DALLAS PRO RUGBY FRANCHISE GETS NOTABLE ARGENTINEAN SANTIAGO SODINI AS GENERAL MANAGER
THE DALLAS JACKALS HAVE NAMED SANTIAGO “SANTI” SODINI AS THE TEAM’S GENERAL MANAGER
DALLAS, TEXAS July 21, 2022– The Dallas Jackals have named Santiago “Santi” Sodini as the team’s General Manager.
From Rosario, Argentina, Santi comes with a long history in Rugby as a player, coach, and administrator. He has played and coached professionally around the world including in Australia, Italy, and England.
Santi comes to Dallas with previous MLR experience having been Director of Operations for Rugby ATL in 2021 when the side were MLR runner-ups. With Rugby ATL, Santi aided in creating a successful pathway for players and coaches to the USA Eagles.
“It’s a great honor for me to be part of the Dallas Jackals,” said Santi. “I would like to express my gratitude to the organization for the opportunity and I am looking forward to working to create a winning team on and off the field.”
Off the pitch, Santi has an accomplished professional career in international consultancy and business development. He has cultivated global brand images in the High-Performance market through successfully signing contracts with Rugby, soccer, and baseball teams across the globe.
Santi has consulted with sports organizations around the world including the Brazilian Soccer Federation and River Plate FC, one of the top soccer teams in the world.
Tom Vander Veen of Top Tier Sports, says, “After a thorough search stateside and worldwide, Santi comes with several outstanding references and is highly respected not only in rugby, but in other sports and business endeavors. With his years of experience at the highest levels on and off the field including in the MLR, we are thrilled to have Santi join the Jackals.”
Most recently, Santi was Business Development Manager for STATSports, a performance and analysis service used worldwide by elite athletes and teams. Santi helped build the largest sports monitoring system in the world with USA Soccer and Major League Soccer Academies.
Santi received his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business in Argentina and is fluent in five languages, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and French.
Led by Santi, the Head Coach search is already underway. He will also meet with last year’s rugby staff as he builds the coaching staff for the 2023 season. The team anticipates more personnel announcements related to the rugby leadership soon.
Welcome to the Pack Santi and family!
About Dallas Jackals
The Dallas Jackals are a professional rugby team of Major League Rugby (MLR), the highest level of Rugby competition in North America. The Jackals were named as an expansion team in 2020 and in 2022 played their inaugural season at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington.
The team’s central mission is to develop domestic talent to a world-class level of play and professionalism while strengthening the high performance pathway in DFW by supporting the local clubs. Through proactive Community Outreach, the Jackals will exemplify and spread the passion of Rugby by inspiring tradition, respect, family, and character on and off the pitch.
About MLR
Major League Rugby is a professional Sports league in its fifth season and represents the highest level of Rugby competition in North America. The League evolved from seven teams in 2018 to 13 teams in 2022, featuring 12 from the United States and one from Canada. Matches are televised on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, among other national and local market platforms. Select matches are available to stream live in North America on The Rugby Network, and all matches are available to stream live on The Rugby Network for international fans. MLR prides itself in fostering intense and high-stakes competition, while bringing together a passionate community built on the values of Respect, Inclusivity, and Tradition. For more information about MLR, visit www.MajorLeague.Rugby
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
