The first women's professional rugby league in the United States is targeting 2025 for its start with six to eight 30-player teams, organizers said Wednesday.
Women's Elite Rugby said in a news release its plans call for private investors to provide funding for salaries and full-time front office staff. Locations for teams have not been determined.
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The WER president is Jessica Hammond-Graf, an assistant professor in the Vermont State University Sport Management & Athletic Leadership programs and a former international rugby player and college athletic administrator.
WER said it expects to build off the success of the amateur Women’s Premier League. Hammond-Graf said WPL's pay-to-play, cross-country model is not sustainable. WER is inviting WPL teams to join the startup for the inaugural season.
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“The mission of the WER is to be the defining standard of rugby in the United States,” Hammond-Graf said. "We are so proud of everything the WPL has done since 2009 to become such a strong blueprint for us, and we’re ready to take our bold, exciting, and empowering sport to the next level.”
