparison between the two leagues saying that by season 6 of the MLS, they were really starting to gain their sea legs. He also mentions that was when a major mead deal started to come into play. He gets the sense when we talk to teams that it’s a little bit easier coming into season 6. 

Magleby points out that this time last year the performance center had not been built yet, and they had new employees just joining the organization. The Free Jacks academy is also up and running and producing great players. “We’re learning how to share this product much better than we did at the beginning of last season.”

Consistency is Key

“If you look at the history of sports and teams that win championships, there is one word that kind of bubbles up to the top in my view. And that is consistency.”

Killebrew is alluding to not only consistency in winning but sometimes it’s the consistency within that team’s ecosystem. Whether that’s running a system or a well-oiled back-of-the-house machine, consistency is sometimes bigger than talent. 

The fact of the matter is that even though these teams are going into their 6th year of the league, there still will be curveballs but they’ll be able to handle them better than they have before. 

Killebrew also believes that the teams in the league have a great appreciation for everything else you have to do to run a successful sports entertainment business. “They gotta look at all the mundane things that we do day-to-day, like ticket sales and sponsorship, sales and marketing, local broadcast agreements, and community relations, and all those things that go into, you know, the front office of a team. And I feel like there’s more appreciation for that today with our groups, rather than I just want to put the best team on the field and try to win the shield.”

Attendance is Growing

“We’ve not doubled our attendance from when I first started. So there were more people that attended an MLR match last year. You know, it doubled in size from year one and there were 75,000 new net attendees. It’s those kinds of things on how you grow and build a league, and we have about 10 of those metrics we look at every day, and they’re all growing.”

Fox Sports

The past year the Free Jacks were featured heavily on Fox Sports 1 and their numbers were in the same range as NHL and MLS games. Both leagues have very lucrative advertising and media deals.  

When the league first brokered a deal with Fox Sports it was exclusively with Fox Sports 2. Over time the ratings went up and the league was able to jump to FS1, a channel that is consistently a household name.

“And to give you an idea on FS1 sports viewership last year we had a 69% growth. We had 330,000 you know, additional households tune in. So if you’re Fox and you’re sitting back and looking at US vis-a-vis other programming, it’s easy to make that decision to convert more games from FS2 to FS1.”

The Rugby Network

At the same time we’re seeing growth on traditional cable, we’re also seeing tremendous success with the Rugby Network. TRN has had a 150% subscriber growth rate season to season. 

Originally going into it, “the goal was to get 25,000 subscribers according to the people at RugbyPass. That number was achieved midseason, the first year it debuted. At the time of recording TRN has 118,00 subscribers. 

“It’s also turned into a real recruiting tool as international players can now see what’s going on in MLR in years four and five going into this year.”

“And I get a lot of feedback from players that, you know, come to us and say, geez, we, we’d like to get over there and play. We’re, we’ve been following your progress on TRN, and what we’re seeing is the level of play in Major League Rugby has really grown exponentially. The level of coaching has grown exponentially and the level of officiating has grown as well.”

And from an outsider’s perspective, TRN has been an incredible success for the league. It positioned itself as a leading rugby social media account and it gives fans deeper access to the league. 

What else has gone right?

One of the biggest challenges the MLR has is storytelling. The rugby can’t necessarily be a stand-alone product, especially in a new market like the United States. We have all these characters in the league and the teams need to take advantage of them. 

“These are some of the most entertaining athletes I’ve been around, hands down.”

It’s up to the league leaders to give these players the platform to become the household names they deserve to be and are within the team. Teams are starting to do that, especially the New England Free Jacks who have shone the spotlight on The Eagle and our hometown hero Cam Davidowicz.

Another great example is getting the players into the community more which is something The Free Jacks are striving to do. This includes having the players come to school as well as spending time at the YMCA. 

League Expansion

There’s no doubt that the addition of an MLR team in Chicago is a great thing for the league. Chicago has been host to some incredible international test matches including Ireland’s famous win over the All Blacks. 

