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Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) announced Wednesday that Chicago will host a team for the league’s inaugural season in Spring 2025.
The news comes a day after the U.S. women’s rugby team won bronze at the Paris Olympics, the country’s first-ever medal in rugby sevens, for men or women. The historic win inspired businesswoman and sports team owner Michele Kang to donate $4 million over four years to USA Rugby to support the women’s game for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Women’s Elite Rugby also announced Boston and Denver as cities hosting teams next spring, and the league plans to announce another three to four cities in the coming weeks. Each team will have 30 players, with the founding rosters announced in January. Team names and stadiums will also be announced later.
“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 President Jessica Hammond-Graf said in a release.
WER, the first professional women’s rugby league in the country, is financially supported by private investors, sports-focused venture capital and former Procter & Gamble executive Deb Henretta.
According to WER, Chicago has a long history with women’s rugby, hosting and managing the first Women’s National Championship in rugby in 1978.
The 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup will be held in the United States.
The rugby team will join other women’s sports teams in Chicago, including the Chicago Red Stars soccer team, Chicago Sky women’s basketball and roller derby leagues the Windy City Rollers and Chicago-Style Roller Derby.