Women’s Elite Rugby (WER), the US semi-professional rugby union competition, kicks off its second season on Saturday with matches in Massachusetts and Illinois. The league, which aims to elevate the sport ahead of the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup on American soil, has attracted a pop star investor for its sophomore campaign.
Dr Jessica Hammond-Graf, president and chief sporting officer of WER, said the league has learned valuable lessons from its inaugural season. 'Securing venues has probably been the hardest thing we’ve had to do,' she said. 'We’ve pivoted this year to two new venues. The Bay Breakers are opening up at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, which we know is a great rugby venue.'
The league launched last March with six teams: Denver Onyx, Bay Breakers, Colorado Gray Wolves, Chicago Exiles, Minnesota Monarchs and Boston Banshees. Denver won the inaugural championship. Hammond-Graf said the league aims to create a professional environment from grassroots foundations, with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and subsequent World Cups providing a spotlight.
'We know that there’s going to be a lot of eyes on rugby as early as 2028 with the Olympics and the subsequent World Cups,' she said. 'This was the opportunity to bring people along, to help build a fanbase, to create that pathway.'
Hammond-Graf, who played for the US Eagles sevens team and coached at various levels, said the league was formed after players and leadership recognised the need for change in 2022. 'We wanted to elevate that for the players and for rugby in general, and really change the landscape of women’s rugby in the US,' she said.