But the addition of The Hounds was not an overnight phenomenon. It was a three-year process to bring them into the league. 

“You have to find the right investors. You have to find the right facility, which you guys now have been through, and you found your home. It’s just not like you write a check and join a league and you gotta put together a great staff. You have to put together a great business plan. You have to figure out where you are in youth rugby in that city, and how are you going to bring them all into the fold and grow them.”

We’re also seeing the addition of the Miami Sharks in 2024.

It’s early in the 2023 MLR season and there’s a lot more to come. Subscribe to Full Contact CEO for more episodes.

The post Former MLR Commissioner: George Killebrew appeared first on New England Free Jacks.

Full Contact CEO: The Captain America Mini-Series

Todd Clever is probably the most iconic and most successful captain USA Rugby has ever had. From his home in Southern California Todd sits down with Mags to look back at his incredible career, recount some wild stories on tour, and give the listeners some insight into the Todd Clever Foundation which aims to develop grassroots rugby here in the United States. Oh, did we mention he apprehended some robbers in his Noodle Bagz?!

Catching up with Todd Clever

In episode 2 of the Captain America Mini Series Mags catches up with the man, the myth, the legend Todd Clever.

We find him donning a Hawaiian shirt with his USA jersey framed and on the wall behind him. 

Before Todd wore the red, white, and blue and before his illustrious career he found himself playing rugby because of his older brother. He realized that rugby was going to be his dream and career when he toured Australia with the US U19s. He saw where the Brumbies played in Canberra and what it was like to be a professional athlete but it was also the same time that the former Tri Nations was taking place. 

“I mean my first year, making Collegiate All Americans making the 7s XVs, and then just playing club rugby at university as kind of a big fish in a small pond. To reach my goals and aspirations of, you know, being on that field and that Tri Nations and watching Super Rugby. I have a chance to carve my own path.”

In 2006 Todd was given the chance to go over to New Zealand to play club rugby for North Harbor on a trial basis. Nothing was guaranteed but it was an opportunity to showcase himself.

“The things I learned at the club level I take with me everywhere.”

Why Super Rugby vs Going to Europe?

“When I first started playing rugby, that was the only rugby on TV.” 

For Todd Super Rugby, the southern hemisphere game fit his style and how he wanted to play and represent himself. 

Before Todd even got down to the tournament in the lower half of the globe he went back to Southern California to prepare for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. 

It was a very memorable World Cup. The US caught the World’s attention against the would-be winners The Springboks. Todd intercepts a pass from the Springboks backline just 5 meters out from the USA try line. And as we all know Takudzwa Ngwenya beats Bryan Habana on the outside. 

That World Cup opened up doors for Todd. He had offers from teams all over. He chose to play for the Lions in South Africa because he knew it was a tough team to play for and stiff competition. 

Todd was the first American to play Super Rugby, an accomplishment in itself. A lot of people would question why he chose to earn a lesser wage with a weak currency like the South African rand compared to the Pound and Euro in Europe but to him, it wasn’t about the finances. He wanted to play the best rugby he could play.

While playing for the Lions Todd had three head coaches in three years. He was already coming in as an American playing rugby and he had to prove to them every season that he was worthy of a spot on the starting 23. Todd was also lucky enough to play the Touring British & Irish Lions in 2009.

“I had to prove a lot of people wrong. I had to earn my stripes and, you know, being up against it not just being American, but you know, kind of who I am so it was always tough.”

Japan and Eddie Jones

After his successful stint in Johannesburg, Todd found himself moving to the land of the rising sun. 

At this point in time, an elite athlete like Todd didn’t have the luxury of playing professional rugby in the United States so he had to look elsewhere to not only make a living wage but also improve his game and bring himself to the highest standards. 

“I never put a nail in a wall and I never hung a picture. My walls were always blank and I looked at it as temporary, like I’m here one day at a time and this may not be here tomorrow.”

