Dallas Jackals Announce General Manager

The Dallas Jackals are pleased to announce Phil Camm as General Manager and​ Co-Founder. With over 15 years of experience in the DFW rugby community and a career in event production, Camm is excited to bring professional rugby to Dallas.

Hailing from Oldham, England, Camm began playing at nine years old with his dad as the coach at Aldwinians RUFC. He continued on to play for his school, Manchester Grammar and then represented his county of Tameside, playing scrum-half. Camm began coaching and refereeing at the age of 18 at Oldham Rugby Union, where he played at scrum-half or fly-half.

Since Camm moved from the UK in 2003, he became heavily involved in the Dallas rugby scene. As a player and later as head coach of the Denton Rugby Club, he helped the team win promotion to Texas Division 2 and establish a women’s team.

In 2008, Camm made the move to the Dallas Griffins Rugby Club.​ ​Griffins was one of the first semi-professional teams in the US and was based in Allen, Texas. With Elaine Vassie as coach, Griffins climbed quickly to compete in USA Rugby’s first tier amateur competition, Red River Conference D1.

During his time with the Dallas Griffins, Camm was very involved in the Dallas Community. Former North Dallas Chamber of Commerce CEO Bruce Bradford said,​ “​I am excited about the inauguration of professional rugby in the Dallas area, and I believe that with Phil as an integral part of that effort, the community will, in just a short timeframe, see the sport fully blossom.”

Phil, who hung up the boots in 2015, has served on the Texas Rugby Union board and is also certified as a Sports Event Safety and Security Professional, combining his experience in event management with emergency incident training through his company Five Phase. Camm has been married for 12 years to his wife Mary Kay, a special education teacher, and has an eight year-old daughter named Mia.

“This is the start of a new chapter in a long story. America has been primed for professional rugby for a long time. It’s an honor to have played a part in getting MLR off the ground several years ago and now having the Dallas Jackals ready to play in the league.

My wife, my business partner Bill Bingham and the rest of my family have always supported this vision and I owe them a lot for believing so wholly in the project. Partnering with​ Donnie and Neil though will help take our sport to the next level and I can’t wait to open the gates to a new set of fans at Globe Life Park.”

We are happy to welcome Phil Camm and his family to the pack!

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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 will play their inaugural season in 2022 at Globe Life Park 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 entering its fourth season and represents the highest level of competition in North America. The League evolved from seven teams in 2018, to 12 teams in 2021, featuring 11 from the United States and one from Canada. The competition follows an 18-week regular schedule for a chance to advance to the playoffs. Matches are televised on CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports 2, ESPN+, Facebook Live (for international viewers) and on different platforms in each local market. MLR prides itself on its incredible athletes, the passionate community behind them, and its strong values of Respect, Inclusivity, and Tradition.