Inaugural season of curling's 'Rock League' about to launch
Article content
Rock League is ready to roll.
Article content
Article content
What's that, you ask?
Article content
It's curling on a professional scale — a league to help grow the game worldwide, built by The Curling Group.
Article content
'Rock League is a reflection of The Curling Group's vision to professionalize and evolve the sport of curling, uniting fans and athletes from around the world,' said Nic Sulsky, co-founder and CEO, The Curling Group. 'We're building a global stage where elite play and passion for the sport collide. The announcement is just the beginning, with many more details to come, as we work to build a premium experience that will elevate the game for all.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
At launch, the teams will be organized by region, including two from Canada, two from Europe, one from Asia-Pacific and one from the United States.
Article content
Where will the games be played?
Article content
Each week of competition will take place in a different location with plans to hold events during the inaugural season in Canada, the United States and Europe.
Article content
What are the rules of play?
Article content
Event formats for Rock League will be unveiled in the coming months.
Article content
Who is playing in Rock League?
Article content
Six captains have signed on for the first season:
Article content
Article content
• Rachel Homan (Team Canada 1)
• Brad Jacobs (Team Canada 2)
• Bruce Mouat (Team Europe 1)
• Alina Paetz (Team Europe 2)
• Chinami Yoshida (Team Asia-Pacific)
• Korey Dropkin (Team USA)
Article content
'I've always believed curling could go pro — and now it is,' wrote 2025 Brier winner Brad Jacobs via social media. 'Pumped to be named a captain in Rock League, curling's first-ever professional league. Canada, let's make history.'
Article content
'Proud to rep Canada as a captain in Rock League, the world's first professional curling league,' wrote 2025 world and Scotties queen Rachel Homan. 'Mixed teams. Global rivalries. One epic season, coming April 2026. Let's go.'
Article content
Additional participating curlers and official team names will be announced in the fall.
Article content
'When picking our first-ever Rock League captains, we looked at a few key things — including leadership, how they work with teammates and, of course, their skills on the ice,' said John Morris, who doubles as strategic advisor for TCG. 'As we continue building out the teams in the months ahead, our goal is to create a one-of-a-kind experience that brings out the very best of curling — where longtime rivals might end up as teammates and rising stars have the chance to cement their legacy as professional athletes.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
03-05-2025
- CBC
CURLING_ROCK_LEAGUE 5 minutes ago Duration 3:46
A planned new curling league, Rock League, is aiming to launch in April 2026. Three-time Canadian Olympic curler and Rock League special advisor John Morris catches up with the CBC's Acton Clarkin to share early details.
CBC
29-04-2025
- CBC
Additional $3M pledged for new Sydney Curling Club, construction could start this fall
The Sydney Curling Club is one step closer to building a modern facility after the Nova Scotia government announced it is kicking in $3 million toward the cost of construction. That comes after a $10-million commitment last fall from the federal government. Curling club president Travis Stone said members will miss the 115-year-old building on George Street in downtown Sydney, but are looking forward to having a new one at the corner of Ferry Street and Stable Drive in Open Hearth Park. "It's bittersweet," he said Tuesday. "All I hear from members here is how much they love the place and it's cosy, it's like our second home, but we know there's not a whole lot of life left in this place, so you've got to make a new home and we're ready for that. "I think the love of the sport kind of trumps all." Stone said the club is hoping to start construction this fall, with a new building opening in 2027. "With curling, it's a little bit difficult to move into a building when you're in the middle of a season, so we're trying to line things up with the start of a season or the end of a season," he said. The new building will house six sheets instead of the four available to curlers now and will add a community meeting room for events. Stone said the extra space is needed for a beloved Canadian sport that "is just booming." "We don't have room to fit any more members," he said of the existing facility. "Since we had the Scotties here and the women's world championship ... it's just super popular now. We just don't have anywhere to put them." A place for community Cape Breton East MLA Brian Comer said the new facility will provide a safe space where people can get out and socialize. "When you think back to COVID and people couldn't get out and be active and talk to their neighbours and talk to folks within their community, it had really significant impacts on physical and mental health," said Comer, who announced the funding Tuesday at the Sydney Curling Club. Stone said the estimated cost of the new facility is about $18 million. The club has some funds saved and expects to put the sale of the existing facility toward the capital cost of construction. Stone said talks are also underway to get a contribution from Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
