From the Archives: Drew Mitchell on Breaking Barriers for Rugby Players

Drew Mitchell in action for Toulon against Oyonnax during the 2014 Top 14 season. Photo: Fanny Schertzer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

Sporple – the website connecting the world’s rugby talent

By Brendan Hope, 14 Oct 2014

Rugby Rising is committed to assisting the growth of rugby in any shape or form. It is for this reason that we decided to chat with Australian international superstar, Drew Mitchell, and his business partner, Mathew Cole, about their website, Sporple, and what it offers the Rugby community worldwide.

RugbyRising.com: What does Sporple.com offer the rugby community?

“We break down the current barriers for recruitment by allowing the athlete all the tools to connect with agents and clubs globally. Sporple is, most importantly, free for all athletes. It is now and always will be. Think LinkedIn for athletes, clubs and agents.”

RugbyRising.com: Has Sporple managed to link players from lower-tier nations with clubs/agents from top-tier nations? Does your website offer these players enhanced opportunities which may not necessarily be there without your rugby network?

“Certainly has. We have managed to assist a couple of the Fijian U20 guys, who will be heading to France in the new year, to join Top 14 sides in 2015. These guys used their Sporple profiles to make contacts and secure the contracts.

“Previously, players like these guys were reliant on good fortune or other people to make sure they got the necessary exposure. Now they can send all the necessary details – show reels, career timeline, achievements etc. in one link and the coaches and agents can log in and contact them.

“We also have guys like Tobias Hoskins, who is playing for Jersey. He connected with agents and the club in the UK, via Sporple, and that worked out perfectly for him. Australia is not a lower-tier nation, but Tobias was in Perth, that is not the strongest competition in Australia, so he needed a platform to connect globally, and Spople provided that.”

“The US is obviously a massive growth market for rugby, we are seeing more and more profiles coming from the States. The talent level there is as good, if not better than, some of the top talent in their nations.”

RugbyRising.com: Would you please describe the process Sporple takes to connect players with clubs/agents once they have registered with your website?

“Registration is very straightforward, and once the relevant profiles are complete, you can search and connect. There are advanced search functions built into the sites. Players can search for clubs looking for players based on positions, countries, playing levels, etc.”

“For clubs and agents, they can search for players via the advanced search functionality built into the platform. They can search via position, height, weight, age, passport and then watch the players’ showreel, all built into the profiles. If you like the player or want more info, you simply send the player an email via the internal messaging system.”

RugbyRising.com: What makes Sporple unique from other networking websites?

“There are no real competitors for Sporple in rugby union. There are a few sites that advertise player vacancies, but none that offer players the scope to promote themselves to the level that Sporple does. The back end of Sporple has taken years to develop. Mathew Cole was a rugby agent for over ten years, and our business partners are made up of some of the greatest international players from the past thirty years, so we have very good knowledge across the entire sporting landscape. Sporple is for everyone, we have players on the platform using their profiles to secure high school scholarships, players looking to use rugby to explore the world as well as the players looking to secure professional contracts. The ability for players looking for a professional contract to connect with clubs or agents that can significantly help them achieve these goals and accelerate their careers. 

“As part of building the Sporple community, we also have a large number of interviews with current and ex-players such as Jonny Wilkinson, Ali Williams, passing on their advice to kids of all ages and abilities. Sporple allows access to first-hand information on how rugby works in France, Australia, Japan, and all over the world. It allows players to have accurate information directly from the source.”

“One final point is that Sporple is non gender specific, women’s rugby is growing rapidly, as was evident by the recent World Cup, and you only have to check out the 7’s highlights to be impressed. Sporple allows women the exact same opportunities to promote themselves as men. We have female athletes on the site, such as Kirsty Giteau, from Australia.”

RugbyRising.com: Would you mind telling our readers which international players you have been involved with in creating this unique website?