It was none other than Eddie Jones that brought Todd into the fold at Suntory Sungoliath, Japan’s most successful Top League team. He also spent 3 years at the NTT Shining Arcs.

All professional rugby teams in Japan are actually owned by large companies so essentially when you play for a domestic Japanese team, you become an employee for a company like Suntory, Toyota, or Panasonic. It’s also financially lucrative.

So what was Eddie Jones like?

“I mean Eddie is a brilliant mind and you can’t take any days off or you, you know, he expects the most out of you. And we had such great players like George Gregan and George Smith.”

Playing with legends of the game and under Eddie Jones is when Todd realized what it was really like to be a professional player. He had to devote his time to prehab and rehab, studying the game, and to even learning a new language.

“So I had a tutor, I had a manager, I had a translator, so they made life so easy for us. You know, just the living arrangements, you show up your fridge is full, your bed’s made, and it’s like, just take your shoes off.

That ESPN Magazine

After a very successful 5-year stint in Japan controversy crept into the picture for no particular reason. Todd was invited to pose for ESPN’s The Body Issue. A famous issue of the magazine that comes out every year. It showcases some of the world’s best athletes while wearing barely any clothing. Think Serena Williams and Lebron James.

Todd had to disrobe in front of about 30 people on set. After the magazine was published Todd was invited to the ESPYs, a great opportunity to market the sport. However, those that were running the national team at the time were not happy about Todd’s appearance. It sadly led to Todd not being picked for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. A huge mistake was made by the coaching staff.

At that point after 5 years in Japan, Todd would have applied for Japanese citizenship.

One thing Mags points out about Todd is that he accepted the decision that the coaching staff made and he didn’t want to distract from the World Cup preparation. He was one of the very fully professional players on the team. He always makes a point to advocate for the guys who are taking time away from their lives to pursue their rugby dream.

The Barbarians and Newcastle Falcons

Like any rugby player, it’s a dream to play for the Barbarians. It’s an opportunity to play on the world’s stage but also with some of the best players in the world. Not to mention the amount of fun you get to have, the tour is notorious for having a good time.

After his appearance for the Barbarians, Todd decided to live a bit of a nomadic life and he even thought about retiring. What he didn’t realize is that he was receiving offers from teams to come join their squad including Newcastle. 

Fortunately enough after one season with Newcastle, Todd was called back into the Eagles with a new head coach in place.

“So he asked me, what do you want to do? And I said, just give me an opportunity. I don’t want to be captain. I just want a job to have a chance to earn that jersey back.”

Not long after his return to the team and after a few World Cup qualifying games Todd decided to hang up the boots for the national team. It was a selfless choice aimed at giving an opportunity to some younger players.

“I thought it would’ve been really selfish of myself to prolong my national team career.”

How Has the Game Changed

Lots of professional rugby players want the opportunity to play in America but prior to the MLR there really hasn’t been any league or money in the sport. The missing piece to changing the game in the US was a pro league. 

“Once there’s something set up there, then that’s how I can take the sport to the next level. Making sure our national team is fully professional finally.”

Todd explains that we need to get rugby into schools and start kids at a young age. But once rugby is there we can start to see athletes transition over from other sports.

The Todd Clever Foundation

Todd Clever Foundation uplifts and unites the rugby community by providing opportunities for athletes, coaches, and teams while instilling the sport’s most exceptional values.

The goal is to spread the game and provide for rugby programs that aren’t necessarily positioned for success. 

“We are really focusing on diversity and inclusion in rugby. So the foundation is really there to, you know, unite and support the players, coaches, teams, and leagues to make rugby more accessible.”

Rugby provided Todd the opportunity to travel the world, to not only improve his rugby but he got to learn about new cultures and meet new people. He wants that same opportunity for Americans who want to play the sport.

What’s Going Well in the MLR?

Coming out of a Covid year the MLR has actually bounced back. But for it to exceed, Todd believes the game should be played at great facilities and great stadiums.

