Party in Miami: Marcos Galperin and a dream team of investors launch a rugby team and seek to dominate the US market.

The sun was going down and the night was turning on in this corner of Miami, which for a few hours was more Argentine than ever.

A parade of luxury cars and trucks meandered through the access to the

, to enter a party that brought together a

all together to launch the team's franchise

, the first professional rugby club in Florida, which was

, and a group of Argentine investors who want to expand this sport in the United States.

It is more than fertile ground and there is a lot to do, in a country where rugby is not so well known, perhaps overshadowed by its distant cousin with a lot of entertainment, American football.

But in the Florida community there is a strong following: there are more than 5,000 amateur players in the state and more than 2,000 are registered in Miami-Dade alone.

It is estimated that throughout the United States there are more than one million amateur players.

Galperin, the

is the spearhead of the landing in Miami and the purchase of the Miami Sharks, which will join Major League Rugby (MLR) in the 2024 season, which has 12 teams that compete in the United States and Canada.

and expect it will take at least

.

But they are patient.

At the party, Galperin must abandon his usual low profile and take photos, pose and chat with celebrities such as

, the former Puma who is now the ambassador of the Sharks, and another Puma, Nico Sánchez.

The music is loud and there is an open bar for the

.

Suddenly the DJ launches the hit “Muchaaaachooos”.

In a chat with

before the celebration in the charming building decorated in red and gold, the businessman says that

and that he played it himself when he was a teenager: in fact,

, but decided, instead, come to study in the United States.

“I always say that

"My greatest learnings were not in the universities, but from rugby: resilience, not giving up, respect for the rival and for the rules, competing and competing with honor."

Marcos GalperinCEO of Mercado Libre

Galperin says that a group of friends from the business world and also former players came to him with the idea of ​​buying the franchise.

“I thought it was a very interesting opportunity.

We saw what happened to soccer in the United States, which was a small sport and grew in an impressive way.

We believe that the same can happen with rugby because it is an action sport and very entertaining to watch.

He points out that they want to form an academy to stimulate the growth of the discipline.

“It is very good for young people and children to play because it teaches values ​​that are later very important for life, how to play as a team, how to give everyone a space.

In rugby there is a space for the tall, the short, the fat, the skinny, the slow, the fast.

The art of putting together a good rugby team is precisely integrating that diversity.

I later realized, in my life as an entrepreneur, that

 that I was lucky enough to attend,

: resilience, not giving up, respect for the rival and by the rules, compete and compete honorably.”

The time to invest in the United States is now,

says the businessman.

“The

is going to be played here in

so I think there will be a significant effort at the country level to promote the sport.

Also, the professional rugby league in the United States is growing very well.

The level of play in the league today is very high.

There are players from all over the world who come to the United States.

In fact,

Marcos Galperin, Ronaldo “Kony” Strazzolini and Alejandro MacFarlane, senior partners of the Miami Shark.

As people chatted and drank in high spirits, the stage was lit for speeches.

Galperin and the other founding partners of the Miami Sharks passed through there:

president of the financial services firm

, and

, the main shareholder of

.

Then there was a presentation of shirts and video greetings from Miami Mayor Francis Suárez and the first player to sign for the Sharks: the puma Tomás Cubelli who said from Paris that he would be happy to move to Miami.

Although the idea, said Galperin, is to incorporate Argentine players, there is a limit of 12 internationals per team.

But

, beyond the owners:

Strazzolini, another of the founders, celebrated.

“For us to put the Latin wave on American rugby is great.

We believe that

, where there is incredible potential”, he said.

They want Americans to fall in love little by little with rugby.

As?

“The idea is to show the values ​​and that it is a very fun sport.

I think that if we make it cool and make it fun, people will like it.

There are things that are not done here.

We plan to put together a Fan Fest after the games

, drinks, with the presence of the players, things that have been successfully tested in other places.

Americans like the show.

Therefore, there has to be a show on the pitch and a show before and after”.

Macfarlane added: "Our initial audience will be rugby players and fans, from clubs and universities, but we will also have products and experiences to appeal to their family and friends."

Other investors in the Sharks are

managing director of

, a New York-based asset management firm, and

, president of the real estate company

who told

that "having a franchise rugby in Miami is very important.

It has grown as a city in many aspects and it is very nice to have a sport that unites the family, especially the Latin American family.

And the group of investors is wonderful”.

“It is a good bet on entertainment, on a new sport in the US that shares the values ​​that I have”

Martin MigoyaFounder and CEO of Globant

The team's sponsors were also present:

(a financial advisory firm with offices in Miami and Buenos Aires) and

(Banco de Valores SA, a bank specializing in capital markets). based in Buenos Aires).

former president of HSBC, now linked to fintech, and

was talking animatedly with everyone

.

“It is a good bet on entertainment, on a new sport in the US that shares the values ​​that I have,” said 

, founder and CEO of Globant, also an investor, who was present at the event.

Among the diverse audience was the Argentine consul in Miami Leandro Fernández Suárez and city authorities, along with several local high-tech entrepreneurs and rugby players who stood out for their demeanor.

The public relationsist Gaby Alvarez was also seen, wearing glasses and a black hat.

The Argentine presenter Melisa Zurita streamed with the VIP guests.

Hours passed and the guests continued to enjoy gourmet hamburgers and small bites that quickly disappeared between drinks, wines and beers.

Galperín talked to everyone and was

-What level of expansion do you envision for the business?

-We see a great opportunity.

The Miami soccer franchise, for example, 20 years ago was worth $20 million and today it is worth more than $1 billion.

-So you want to be the David Beckham of rugby?

-No no.

I'm not going to give you that title (laughs).

Not really, but we believe there is a great opportunity and we enjoy the sport and the project.

Also,

.

The infrastructure of stadiums and training camps is impressive.

It is very interesting to try this in this geography.

-What do you contribute to the franchise, in addition to the investment?

-Throughout my career as an entrepreneur I have developed many relationships in the United States and, with a bit of luck, I aspire to be able to help the league, which is relatively young, to grow and expand in the American market.

The league has done a great job building the teams and the competition, but it's still a young league in terms of revenue and sponsorship.

I look forward to helping the league expand and get better sponsorship deals in both the United States and Latin America.