This highly ambitious enterprise takes its next step forward.
The six coaches (see below) have announced their five “foundational players”. They are:
Bay Area: Olivia Bernadel-Huey, Elena Edwards, Celine Liulamaga, Jade McGrath and Roxelle Thomas
Boston: Cassidy Bargell, Yeja Dunn, Emily Henrich, Akweley Okine and Paige Stathopoulos
Chicago: Anabel Diaz, Emma Farnan, Cienna Jordan, Betty Nguyen and Kadie Sanford
Denver: Erica Coulibaly, Rachel Ehrecke, McKenzie Hawkins, Maya Learned and Tahna Wilfley
New York: Adriana Castillo, Misha Green-Yotts, Matilda Kocaj, Congetta Owens and Jenn Salomon-Clayton
Twin Cities: Emerson Allen, Marisa Hall, Abbey Jacobs, Katrina Nunes and Tatyana Reed
My concern as before is the WER’s piecemeal progress. The six head coaches were announced in
late October 2024. They are:
Hannah Stolba – Bay Area
Kittery Ruiz – Boston
Bryan Colbridge – Chicago
Sarah Chobot – Denver
Diego Maquieira – New York
Sylvia Braaten – Twin Cities
By now, as we approach mid-January, they have reached only as far as naming these leading five players each. Yet the tournament is due to start in March. It was in mid-September that WER requested player-applications. Four months later we still await news of full squads.
The announcements of both coaches and top players stress their high qualifications. But I have spotted only the names of Bargell, Henrich, Stathopoulos, Ehrecke, Hawkins, Learned and Allen among Eagles’ capped players. Diaz has been capped in the Mexico national squad. Of them, a handful have been operating in the English PWR.
Ideally the WER should include every Eagle now attached to an overseas club; many seem loath to return home. That may well be in part due to the semi-pro status afforded to the players.
The PWR doesn’t offer its players large fortunes either, but the playing standards remain a magnet. It’s a tricky position for the head coach, Sione Fukofuka, to be in. He would like to have full squads available in his preparations for the World Cup, but at the same time he knows the value of seeing so many of his best players operating in England.
The remaining 22 cover a huge range of backgrounds, from near beginners to veterans of a decade and a half of experience; coaches, Under 23 test players, military service players, mothers returning to the game, and so on.
Just like their Canadian neighbours, the players come from a wide spread of regions across the nation. The six franchises too spead all the way from San Francisco on the Pacific coast to Boston on the Atlantic. That means long hauls on the road (or rather in the air) to complete the fixtures. It’s an onerous task fior everyone concerned.
Can the WER really get off to a positive start with so many players still to be confirmed?
“Ideally the WER should include every Eagle now attached to an overseas club; many seem loath to return home.”
The launch of the WER is certainly exciting, but it’s unrealistic to assume Eagles currently playing overseas would rush back for it right away. In leagues like the PWR, they’re competing at the highest level alongside English, Welsh, Scottish, French, and Canadian internationals, which offers unparalleled development opportunities. While the WER has immense potential and will likely become a prime destination for future Eagles, expecting that level of draw in its first year feels overly ambitious. Growth takes time, and so will building its reputation as a global hub for top talent.
Thanks very much for your response, Wendy.
Your contributions to American rugby are invaluable.
My doubts remain: wouldn’t it have been more sensible to launch WER when it was fully structured, fully populated?
Is it wise to start it off at half-bore like this?