Boston,
Chicago and Denver home to first
new teams for WER's inaugural season, more to be announced
DENVER, July 31,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Women's Elite Rugby (WER)
is thrilled to announce Boston, Chicago and Denver will be three of
the first cities in the United
States to host a professional women's rugby team when WER's
inaugural season gets underway in Spring 2025.
More official team markets will be announced by WER in the
upcoming weeks. WER has the intention to start with 6-8 teams, with
a target model of 30 players per team, and then looks to build
toward a strategic expansion plan over the next ten years. The
majority of the league's founding players will be announced after a
selection process in January
2025.
WER, the first American professional women's rugby league,
provides a space that enables athletes to pursue their rugby goals
while being compensated for their dedication to elite performance.
WER will also deliver younger players a pipeline to a professional
league, helping to increase and promote the next generation of
women's rugby athletes.
"Today is a monumental day for Women's Elite Rugby and our
commitment to take women's rugby in the
United States to new heights," said WER President
Jessica Hammond-Graf. "We are
ecstatic to bring professional women's rugby teams to markets
across the country that exude excellence and have a passion for the
growth and development of both rugby and women's sports for years
to come."
WER is supported financially by private investors, including
members of the rugby community, sports-focused venture capital and
former Procter & Gamble executive Deb Henretta. WER is adding to its diverse
roster of investors in its current capital round, which is on track
to close later this year.
WER prides itself in putting founding teams in markets that have
a strong foundation and grassroots efforts in both the rugby and
women's sports space. All team names and stadium details for all
markets will be announced at a later date.
More details about each founding city and their storied rugby
history are below.
BOSTON
Rugby has historic roots in
Boston, with the first-ever
recorded rugby match in the United
States taking place in 1874 in Boston between Harvard and McGill
University. While that was a men's match, Boston also has a legendary women's rugby
history that begins with the revolutionary, K.O.
Onufry.
Onufry began her rugby journey in 1975 by playing with the
UMass Amherst men. There were no
women's teams in the area at the time, but Onufry was so enamored
with the spirit of the men and women at the rugby social that she
started playing with them. After a year with another men's team,
this time the Beacon Hill men's
team in Boston, she and a few
other women, decided to start a women's team.
In 1976, Boston Women and Beantown Rugby, which has gone on to
become one of the most prestigious women's rugby clubs in the
country, were born. As a player on Beantown, Onufry was a member of
six U.S. national championship teams and Onufry has since been
showered with numerous rugby accolades.
"As the City of Champions, Boston sets the standard for athletics and the
opportunities created for our residents, families, and visitors
from across the world," said Boston Mayor Michelle
Wu. "We are thrilled to be a host city for the newly
launched Women's Elite Rugby League and look forward to supporting
the league's growth ahead of the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup
in 2033."
Many U.S. Women's National Team athletes have also come out of
the Boston rugby system due to the
tenacious and competitive beginning in the mid-1970's. Many
Boston-developed women were on the
first U.S. touring side, the WIVERNS (Women's International
Vagabonds, Emissaries, and Rugby Nomads), where the U.S. women went
14-0 and outscored opponents 445-0 against United Kingdom opponents.
Kevin O'Brien, USWNT Head
Coach from 1987-1991 (still the only Rugby World Cup winning U.S.
coach), began coaching Beantown women in 1979 and led the play and
tactics of the women's game in the U.S for over a decade.
Mary Sullivan, also from
Beantown, was the co-captain of the 1991 RWC-winning U.S. team.
"Boston welcomes Women's Elite
Rugby (WER) to join what has always been a vibrant sports town
where New Englanders celebrate Championships," said Martha Sheridan, President and CEO of Meet
Boston. "Having WER and NWSL announcing franchises to call
Boston home reaffirms our local
support for women's sports and gives our younger generation
aspirational hope to play at the highest level."
CHICAGO
In 1978, Chicago organizers
hosted and managed the first Women's National Championship in
rugby. Led by Marcy Borge,
Mary Larkin, Julie Silverstein and Jennie Redner, "those Chicago women" as they are fondly remembered,
not only established the National Club Championship, but created a
standard for the quality of the tournament.
From 1978-1980, the Chicago Women's Rugby Club hosted the
National Classic Tournament. The Classic was the precursor to the
National Club Championships. In 1981, the Chicago Women decided to
drop the word Classic and host the first Women's National Club
Championship.
