Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) has revealed the locations of its six venues as well as the league schedule for the inaugural season. There will be a Legacy Cup match to determine the 2025 champion but those details are TBA. Read the full press release.
The league selected venues and stadiums that are community driven and that accommodate smaller to mid-size crowds, providing a more intimate experience for spectators.
“Stepping onto these elite level pitches isn’t just about the game – it’s about showing the world that women’s rugby deserves the same stage, the same respect, and the same opportunities to shine,” President Jessica Hammond-Graf said. “The excitement is more than just in playing the game; it’s in knowing we’re elevating the sport with every match.”
VENUES
Bay Breakers will compete at Grape Bowl Stadium in Lodi, Calif., approximately 40 minutes south of Sacramento and an hour-and-a-half east of San Francisco and San Jose. The field is artificial turf and the stadium holds 5,000 fans, including areas for accessibility. The city of Lodi is known for its rich history and tie to the wine and agricultural roots of the region, which is reflected in the name of the stadium itself. Lodi is no stranger to professional sports either — the city was home to Class A affiliates of the San Diego Padres in 1970-71, Baltimore Orioles in 1974-75 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976-1983.
Boston Banshees will start the season at Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy and play their final three matches at The Stadium at Tidewater Stadium Landing in Pawtucket, R.I. Veterans Memorial Stadium is home to the back-to-back MLR champion New England Free Jacks, and a staple of the South Shore sporting community on its turf field. Located eight miles from downtown Boston and a short walk from the MBTA subway red line, the field and Quincy’s restaurants and pubs are all easily accessible. The stadium employs bleacher, seatback and premier seating, and can hold 5,000 fans including wheelchair accessible seating.
For the final three matches of the season, the Banshees will play at The Stadium at Tidewater Stadium Landing, home to Rhode Island FC, reigning Eastern Conference Champions of the United Soccer League (USL). Fans can get a glimpse of what to expect from the state-of-the-art, 10,500+ capacity riverfront stadium opening in April by visiting rhodeislandfc.com.
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Chicago Tempest will battle their opponents at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on the campus of Northwestern University. The stadium, currently adapted to accommodate the university’s football team, can hold upwards of 5,000 seats, including accessible seating. Martin Stadium is located in the hub of the athletic campus of Northwestern, and the stadium overlooks Lake Michigan.
Denver Onyx will play at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo., an inner suburb surrounded on all sides by the City of Denver. Infinity Park was specifically built and designed for rugby, and was home to Women’s Premier League’s Glendale Merlins/Colorado Gray Wolves, as well as Major League Rugby’s Glendale Raptors. The stadium has a capacity of approximately 3,200 for sporting events, including accessible seating and also suite and VIP seating. As the park was built with rugby in mind, the pitch uses a natural grass surface that matches international rugby standards.
New York Exiles will face off at the Stadium at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, N.Y. The stadium sits north of the Bronx, close to Yonkers, and can seat 4,000-5,000 fans using a mix of bleachers and open areas. The construction and renovation of the stadium took accessibility in mind by including ADA compliant entrances, seating and ramps.
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Twin Cities Gemini will compete at TCO Stadium, which is connected to the Minnesota Vikings World Headquarters and Training Facility located in Eagan, a suburb of Minneapolis. TCO Stadium features an artificial turf designed to weather the harsh conditions of Minnesota and can accommodate up to 7,000 fans with accessible seating and hospitality areas. Centrally located on the Viking Lakes campus, a multi-use development home to Omni Viking Lakes Hotel, Viking Lakes Residences and a variety of best-in-class commercial, medical and retail tenants, TCO Stadium was built around the mission of cultivating a healthy, active lifestyle while hosting a wide range of community events and programs.
SCHEDULE
The 13-week season begins Saturday, March 22 and culminates on Saturday, June 14. The six teams play each other home and away, making for 10 league games that are broken up with a couple of bye weeks. The published schedule and press release do not explain how the WER champion is named, but TRB confirmed that there will be Legacy Cup final.
Links to buy tickets for each game are on the schedule page. There are options for general admission, reserved seating and VIP tickets, as well as discounts for students, teachers, first responders and groups. Stay tuned for streaming and broadcast information.
Games take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and there is at least one league match every weekend of the regular season. The first-ever WER match will occur March 22 when the Boston Banshees make the short trip south to face its closest city rival in the New York Exiles. The last regular-season game occurs Saturday, June 14, when the Denver Onyx head to the Bay Breakers — a pseudo rematch of the Legacy Cup for those players that have remained ini the WPL cities.