WER takes another step forward
First a reminder of the six franchises that comprise the Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) league: The Bay Breakers (San Francisco); Boston Banshees; Chicago Tempest; Denver Onyx; New York Exiles and Twin Cities (TC) Gemini (Minneapolis-St. Paul).
If you know your US cities well, you’ll already have spotted symbolic references in their new team names. The logos take this a whole heap further. Each one is heavily laden with extra meaning, be it historical, geographical or geological, and then draws parallels with rugby values.
So step by step the enterprise takes shape.
I was taken to task by Wendy Young (http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2025/01/15/womens-elite-rugby-usa-latest/ , who knows infinitely more about the subject than I do. She suggested that my hopes for the onward progress of WER were unrealistic. We should not expect Eagles now operating in the English PWR to return hotfoot to the States to sign up to the WER.
I retain my concerns.
So much is in place: a really enterprising development in women’s rugby; one of two current efforts to establish a pro-league (the other South Africa); heavy financial backing* (without which it cannot flourish; coaching teams; a medical advisory board; a nationwide spread.
All that is missing is players. The latest news (3 Feb) on the official website makes no reference to recent signings. And yet the first matches are due next month.
No doubt the six managements and head coaches have been busy offering terms to players across the country, but if so, why the secrecy? If I were in charge of affairs (hoho!), I would place the acquisition of players near the head of my priority list.
Wendy sees a gradual development as inevitable and sensible. My reading of the American way of doing things is to make a big splash from the start; an array of names to attract an audience. One player who may well be at a loose end in a few weeks time is Ilona Maher.
Her arrival at Bristol Bears caused a storm of publicity across the country. Several other PWR clubs added her photo to their lead page in an effort to attract a bigger gate. I hope that other top Eagles could be the object of close attention from the six franchises, both for their publicity value and their playing skills.
Club contracts become a central issue there. It’s doubtful WER was a twinkle in somebody’s eye when familiar names like Kate Zackary, Hope Rogers and Gabby Cantorna signed on for their English clubs. Their hands may well be tied. Equally, it’s inevitable that many of the overseas players feel very attached to their clubs and would need a lot of persuading to break the link.
The attitude of Sione Fukofuka, head coach of the Eagles, and his management team, will be significant too. Their eyes will be set firmly on the World Cup. What sort of priority do they give WER this year? Perhaps ‘keep it on ice for the time being we have more important issues to deal with.’
The effect is to ask WER to ride out its first year, seeing what sort of impact it can make. It grew out of the realisation that its predecessor, WPL, simply couldn’t survive as it stood. It was totally amateur, the old-fashioned pay-to-play basis on which rugby used to exist.
A turning point must be the World Cup which finishes next September. Many players from across the world may take a fresh look at their careers and decide it’s time for a change. Is that the chance for WER to expand? Will an RWC in England gain sufficient publicity to attract more women and girls to the game? The USA doesn’t lack for sports that attract a nationwide following. Rugby’s popularity is growing, but it’s a tough struggle to break into the big time.
Meanwhile you can gorge your eyes on the carefully designed logos and see how much significance you can read into each component. There are some frightening figurines, but be brave! You can purchase an array of merchandise that parades these telling symbols.
* A leading example: Deb Henretta, formerly of Proctor and Gamble, has invested $500,000 in the WER. This follows the award of $4m by Michele Kang to the US women’s Sevens team. It helped them achieve a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