“Drew is our business partner and has been across all the profile development. As I mentioned above, we have spoken with guys like All Black Ali Williams, Springbok Brian Habana, Wallaby’s Matt Giteau and Dan Palmer. Jonny Wilkinson has been great in giving us tips on his successes over the years, goal setting, etc. We have also spoken to players in Japan, such as Alando Soakai. He has played NPC, Super Rugby and is now based in Japan. We get a full cross-section of player experiences and are able to build the profiles both on the player and agent/club to ensure the connections are meaningful at whatever level you are at.”

RugbyRising.com: How do you see yourselves evolving? What do you plan to offer your readers in the future?

“We have three sports currently. Once we have achieved the goals set for those sports, we will look to add additional roles such as coaches, physios and specific sport services. There are also a huge amount of data points that will be integrated in the coming months. “

“Sporple is growing rapidly across basketball, football, and rugby. We have recently partnered with the London School of Basketball to grow the game of basketball in the UK and increase the international connectivity within basketball. There are 450 million registered basketball players globally, so it’s a massive game and a massive opportunity for Sporple. “

RugbyRising.com: Drew, you have been playing first class rugby for over ten years, how do you feel the game evolved since you started your career and would Sporple have been a useful tool for you when you were first thinking about a rugby career?

“Sporple would have been ideal. I was invited to a trial by a friend, then did ok, but I wasn’t sure what to do or what was really happening. If I hadn’t played ok in that trial, I would have just headed back to play with my mates. I would never have known how to regain contact with any potential clubs to promote myself. I have a lot of mates who weren’t at super rugby level, but still decent players. If Sporple had been around for them, I’m certain they would have had the opportunities to play rugby in some amazing countries all over the world. A couple of my mates have just set up the Beverly Hills Rugby Club in the US. They are an amateur club, but use Sporple to recruit people who have a similar attitude to rugby, a more social attitude, shall we put it?”

“Also, when it came to getting an agent the first time round, I just asked one of the guys… he suggested his agent and, without the ability to do any research, I signed with him. It didn’t work out with that agent and it would have been great to have a site like sporple where i could check out some agents, clubs and make a better, informed decision.”

RugbyRising.com: Lastly, would you please give our readers, who are budding, future, professional rugby players, some advice on how they can kick-start their careers?

“You have to look at what you want to get out of your rugby career. If you want just to enjoy it and play with your mates, then just enjoy every session. If you are looking to build a professional rugby career, then you have to look at setting goals and making choices to surround yourself with people who are going to help you achieve those goals, whether they be teammates, coaches, or ex-players. The other thing to be mindful of is to be prepared to make some sacrifices. You are not going to be able to party with all your mates till the early hours of the morning. You will miss 18th and 21st birthdays, so you will have to be totally committed to achieving your goals.”

RugbyRising.com would like to thank Sporple for their contributions to the growth of the game.

If you are involved in rugby, basketball or football and are looking for a professional career in the sport, we believe you are very fortunate to have resources such as Sporple to assist you with your career.

If you would like to get registered, then visit their website on sporple.com or follow them on X: @sporplerugby, @sporplebball, @sporplefootball, @sporple.

2025 Perspective – Why This Still Matters

Although Sporple has since closed its doors, the vision shared by Drew Mitchell and Mathew Cole continues to resonate. Emerging players from Tier 2 and Tier 3 nations still face many of the same barriers that Sporple sought to break down: limited access to agents, restricted exposure to overseas clubs, and fewer pathways into the professional game.

Today, platforms like LinkedIn, RugbyPass’s global coverage, and national union scouting programmes provide some of that connectivity, but the need for more equitable opportunities remains.

For Rugby Rising, the Sporple story serves as a reminder of how vital innovation is for rugby’s growth. Giving visibility to hidden talent, whether in Fiji, Georgia, Chile, or the USA, is central to ensuring the game thrives beyond its traditional heartlands.

👉 Explore more of our Interviews archive for insights from players, coaches, and pioneers shaping rugby’s global future.