The average Utah Warriors rugby player makes $30,000 per year. Star players earn up to $50,000 per year, starting senior players make between $25,000 and $40,000 per year and developing and reserve players make between $10,000 and $20,000 per year.
Utah Warriors Rugby Players Salary Package
Utah Warriors rugby players don’t just receive a salary. As MLR clubs aren’t strapped with cash and have to adhere to a small salary cap they use a number of different ways to pay players including:
- Subsidized or free accommodation and rent
- Cushy jobs during the offseason
- Coaching roles within the franchise
Free Housing
A great way the Utah Warriors can attract top players without going over the salary is by offering free housing. The Utah Warriors will rent houses and apartments or offer shared housing for players with boosters or people associated with the club.
Coaching Jobs
The Utah Warriors like many MLR clubs will get senior players to fulfill coaching roles. For example they may coach junior teams or help out with the academy players.
Laid Back Jobs
To boost the salaries of players the Utah Warriors will line up players with easy jobs. These are typically part-time roles in businesses owned by club supporters or are in some way related to the rugby club.
What is the Salary for Utah Warriors Rugby Players?
The average Utah Warriors rugby player makes $30,000 per year. Star players earn up to $50,000 per year, starting senior players make between $25,000 and $40,000 per year and developing and reserve players make between $10,000 and $20,000 per year.
The salaries in the MLR are nothing compared to other professional sports leagues in the US. Rugby is still developing as a pro sport in America. It will probably take 10 more years until all players are earning at least 6 figures per year.
The MLR is not quite a full professional league; many players are barely making enough to pay the bills and need to work in the off-season. The league will need to increase revenue and increase the salary cap if they want the league to attract better players and become a world class rugby competition.
MLR Salary Cap
One major reason that Major League Rugby players earn such small salaries is because the league has a strict $500K salary. This means all players’ salaries on the roster for the year can not exceed $500,000.
A professional rugby roster typically has at least 20 players, so MLR clubs can only spend an average of $25,000 per player. The average salary in the Top 14, France’s top rugby competition, is $250,000, 10x more!
To get around the salary cap MLR clubs offer things like free use of cars, coaching jobs and free housing. However, players are still getting paid way less than the pros in Europe. Hopefully as the league continues to develop the salary cap can be bumped up because right now there are players in Europe on $1 million per year!