“It’s gotta be easy on the eyes. We have to educate the public. We have to introduce it first, then education. And then show them a great product, which the product is going well on the field as in the game wise and the speed and, and the, and the collisions and the skill sets. But, you know, I think we just need to have better broadcasting, better stadiums across the league.”

Mags also believes that rugby is the product but teams need to provide a whole day of attractions, entertainment, and experiences to capture a wide audience. “There should be something for everybody.”

Rapid Fire

What was it like apprehending thieves in your Noodlebagz?

For those that don’t know. Todd and a few other rugby players were at a Fourth of July Party in San Diego when robbers broke into the house and started to make off with their things. 

Todd and a few other guys chased the culprits down in their skimpy swimwear and managed to tackle them 3 blocks away.

Proudest rugby moment?

Todd always had goals he had written down and he crossed them off once he completed them. First Eagles cap, signing a Super Rugby Contract, first World Cup.

Todd, who is recently married to a busy actress, finds himself at some pretty fun parties and on red carpets.

If he were running the Free Jacks today, what would he focus on?

“You guys are doing such a great job. And it’s about relationships and community and you guys are leading the way.” 

But the reality is, how do you manage expectations of where rugby is and how do you focus on getting butts in seats, getting sponsorships, and bringing home that shield.

To listen to the entire episode click here.

The post The Most Handsome and Hairy Captain America: Todd Clever appeared first on New England Free Jacks.

Although his accent doesn’t necessarily match the jersey, Madison Hughes has proven to be a Captain that you’d follow on and off the pitch, We catch up with the former USA Sevens leader to get an update on his life after two Olympic Games, plenty of tour stops, and what his next move might be.

Catching up with Madison

We find Madison has gotten up rather early to chat with Mags on the podcast as he dons a Free Jacks sweatshirt and wipes his eyes in his office located somewhere in Northern California. 

In case you didn’t know, Madison has a pretty distinct British Accent, but his mother hails from New England. He has always had an affinity with the US, its culture, and especially New England Sports. It’s a lot of the reason why he ended up at Dartmouth and meeting Mags.

Like most British school kids you play all the sports your school offers. He discovered early on that team sports were for him rather than individual sports.

It wasn’t until Madison was slightly older than he started specializing in rugby, playing 15s in the Fall and 7s in the winter.

Ending up at Dartmouth

The United Kingdom’s University programs require students to specialize in one subject and have that decision made prior to attending school. For Madison, that wasn’t the way he wanted to experience college. 

So not only was he getting USA rugby looks ahead of college, but his interest in taking different classes as you do in college over here steered him towards Dartmouth. 

The allure of a US college campus, a great rugby program, and the chance to experience all seasons were pretty good reasons to come over the pond.

All Americans Pathway and U20s

We wanted to know what Madison’s pathway was like early on in his rugby career. He played several years for the All-Americans as well as USA u20s. The benefit he says from playing in those programs is the ability to travel and play other teams who had other styles as well as interact with different cultures. 

“We went over to Tbilisi Georgia to play and it was around the same time as some sort of political unrest. At one point we weren’t allowed to leave the hotel. We were locked down and the guards out front had massive Kalishnakovs.”

The biggest benefit was going through the same process with a core group of guys. Something we’ve seen with our very own Free Jacks.

Balancing School and Rugby

It was no surprise that Mags went from winning the CRCs and Nationals with Dartmouth 7s to then being the USA Sevens head coach.

So after Madison had incredible success in Big Green it only seemed natural that he’d don the Red, White, and Blue in Chula Vista even while in college. 

Madison had to learn how to juggle training for sevens and his studies. His professors weren’t necessarily thrilled but he knew this was the pathway he wanted to take. 

“My grades improved while I was away from Hanover actually. It took me prioritizing what I wanted to achieve to really excel. My goals were the 2016 Olympics and graduating on time.”

Youngest Player on the Team and Captain

Madison was the youngest player on the team when Coach Mike Friday named him captain. It was a complete shock to Madison. There were plenty of players ahead of Madison that had age and experience on his side.

