The First Professional Women’s Rugby League In The US Kicks Off This Saturday

Calling all soon-to-be, currently obsessed, and queer women’s rugby fans!

Women’s Elite Rugby (WER), The United States’ first-ever professional women’s rugby league, will debut its first match this Saturday, March 22. The New York Exiles and the Boston Banshees will go head-to-head at The Stadium at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, New York. Maybe we’ll see some tackles and knock-outs as they work towards the goal line to make history as the winner of the first-ever WER match.

Professional women’s rugby is finally getting the recognition it deserves, meaning we’ll get to see more representation of women competing in sports at a professional level. For the first time in the United States, women will get the opportunity to get paid while playing the sport they love and dominate on a professional level — rugby! Not to mention the league has exciting mascots and promising coaches that are leaving us on the edge of our seats as we anticipate the inaugural match. 

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Come Saturday, the new women’s rugby league plans to bring you all the hype, running, and tackling we’ve been yearning for. Here’s everything you need to know about the Women’s Elite Rugby League ahead of their inaugural matches.

What Is Women’s Elite Rugby?

Women’s Elite Rugby is the first ever professional women’s rugby league in the United States, founded by the US Rugby Women’s Premier League (WPL), a high-level women’s rugby club founded in 2009. WPL created the league after a campaign movement in 2022 called “Ignite the Change,” which sought to professionalize women’s rugby. In April 2024, the launch of WER was officially announced. 

The league will feature six teams, with roughly 30 players playing per roster. Each player is compensated with monthly stipends throughout the season. 

Games will be played in California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Illinois, Colorado, New York, and Minnesota, in stadiums that “were intentionally selected by the league to be community driven and known for being places that bring people together,” WER said in a statement. “Additionally, the league selected these stadiums to hold smaller to mid-size crowds to allow for an intimate experience where fans feel they are a part of the matches and experience the hits, tackles, and tries alongside the teams themselves.”

The season will last 13 weeks, running from March to June, not including the championship which has yet to be announced. Each team will play in a home and away format. 

Who Are The Six Teams?

Women’s Elite Rugby coaches Hannah Stolba, who recently was the head coach of the Berkeley All Blues Women’s Rugby of the Women’s Premier League, WPL’s Beantown Boston Rugby assistant coach Kittery Wagner-Ruiz, former rugby player and coach Bryan Colbridge, former Women’s USA National team player and assistant coach with the USA Women’s Eagles Sarah Chobot, head coach of the WPL’s New York Rugby Club Diego Maquieira, and performance recovery coach with the USA Women’s National 15s Rugby Team Sylvia Braaten, will all make their debut as their team franchises first head coaches.

WER President Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf said, “After an extensive candidate search, we identified these individuals because of their excellence in leadership and decades of experience with the sport. By assembling this group of highly skilled coaches we are committed to fostering an environment where athletes can pursue their dreams, maximize their potential, and make an investment in the future of the sport.”

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Bay Breakers (coached by Hannah Stolba)

Located in the Bay area of California at Grape Bowl Stadium, the Bay Breakers encapsulate the Pacific Ocean with their blue and purple logo depicting a wave and trident. The team’s roster is made up of 30 players. 

Boston Banshees (coached by Kittery Wagner-Ruiz)

With a logo inspired by Celtic mythology, the screaming spirit of the Boston Banshees will pay tribute to the city’s rambunctious spirit at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The team’s roster is made up of 27 players.

Chicago Tempest (coached by Bryan Colbridge)

A storm is brewing in Martin Stadium at Northwestern University. The grey and yellow logo depicting a lightning storm has us wondering what rugby plays the Chicago Tempest have been brewing up during practice. The team’s roster is made up of 30 players. 

Denver Onyx (coached by Sarah Chobot)

The Denver Onyx will be shining bright at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado, with a black and pink logo depicting gemstones. The team’s roster is made up of 29 players.

New York Exiles (coached by Diego Maquieira)

With colors of seafoam green and black, similar to New York’s WNBA team the New York Liberty, the New York Exiles will pay homage to the Statue of Liberty in their name and logo at The Stadium at Memorial Field. The team’s roster is made up of 30 players.

Twin Cities Gemini (coached by Sylvia Braaten)

A logo depicting two serpent heads symbolizing the Mississippi River snaking through two cities paired with the name Gemini, meaning “twins” in Latin to represent the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities Gemini will be slithering their way through the competition at the TCO Stadium in Eagan, Minnesota. The team’s roster is made up of 29 players.

What’s The Schedule?

The Women’s Elite Rugby League will start March 22, 3:00 p.m. ET with New York Exiles versus Boston Banshees at The Stadium at Memorial Field. Matches will take place on Saturdays and Sundays, occasionally on Fridays. You can find the full schedule on the league website.

Where Can I Watch Women’s Elite Rugby?

If you’re looking to watch your favorites battle it out from the bleachers, tickets can be purchased through the website. For the women’s rugby fans looking to stream from home, all games will be able to broadcast on TrillerTV and DAZN. 

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A New Era For Women’s Rugby?

Women’s Elite Rugby is quickly establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with. This league is becoming a movement through its growing fanbase and sponsorship deals. The league is even looking to expand to eight teams or more within its first 10 seasons.  In a statement with USA Rugby and Women’s Elite Rugby, Hammond-Graf said, “We are confident that the start of WER will be a key moment in the growth of the sport, and we can’t wait for fans to experience the excitement and intensity of high-level, professional women’s rugby in the US.”

Don’t miss out on an exciting opportunity to watch history in the making, and let’s go women’s sports!