Utah Warriors CEO Gives 2024 Season Preview

Warriors Nation!

Happy Leap Day! We have the privilege to have an extra day to prepare for and to celebrate all things Utah Warriors ahead of the 2024 Major League Rugby (MLR) season which starts this Saturday with our Warriors traveling to Houston to take on the Sabercats at 6pm MT. 

As Phil Dunfy of Modern Family said about Leap Day, “You’re given this gift of 24 extra hours. You can’t waste it at work or school. You have to do something extraordinary, something shocking.”

So in that vein of extraordinary and shocking enthusiasm, I wanted to reach out and connect with our amazing community of fans, families and partners to update you on what exciting things the Warriors have on the horizon, on this, the Leap Day eve of the 2024 MLR season. 

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OUR WARRIORS

As many of you know we’ve made some changes in the coaching staff as well as the front office to push the Warriors to new heights on the field. 

We’ve added Jimmy Lentjes, a former Super Rugby stalwart, as the Warriors’ defense coach and we’ve also brought in one of America’s top attack coaches in Brendan O’Meara, a former St. Mary’s College All-American. 

Another key addition to the staff has been the hiring of Performance Manager Sebastian Pearson, former Canadian 7s Performance Coach, to drive the Warriors’ physical preparations. We’ve also hired Matalasi Morrissette, a former BYU Women's Rugby All-American and Statistics and Data Analytics Master's Degree student, to bring additional analytical insights to the team’s preparations. 

These additions, along with renewing assistant coach Robbie Abel’s contract has given head coach Greg Cooper the ability to now focus on “coaching the coaches” in his capacity as the leader of this team.

All of these adjustments and additional resources are meant to give our Warriors their best path to possible success individually and collectively. This staff has come together nicely and are committed to our goals as an organization. So far, I’ve been nothing but impressed with their hard work, effort and professionalism during the opening weeks of the pre-season. 

On the heels of the team’s 10-6 2023 season and Joe Mano’s MLR-leading try scoring effort, the Warriors have also added Wayne Tarawhiti as the Director of Players & Pathway to bolster the team’s recruitment, retention and development of international, domestic and, above all, local Utah talent. 

In just the short time Wayne has been with the organization the team has been able to sign five MLR-ready players from the country’s top domestic development rugby competition, the Crossroads Cup– two to full MLR contracts (Zak Barker, Prop–Herriman, UT; Kalisi Moli, back row–West Valley, UT) and three preseason contracts that will transition over to full MLR contracts in the coming days (Tonga Kofe, prop–Portland, OR; Ben Keith, backrow–Salt Lake City, UT; Beau Tautu, lock–Rocklin, CA). With Wayne’s continued work we expect to continue growing opportunities for local and strong domestic players inside of the Warriors’ Pathway system in the years to come. 

The team has also been able to recruit seasoned players to add depth in key positions with players like MLR veterans Nic Souchon (hooker), Kieran McClea (scrumhalf), Robbie Povey (flyhalf), and Spencer Jones (center) while MLR newcomers Frank Lachore (lock/back row), Louis Conradie (lock), Phil Bradford (hooker), Dylan Nel (backrow), Alesana Pohla (center) and Michael Manson (wing) are sure to add impact immediately to the core Utah Warriors team retained from last season. 

Leading the Warriors on the field is Bailey Wilson (back row), but with head coach Greg Cooper’s leadership, the team has added Warrior #1 Paul Lasike (center) as the team’s Club Captain with Warriors veterans Joel Hodgson (flyhalf) and Caleb Makene (full back) supporting as vice-captains. This core leadership team will have a major impact for the team both on and off the field with partners and Warriors Nation. 

In my personal opinion, this team has something we’ve not had in previous years: depth. And with the long 16-game, 18-week MLR regular season that will be elongated by a 5-week post-season, every MLR team will need depth if they’re going to have a chance to make a run at an MLR championship. 

Assuming everyone stays healthy and well– knock on wood– I’m really looking forward to seeing what the 2024 version of the Utah Warriors will be able to accomplish. And so should Warriors Nation!

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WARRIORS HQ

Adding to the excitement of the team, the Utah Warriors organization has been quietly working on a new team headquarters, now that we’ve moved away from the Zions Bank Real Academy campus in Herriman, UT. 