But it was the support from those senior players that allowed him to excel. His natural style is to lead and be vocal. He lead by example and worked hard at every point he could. 

“However, in my early years, I was more of a ballot taker rather than a decision maker.” But he grew in his role over time and as fans, we could see his success on and off the field. 

When he looks back he says that it was the 2018/19 team that was most successful due to the fact that the entire leadership group stepped and lead in their own ways. They also were not afraid to be vulnerable and incredibly open with the rest of the team. A lot of the team was able to do that in 2018 and that’s what lead to all the success in that season. 

One of Madison’s biggest regrets is that the team could peak for one game or one tournament but couldn’t consistently seal the deal. There were so many expectations for them in the Sevens World Cup and as well as for the Olympics. 

The Olympics

It’s no lie that there were high expectations going into the 2016 Rio Olympics. Rugby was finally back as a sport and the US was looking pretty good going into the tournament. They even had a Free Jacks owner on the team, Nate Ebner. 

Madison is of course a two-time Olympian which is an incredible achievement. He explains that he’ll always be incredibly grateful to have that Rio experience before he had to experience a Covid Olympics in Tokyo. 

“You’re at the opening ceremony and you’re literally walking into a huge stadium full of people and next to you are NBA Super Stars and Serena Williams.” 

In Japan, we flew into Osaka and stayed in a small town to train ahead of the Olympics where we were essentially isolated. “We competed for 2 or 3 days then left the next day.” 

In Rio Madison got to stay on after his games and got to enjoy the Olympics for what it is and see other games and enjoy a foreign city. 

Madison believes he was mentally fatigued for that 2016 tournament. He was playing both codes and not to mention that team had to qualify for the Olympics so from an emotional standpoint it was a lot. 

The games were close in their pool matches so there was always a chance but it’s always the bounce of the ball. 

As we all know the 2020 Olympics like many sporting events were postponed and pushed back a year. It was difficult for that team to get reps together, get that cohesion and create consistency. 

What Does The Future Look Like for Madison Hughes?

At the time of recording, Madison has been recovering from shoulder surgery. He knew in the run-up to the Olympics that it would be a good time to step away from the team. It allowed other people in the organization to get onto the team and it was generally a good thing for his mind healthy. 

“There was a need for fresh voices and fresh perspectives to rise up in the team.” 

Madison calls it a rugby sabbatical, not a retirement. 

He’s looking forward to a new challenge and to testing himself in a different way, after all, he is a Dartmouth graduate. Madison sees himself as a problem solver and obviously, he excels in a team environment. 

He’s also enjoying watching some of the newer guys step up into leadership roles in this current US team, including our hometown hero Gavan D’amore. 

He even says that if MLR existed when he was coming through the system, who knows what would have happened?

Madison has also been commentating on the PR Sevens and Mags admits he’s pretty darn good at it. He’s able to put himself into the shoes of the players and really break down what has happened on the pitch. Whereas our good friend Dallen Stanford brings color to the game. 

Rapid Fire

If Madison wasn’t a rugby player what would he be doing?

It’s a great question because he’s been a professional rugby player since his formative years and as he mentions he loves the operations and strategy side of the business. Solving puzzles.

Favorite Sevens Series Tour Stop?

London because it’s his hometown. Vegas for the US fans and of course Hong Kong.

What are you thinking while you’re kicking?

He uses his breathing to calm himself and really just clear his head.

If he were running the Free Jacks, what would he focus on?

For Madison, it’s all about creating a community. His brother plays touch rugby in the Boston area, his parents are Free Jacks, ticket holders. He loves how a number of MLR clubs have come in and worked together with the already established community. 

“You want people in the New England area to identify themselves with the Free Jacks and young kids wanting to grow up to be Free Jacks.”

The post The Specialist Captain America: Madison Hughes appeared first on New England Free Jacks.

