Scottish Rugby will have a shareholding in newly-formed Major League Rugby side Old Glory DC, the union announced on Thursday.
The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) will provide the Washington-based franchise with a combination of “financial and rugby support”, and SRU Chief Operating Officer Dominic McKay will sit on the franchise board, a statement said.
Major League Rugby was launched in 2018 and currently has nine teams, but that will be expanded to 12 for 2020, when Old Glory DC enter the competition along with sides from Boston and Atlanta.
“The U.S. market has long been a strategic target for us, and the potential and passion for rugby will undoubtedly grow in the years to come,” McKay said.
“It is important we are creative and develop opportunities beyond our own borders, and we are very much looking forward to growing our relationship with the team in Washington in the years to come.”