By May of 1983, the Chicago Women had hosted and run the
previous three National Championships. They were held in county
park facilities and county preserves in Oakbrook and Schaumburg, both northern suburbs of
Chicago. In 1984, they upped the
ante and pulled off the 1984 National Championships at the Polo
Grounds, on lush grass fields and a million dollar insurance
policy, setting a high bar for the tournament going forward.
Other Chicago connections
include Pat Foley, who at the
time coached women's rugby teams in the Chicago area. Foley had the gusto to begin
discussions about the first U.S. women's international touring
team. The Women's Committee (national leadership of the Women's
game) got rolling through the community and 36 women – paying their
own way – went on tour as the WIVERNS.
"We are thrilled to welcome Women's Elite Rugby to Chicago, a city renowned for its rich sports
history and passionate fans," said Phil
Clement, President & CEO, World Business Chicago.
"As WER builds a strong presence ahead of the 2033 Women's Rugby
World Cup in the U.S., it's fantastic that the international
spotlight will shine on rugby here. Chicago is proud to support WER's mission to
elevate women's rugby, providing opportunities for athletes to
thrive and inspiring the next generation.
"I'm confident that this new professional women's league will
enrich our strong sports community and reinforce Chicago's leadership in promoting equity and
inclusivity in athletic excellence."
DENVER
The first recorded competitive women's rugby teams in
the United States hail from
Colorado. In 1971, both the
University of Colorado and Colorado State University were formed and they
played their first match in 1972. The first women's college
championships were also held in Colorado.
During 1973 another Colorado
team—the Scarlet Harlots—organized, followed in 1974 by the Denver
Blues. By 1974, there were approximately 29 women's teams in the
US. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, women's rugby continued to
grow with a majority of those teams adopting the names of colleges
and universities. Until 1990, very few rosters of women's
collegiate rugby teams were entirely undergraduate students of the
university; most college teams were made up of graduate students,
alumni, and local residents.
"Denver is thrilled to be a founding city of Women's Elite Rugby
and will be excited to cheer on our new team at the first
kick-off," said Denver Sports Commission Executive Director
Matthew Payne. "The Mile High
City takes sport seriously and that includes rugby with
Glendale being heralded as
Rugbytown, USA thanks to the 7s
tournament hosted there every year, attracting teams to Denver from
around the world since 2012. With the Rugby World Cup on the
horizon, we know the addition of Women's Elite Rugby will further
amplify the culture of and love for rugby in Denver."
WER is also proud to also have the support of the Denver
Women's Sports Collective, a leading resource for connections,
empowerment, education, career development and support for
like-minded women and their allies within the sports, events and
marketing industries in Denver,
Colorado. The DWSC Board released the following statement
about Denver getting a professional women's rugby team:
"Denver Women's Sports Collective
is thrilled to express our full support for the Women's Elite Rugby
League's decision to place a team in Denver. This momentous development aligns with
our mission to promote and advance women's sports in our vibrant
city.
The introduction of a Women's Elite Rugby team in Denver represents a significant step towards
increasing visibility and providing opportunities for female
athletes. Rugby, with its rich
history and growing popularity, offers an exciting platform for
athletes to showcase their talents, dedication, and
sportsmanship."
MEDIA: For media members interested in speaking to a WER
representative, please contact Sam
Pell at wer@lindarothpr.com. For the latest news and updates
surrounding the league, follow WER on Facebook, Instagram, X and
LinkedIn.
For those interested in learning more about the branding and
visual identity of the league, visit here for a brand fact
sheet.
Media ready photos and a short promotional video are available
here and will continue to be updated.
About WER
Women's Elite Rugby (WER) is the first
American professional women's rugby league. The mission of the WER
is to be the defining standard of rugby in the United States. WER is structured on the
stable foundation of the Women's Premier League (WPL), a national,
amateur pay-to-play model, high level rugby competition established
in 2009. With the creation of Women's Elite Rugby, world-class
women's rugby will be ushered into the next stage of its evolution
and will take women's rugby in the United
States to new heights.
MEDIA CONTACT
Samantha Pell, LRA PR
sam@lindarothpr.com; 425.647.6478
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SOURCE Women’s Elite Rugby (WER)