Kate Zackary is not only a menace on the pitch for the Eagles and Exeter Chiefs, but she’s also a coach and balances a marketing career with a company all the way in San Francisco while she lives in England. She lets Mags in on the secret to balancing everything in her life as well as the importance of communication and strong leadership.

Catching up with Kate Zackary

At the time of recording, we find the USA Rugby Captain and Exeter Chiefs back-rower sitting in her home office in between training sessions. She’s just under a year out from the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand which had been delayed a year due to Covid. 

Kate grew up in Kansas and moved around here and there with the majority of her upbringing in the Great Planes. Before rugby came into the picture she played soccer nonstop. Her goal was to play sports in college but she didn’t realize it would be rugby that would end up dominating her time. 

It was her freshman-year roommate that started playing rugby for fun, Kate herself couldn’t play because she had her soccer obligations but she enjoyed the social side of the sport. It wasn’t until her senior year that she started playing.

Competitive team sports have been everything for Kate so after college it was imperative she was a part of something that wasn’t just beer league softball. 

In 2013 she started playing more regularly and competitively with a regional team.

Fast forward to 2014, Kate was owning a gym but was invited to a USA camp with a lot of crossover athletes. Plenty of track runners, even a bobsledder. Still unsure where rugby will lead her, Kate returns to Kansas and the gym and kind of, goes on with her life, playing rugby casually. 

Joining Up With The USA Sevens Program in Chula Vista

It was probably due to Kate’s freak of nature athletic ability that led her to land a contract with the USA Sevens squad. 

“I want you to come out to Chula Vista, can you move here in three weeks? Talk to your loved ones and let me know what you think.”

It was a six-month contract and luckily Kate’s work was very supportive. 

“I didn’t intend on lasting longer than six months.” Kate packed her bags and took it as an open opportunity. But what she realized is that she didn’t pack enough believing she would only last that short period of time. 

It wasn’t until the spring of 2015 when Kate got her first Sevens cap. She ran into a bit of injury trouble but managed to get healthy for the Atlanta Sevens in March 2015.

From there Kate found herself trying to make it onto an Olympic team, a Rugby World Cup in 2017, and very quickly, rugby started to become everything. 

Meanwhile, her business in Kansas, a gym she had put together, was still functioning but as soon as she realized after a successful year of rugby that this was the way forward she decided to move on from it.

Working on the Side

Kate started refereeing indoor soccer in San Diego for two years while she was playing professional rugby, something she used to do back in college. As Kate put it, and I think as many other female rugby players will know “the idea of hustling wasn’t foreign to me.”

She had to deal with a lack of sleep as well as intramural soccer players yelling at her while they failed to score goals. The reality is, she’s tougher than the players on that indoor pitch.

Kate is also currently working for a company based in San Francisco while she applies her trade for the Exeter Chiefs. So that means late nights and early mornings in the UK to make some of the West Coast hours.

She also coaches a local women’s club while in Exeter.

2017 Rugby World Cup and Beyond

Going into the World Cup the US team was poised to do well even with the speed bumps they had to deal with on the way. That included recruiting, putting together a coaching staff as well as getting a team together in one place.

They gathered players in Chula Vista and created a touring side from originally 50 women. They managed to make it to the Semi-Finals in Ireland where the stadiums were packed. The US came 4th in 2017.

Kate went on to Captain the 15s side for the first time against New Zealand in 2018. She explained she needed to find the right balance between leading and playing. But really she calls it a huge growth moment in her career and it challenged her and helped her at the same time. She also needed to work out how to communicate with multiple parties like her team, the coaches, the media, and of course the referee. 

The English Premiership

It was actually Covid that got Kate to pick up shop and move to the west country of England. It was an opportunity to play on a weekly basis against some of the best players in the world. The league is so successful in the UK because it follows a framework that already exists, there’s attachment to the men’s clubs, and the furthest she has to travel for an away game is 6 hours on the road. There’s also a high number of US Eagles playing in the UK right now too.

