How Strategic Communications Helped Win Voluntary Recognition

Background

As Major League Rugby (MLR) expanded across North America, the professional players responsible for growing the sport faced increasing concerns about healthcare, player safety, contract security, and their ability to have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their careers.

The United States Rugby Players Association (USRPA), already the recognized bargaining representative for players on the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, began organizing Major League Rugby players around a simple belief: a stronger voice for the entire sector would help develop the sport throughout the US.

The need became increasingly urgent as the professional league’s instability exposed the lack of basic protections. Teams folded, contracts were disrupted, and players and their families were left without clear answers about employment, healthcare, housing, or where they would play next. Despite building professional rugby in America, players had no formal role in decisions affecting their livelihoods.

Catalyst Campaigns was retained to develop the campaign strategy, branding, messaging, digital organizing infrastructure, and public narrative needed to help players secure voluntary union recognition.

Catalyst

Rather than frame the effort as labor versus management, Catalyst developed a collaborative communications strategy centered on the idea that players and league leadership shared the same goal: building the strongest possible professional rugby league in North America.

Catalyst created the #RugbyUnionNow campaign identity and built RugbyUnionNow.com as the campaign’s digital headquarters. The platform served as the organizing hub connecting players, supporters, journalists, and the broader rugby community.

The website featured player and supporter sign-ups, email acquisition, donation tools, educational resources explaining voluntary recognition and collective bargaining, detailed issue pages built around the campaign’s three pillars—Safety, Security, and Strength—player testimonials, campaign news, media resources, integrated social media, and stakeholder engagement tools.

• Safety focused on healthcare, concussion protocols, rehabilitation, and consistent field standards.
• Security emphasized fair contracts, employment stability, transparent league policies, and protections governing player movement and termination.
• Strength positioned player representation as an investment in the league’s long-term success by improving professionalism, attracting talent, and strengthening the future of the sport.

When Rugby Union Now launched publicly, USRPA announced that a supermajority of Major League Rugby players had already signed authorization cards supporting voluntary recognition, demonstrating that the organizing work had already been done.

Catalyst translated complex labor issues into compelling stories that resonated with players, fans, and the media by highlighting the real-world impact of inadequate healthcare, career-ending injuries, unstable contracts, and uncertainty for players and their families.

Goodstein understood that winning voluntary recognition required more than organizing players—it required earning the support of the broader rugby community. Catalyst engaged major rugby publications, influential rugby blogs, local rugby unions, former players, and respected voices throughout the sport to reinforce that stronger player protections would strengthen the league itself.

To expand the campaign beyond traditional labor audiences, Goodstein also secured the support of the pro-union punk band Dropkick Murphys. While serving as the headline entertainment during Major League Rugby’s nationally televised championship match, the band wore Rugby Union Now T-shirts, introducing the campaign to a national television audience and creating one of its most memorable earned media moments.

Beyond the public campaign, Catalyst assisted the leadership on the long-term growth of the organization itself. Goodstein

helped develop the MLR  Players Council, advised on the organizing structure and governance of the Major League Rugby Players Association (MLRPA) as a dedicated professional division within USRPA, and helped establish their distinct brand that could evolve alongside the league. The strategy recognized that as professional rugby expanded, the MLRPA would become the association’s largest bargaining unit while remaining connected to the broader national players association.

Catalyst also worked with player leadership to expand the value of membership beyond collective bargaining by helping the leadership develop partnerships focused on mental health resources, higher education opportunities, coaching certifications, career development, and other long-term member benefits.

Throughout the campaign, Catalyst managed strategic communications, media relations, digital content, rapid response, stakeholder engagement, and organizational development, positioning USRPA/MLRPA as a constructive partner committed to strengthening professional rugby.

Outcome

In January 2024, Major League Rugby and the United States Rugby Players Association (USRPA/MLRPA) signed a Voluntary Recognition Agreement, formally recognizing USRPA as the representative body for Major League Rugby players.

The agreement achieved the campaign’s central objective without a prolonged labor dispute and established a formal framework for ongoing dialogue between league leadership and players.

The campaign also laid the foundation for the continued growth of the MLRPA as the professional rugby division of USRPA. With its governance structure, communications platform, player leadership, and member programs in place, the organization has continued expanding services and partnerships that support players throughout their careers.

 

Rugby Union Now demonstrated how strategic communications, digital strategy, coalition building, and thoughtful organizational development can transform a complex labor campaign into a lasting institution that strengthens both players and the sport they help build.

Services Provided:

Strategic Communications • Campaign Strategy • Organizational Development • Governance Strategy • Branding & Messaging • Website Strategy & Development • Digital Organizing • Labor Communications • Grassroots Mobilization • Player Leadership Development • Earned Media • Press Strategy • Rapid Response • Stakeholder Engagement • Coalition Building • Influencer & Cultural Organizing • Fan Engagement • Partnership Development • Member Benefits Strategy • Public Affairs • Digital Content Strategy

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