Sacramento adds another feather to its pro sports cap with the addition of Sacramento Rugby, making it one of only five teams in the Professional Rugby Organization (PRO) — North America’s newest professional sports league comprised of rugby union teams throughout the United States, with future plans to expand into Canada.

PRO is the first competitive league to be sanctioned by USA Rugby and World Rugby. With only the five teams in the league this inaugural year Sacramento is at the forefront of this growing sport. The other cities on board are San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, and Ohio.

Sacramento Rugby’s first match, Sacramento Rugby vs San Francisco Rugby, will take place at Bonney Field, inside Cal Expo. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 17th. Ticket pricing starts at $25. Information and tickets are available at the gate or via Ticketmaster at www.prorugby.org.

“Sacramento is a great sports town so we are thrilled to be able to bring a team to this market. Northern California has a great climate for rugby with expansive youth programs and a long history of semi-pro teams,” explained Doug Schoninger, CEO of PRO Rugby. “We look forward to engaging with the fan base here now that they have a pro team to rally around.”

Many of Sacramento Rugby’s team members are young men who grew up in the Sacramento region who have gone on to play in college or internationally and are lucky enough to get to come back and play pro ball here at home. “We are proud to be able to give some of these boys the chance to play pro ball right her at home in Sacramento,” explained Head Coach, Luke Gross. “

Some say some of the best rugby in the United States is played in Northern California. Sacramento is proud to host a PRO Rugby team in the inaugural season. The PRO Rugby season is 12 games, half on the road and half at home. Home games will be played at Bonney Field on April 17th, May 8th, May 15th, July 9th, July 23rd and July 30th. Fans can plan to see a couple of PRO rugby games during the California State Fair, July 8th-24th, 2016.

For more information, visit www.prorugby.org.