“So it’s as professional as a women’s contract can get currently. there’s offsetting of costs, whether it’s housing or other things like that. So there are a lot of benefits that clubs can offer. It just depends on where you are and what the club can provide. The biggest thing it gives you is a sense of security, which I think is at least coming from my standpoint, it helps me buy into the rugby more. Cause I know at the end of the day, I’m going to have food on the table, a roof over my head and someone who can look after me, and the chance to play of course.”https://open.spotify.com/episode/7wIZ48c5LbAZVK7EHcDTnM?si=25UcKczNTlul2iJeYvipVA

The post The Unstoppable Captain America: Kate Zackary appeared first on New England Free Jacks.

Blaine headlines join in on the Captain America Mini Series. For a lot of US rugby fans, Blaine’s career trajectory is one of perfection. Winning national titles with Cal, captaining the Eagles, and heading overseas where he consistently started for two massive European clubs, Cardiff and Leicester. Mags digs a little deeper to learn about Blaine’s life after rugby which includes earning an MBA from Oxford, working in consulting, and even riding a John Deere lawnmower.

Blaine’s Background

Blaine Grew up in Sacramento and played water polo, basketball, and swimming. He’d loved competing from a very young age. The plan was to play water polo in college but he found himself playing rugby. Transferring from UCLA to Cal Berkley.

That’s when Mags and Blaine first met. 

“I think watching you play at the old national All-Star collegiate championships was so good. Right? 2008 maybe? And you just started picking up the game, but you had huge quads. Great speed.” 

It was then that a tour to New Zealand with the All-Americans made Blaine realize this was a true “a-ha” moment. 

“And, um, it ended up being the best decision (transferring) I ever made in my entire life. 

Not least of which, you know, on the rugby side, but, you know, from the personal development side, from, you know, being a student and treating sport of study and being immersed in. What is one of the most incredible rugby traditions in North America? I just so happened to meet my wife Cal as well.”

Blaine’s USA Debut

Blaine captained his collegiate side at the CRC’s in 2011 and that same year earned his first US cap and it happened to be against the old Soviet foes, Russia. 

Blaine soon would go on to play in the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand

“Yeah, you did the collegial Americans and then kind of a rocket ship through to the 2011 World Cup where you had the opportunity to play in pool matches against Ireland, Australia, Italy, and, Russia.”

“As it turns out Russia was my only world cup victory, which hurts pretty bad, but it just shows how, how difficult it is.”

After the World Cup Scully went on to accept one of the first contracts at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center where he trained for the Pan-American games and started to get on the Olympic Training Cycle. At that point, the Olympics just announced that 7s would be reintroduced back into the Games.

Come Home and We’ll Fix You

In 2012 Blaine, unfortunately, ruptures his Achilles and was out for 10 months. But what impressed Mags the most was Blaine’s ability to bounce back from injury and setback.

Blaine sadly lost his father at a young age and he was brought up by his mother who’s pretty impressive herself. She ran and won the Sacramento District Attorney election in 1994.

“Seeing the way she was able to prioritize what she needed to handle everything and not take any moment for granted with anybody and anything she did. For me, it was probably the most impactful thing I’ve ever seen. And if she could kind of handle something like that, then I could handle a, uh, a return to play after injury.”

“I was hugely supported by, you know, the Cal programs, Coach Clark and Coach Billups, who, uh, when I was on the table, coach Bill just kind of said, yeah, I’ll come home and we’ll fix you.

I’d say that was one of the most important years I’ve ever had. That was my character year. Um, you know, it’s easy to be a professional athlete when things are going well, and you’re playing well.

But you will always be hurting and you will always be dealing with some sort of internal pressure, you know, performance gap and something you need to improve. And you know, when I look at the people I’ve seen who have the most successful careers and I’ve seen a lot of talented people, talent doesn’t necessarily equal a good career.

Talent equals maybe a good game, maybe a good season, or a good string of matches, but what separates professionals who have really good careers and talented folks is I think the ability to overcome all the adversity and setbacks you’ll have because you will have them on each and every day of your professional career and find a way to get through it.”