CBC
29-04-2025
- CBC
Canada up against 'stacked field' in quest for playoffs at mixed doubles curling worlds
At the end of three days of mixed doubles curling inside Fredericton's Willie O'Ree Place, one team stood alone above the rest. Only the reigning Olympic champions in mixed doubles, Italy's Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, had yet to lose a game. That came after storming back to defeat the Canadian team of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant 7-5 on Monday evening, a comeback that Italy secured by tying the game in the seventh end and pulling ahead by two in the final end. It was the Canadians' second game of the day, after defeating the Netherlands 7-3 on Monday morning. You could hear a pin drop inside the arena as the last red Canadian rock slid down the ice, followed by applause for the home team. "We battled right to the end," Gallant told CBC Sports. "She made a beautiful runback on her last shot and left us with a really tricky draw. But we knew it was going to be a battle tonight and we've just got to dust that one off and come back tomorrow." Canada ended Monday tied with Scotland and Sweden, all teams with a 4-1 record, behind Italy in Group A. In the second group, all of Australia, Estonia, Japan, Norway and the United States registered one loss atop the pool. Only the top three teams from each group will advance to the playoffs. That so many teams are in the running is a sign of the depth of the field, something that's only grown since mixed doubles was added as an Olympic discipline in 2018. "It's a stacked field," said Sweden's Anna Hasselborg. "Four of our teams [in Group A] could easily be medalling at the Olympics. It's going to be a really tough week because there's a lot of top teams." The stakes are high. Olympic qualification points will be awarded based on how teams finish. The points earned this year and at last year's world championship will combine to determine which countries go to Italy next February. Based on those points, the top seven countries (behind the automatically-qualified host country, Italy) will earn berths. The final two spots will be determined at a last-chance qualifying tournament later this year. The Canadians had to quickly shake off the loss on Monday evening. As the arena emptied, the married couple of Peterman and Gallant took some time to see their families, including their toddler son. Then, it was back on the ice to practice ahead of a Tuesday afternoon game against Korea. Beyond Olympic qualification, the team is vying to win Canada's first world championship in mixed doubles curling. "We know that every game, we have to bring our best," Peterman said. "There's no easy games in our pool. We know we're ready to battle for each game." Excitement for a new pro league Days before the mixed doubles world championship began, The Curling Group announced plans to launch a professional curling league that will begin play next April. The owners of the Grand Slam of Curling series have said the Rock League will include six franchises featuring curlers from across the globe facing off in "a multi-format competition" over six weeks. The teams are organized by region, including two from Canada (one captained by Rachel Homan and the other by Brad Jacobs), two from Europe (one led by Switzerland's Alina Pätz and the other by Scotland's Bruce Mouat), one from Asia-Pacific (captained by Chinami Yoshida of Japan) and an American team, which will be led by Korey Dropkin. Each team will include 10 curlers: five men and five women. The league is part of The Curling Group's "vision to professionalize and evolve the sport of curling" and could transform the sport. For one, curlers will be paid a salary in addition to any prize money. Exact financial details haven't been released. The idea of earning a salary is something Pätz, who is competing this week at the mixed doubles world championship, has only been able to dream about. "We usually use the sponsor money to pay the expenses for travel and everything," she said in an interview. "If we have something left at the end of the year, that's basically our salary for now. To have a guaranteed salary for six weeks, that's just something totally new for me and so exciting." She also hopes it will continue to grow the sport and attract fans in a new way. Scotland's Mouat, who's in Fredericton this week looking for his second world championship of the season, after winning with his four-man team, signed on as a Rock League captain with the idea of showing younger curlers that the sport can be a full-time job. Other curlers are waiting to find out more about how the league might work. "They're certainly interested in growing the game and they're putting a lot of effort into building these leagues up," Gallant said. "I'd love to see what happens." More details, including team names, locations and full rosters, are expected to come this fall. "There are still things that they can't disclose yet, just because they're still trying to figure it all out," Mouat said. "But I think once all the teams are signed on and established, then a lot of excitement will be happening from the athletes, which will then resonate to the fans."
