Catapult’s U.S. momentum continues with new strategic signings
Catapult is pleased to announce that Major League Rugby (MLR), the premier rugby union competition in North America, has implemented the company’s technology for all 12 of its teams starting with the 2020 season, headlining a list of new US signings to start 2020.
Major League Rugby has a 17-week regular season that kicks off February 8 and follows a league-plus-knockout format where teams play 16 regular season matches for a chance to advance to the playoffs. Matches are broadcast on CBS Sports Network and internationally on Facebook Live. The league is entering its third season and has evolved from seven teams in 2018 to 12 in 2020, featuring 11 from the United States and one from Canada.
MLR Commissioner George Killebrew used Catapult previously when working for the Dallas Mavericks and is excited to deploy a league-wide solution to enhance the development of North America’s best rugby players.
“I’m pleased to be partnering with Catapult once again to utilise their top of the line sports technology capabilities,” Killebrew said. “I know the difference that their products can make for professional athletes and I feel this partnership is crucial for continued development of our athlete’s training, and our league analytics.”
In addition to this innovative league-wide deal, Catapult has also signed multiple high-profile and strategic elite clients in the US in the last month: Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays (Major League Baseball), Texas Tech University, Stanford University, University of Iowa, and New York Red Bulls academy (Major League Soccer).
Catapult CEO, Will Lopes, said that the influx of league-wide deals in the northern hemisphere since joining the business reinforces the leadership position of Catapult, and the importance of working with leagues in addition to teams.
“League-wide deals are extremely important for us as a business because they validate the importance that our products bring to athletes and teams in helping them reach peak performance and stay healthy. They also allow us and our league partners to work on opportunities like fan engagement applications that don’t present themselves in a team-by-team setting. Being able to announce DIMAYOR and Major League Rugby in the first few weeks of 2020 is a compelling reason for why we’re excited for the future of Catapult as the leading sports performance platform.”