Playing 15s Professionally

In 2013 after playing an extensive number of USA games Blaine had the trial opportunity pop up at Leicester. What started as a two-week trial progressed to four, then turned into 2 years. Of course, playing at Leicester turned into an Opportunity at Cardiff. At that point, it was very difficult to make it in Europe as an American player.

Blaine learned a lot from playing at two massive clubs including the fact that he liked Indian food thanks to the Irish legend Geordan Murphy who took him under his wing while at the club.

“So what I was going to do is I just made a promise to myself that I was going to compete every single day, um, and enjoy and maximize the experience.”

“I didn’t feel like it was actually that big of a jump. I was actually surprised by how ready I was for that moment.”

Blaine realized that he had to out-compete someone for a spot on the team. Whether that was a young talented English player, a former All-Black, or an Argentinian international.

Being a Good USA Captain

As captain Blaine had an over 60% percent win rate, which is incredibly significant. 

What it ultimately comes down to according to Blaine is a few things. If you’re a leader or you want to make a difference or a positive impact on the environment, you have to be a model for it.

So you can’t just talk about it. Nobody wants to follow a captain who runs in the huddle and says, “don’t miss tackles.”  And he’d been on a lot of those teams. 

Blaine also says you have to know what you’re modeling and what’s important. And then you have to reward those behaviors. And then you also have to have a bunch of really good relationships. Those can be hard because people are different and have different priorities and are there for different reasons.

“I think at the end of the day it was the fact that we had to be super honest with each other and. And hopefully accountable to each other as well.”

Working at PWC

As Blaine says “consulting, it’s an interesting world.” In consulting, you’re staffed on a project and you build a team. So it has worked nicely with being a part of teams all his life. He compares his new role at PWC to being a rooking athlete.

“So I’m actually at the point now where I just focus on me and my performance, which is how I was, almost like a young athlete and a good teammate.”

His first 18 months were tough but now he feels like he’s in a better place and understands what he needs to do. A lot of that also came with becoming a new dad. He’s always needed a routine and now with a child, there’s certainly a routine.

Improving the US National Rugby Team and Program

“I think for us in particular, what is the optimum American model? I just don’t know if we’ve quite figured that out. How do we sort of create a robust infrastructure that’s strategically coherent and from a business perspective? And then also gives us the amount of talent, resources, and know-how, whether that’s a coach, referee or a player, or some support staff member.”

Mags and Blaine both agree at the end of the day, there are just a lot of programs within USA Rugby but It doesn’t really matter. There’s just not enough money coming in the door. But what are the potential solutions? Money obviously helps. 

“I’d say one of the great values of the MLR is that you have professional folks who have a business interest in growing the game, building markets, and growing fan bases as well as developing players. So, I think that’s part of the solution.”

The big question is how do we capture young athletes? We have the most in the world per capita. 

“I think there is a sort of an American system with the way we structure competitions, where we place them, the markets we focus on, and then just being really efficient and allocating our resources. In the best manner in an aligned manner. So, you know, really like whether you’re hosting a national team or an MLR event, there is some sort of synergy associated with the parties who all have limited resources and are trying to figure it out. But if there’s youth camps, clinics, you know, festivals that are going on. Maybe they can be attached to a national team event, male or female or MLR related.”

Blaine’s Quick Fire Questions

Who could fight a bear without weapons? 

Nick Williams

Something you’ve never done but want to try?

Drive cross-country.

What was Richard Cockerill really like?

He is a great guy, got along really well with him and he gave me the chance to prove myself and the doubters. I also got to win the Challenge Cup and played Murray Field against his Edinburgh team.

Favorite rugby night out?

Bilbao after the Challenge Cup Final. But also his beating Scotland in 2018 was a great moment and evening with the team.

If Blaine was CEO of the Free Jacks, what would he focus on?

What is the coffee strategy for the office and does everyone have a Bosu ball?

To listen to Blaine’s episode click here!

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