Located in Draper, a short drive from Herriman, the new “Warriors HQ” will be the home of the entire front office and coaching staff, as well as the primary meeting and training facility for the team complete with showers, lockers, turf, gym and meeting rooms.

The space will also double as a community activation hub for the local rugby community from youth to adult teams and leagues and will allow the Utah Warriors’ organization a permanent home for the players, our staff, their families as well as for all of Warriors Nation. 

We’re currently working to finish the build-out phase of Warriors HQ and will certainly be welcoming all of Warriors Nation to an open house in the coming weeks. So stay tuned! 

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HOME GAME EXPERIENCE

Ahead of the home opener on March 9th against the Chicago Hounds, the Utah Warriors are amping up the home game experience with plenty of new pre-game and in-game entertainment elements designed for kids and adults alike. 

Above all, the Warriors will be introducing some new traditions before the game and during the second half water break. We’re excited to share these new game day experiences and traditions with Warriors Nation next weekend. So be sure to arrive early and be in your seat to take part in what will surely add to making the high-altitude Zions Bank Stadium, the most feared fortress to play at in the MLR! 

MARCH 9th! BE THERE AND BE LOUD!

Inside of this gameday experience are the unrivaled hospitality options at Warriors home games. The Warriors continue to grow our corporate hospitality offerings with the second year of the Warriors Lounge and the coveted Wasatch IT Pass on the Pitch. Both offerings are Utah’s most memorable and exciting premium sports hospitality options and a sure-fire hit for staff and business development opportunities for any company. Be sure to check all of the group and premium hospitality options at www.warriorsrugby.com/for-businesses. 

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COMMERCIAL GROWTH

The Utah Warriors continue to set the pace in the MLR in 2023 with top-three overall performances in attendance and commercial revenue. The Warriors averaged the second most in attendance in the MLR in 2023 which was bolstered by three consecutive sellouts to close out the season. 

Similarly, on the partnerships side, working with premier partners like Intermountain Health, Woodbury Corporation, UFirst Credit Union and Wasatch IT the Warriors have seen a strong base of commercial partners that are committed to the Warriors’ Core Values of “Community, Family, Tradition and Respect.” And we are ecstatic to grow and add partners that are dedicated to these same ideals like CC Bank, which was announced recently, and more that will be announced in the coming months.

The Warriors’ industry one-of-a-kind partnership with Stade Toulousain, the top professional rugby team in Europe, has also led to the Warriors brand increasing not only locally, but internationally with the growth of The Rugby Alliance in 2023. More to come here in the coming months!

In all of this, the Warriors continue to show the way for emerging professional sports teams to carve out a strong and successful partnership program with some of Utah’s most progressive and forward-thinking companies and brands. 

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WHAT’S NEXT?

So what’s next for the Utah Warriors? I’m often asked about possible stadium plans for the Warriors and with all of the hubbub of possible NHL or MLB teams coming to Utah, the idea of a Warriors-anchored multi-use facility has certainly been discussed in some of the local sports facility conversations. At the moment, the Warriors are focused on completing Warriors HQ while also keeping options open for other facility collaborations. 

In this vein, we’re looking forward to announcing something truly special for Warriors Nation. At the heart of the Warriors DNA has always been our ethos to buck the norms. And in the coming weeks, we’ll be announcing a one-of-a-kind experience for Warriors Nation that we can’t wait to share. Let’s just say, we put Utah on the map with the USA vs. Stade Toulousain game at America First Field last year and we’re excited to take another step in this direction to lead North American rugby on and off the field. Stay tuned! 

We love Warriors Nation! And we hope to continue delivering the same commitment and value that you give the team at each and every home game. We founded the Warriors with the goal of giving back to this amazing state of Utah and it’s our goal every day to ensure we live up to the Core Values as represented by the Four Stripes on our chest: “Community, Family, Tradition and Respect.”

Thank you, again, for your love and support of the Utah Warriors! We look forward to kicking off the 2024 MLR season this weekend in Houston (March 2nd at 6pm MT on FS2). Be sure to tune in and watch your Warriors!

But above all, we can’t wait to see you all on March 9th at 2pm MT at Zions Bank Stadium as we ALL Defend the Fortress!

I hope you enjoy your Leap Day today and spend it reliving or preparing for some Warriors rugby because there’s nothing more extraordinary than that!  

Go Warriors!

Kimball Kjar, Co-Founder & CEO