Glendale made rugby its identity in 2006.
The women’s and men’s Glendale Raptors began playing rugby in 2007 after players answered an advertisement for an open tryout in the Rocky Mountain News. A decade of excellence on and off the pitch and multiple championship banners later helped pave the way for the creation of the Colorado Raptors and the Glendale Merlins.
The men’s Merlins competed in the Pacific Rugby Premiership while the women’s Merlins competed in the Women’s Premier League.
The Raptors served as the club’s professional men’s side and was a founding member of Major League Rugby. In 2020 the Glendale Raptors branded as the Colorado Raptors to include a bigger footprint of fans in Colorado.
After competing in the MLR for three seasons, the Raptors became Colorado XOs by starting the RugbyTown Crossover Academy in 2020 when the club’s focus turned to recruiting and developing elite athletes from other sports and transforming them into rugby players.
After one season of the XOs, the American Raptors were born. The club remains focused on improving the level of domestic talent in the United States and dedicates every single day to do exactly that at the RugbyTown National Training Center.
