Traditionally, the new rugby season begins on Sept. 1, but there will be several regular-season matches that occur at the end of August and count toward the 2024-25 season. The onset of the school year brings a wave of action, and this piece aims to orient anyone trying to follow the girls and women’s rugby game in the U.S. It also serves as a preview for what The Rugby Breakdown will be covering this fall and the content that will be featuring behind the paywall.

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WPL

Generally, September is a shaking-off-the-rust period for teams, but the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is the exception. The WPL season ranges from April-September, bringing championship rugby to the front of the 2024-25 season. There’s a different format this year with Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) involved. The Sept. 7 semifinals (Madison, Wis.) and Sept. 14 final (Greensboro, N.C.) are being held at neutral locations, and the now-named Legacy Cup is building out the events and engaging the local communities.

 

There’s heightened excitement for this post-season, as WER has announced all six host cities for its first pro season in 2025, and they’re all existing WPL cities. So it’s likely that many of the players who will feature in the 2024 playoffs and general league will be founding members of the country’s first women’s professional 15s league. Semifinal matchups will be finalized after the Aug. 24 regular-season matches.

USA

Similarly, it’s likely that a handful of players who feature in the WPL post-season (as well as Beantown) will also be funneling into the USA Women’s National Team (WNT) travel squad for WXV 1, which is being held Sept. 29-Oct. 12 in Vancouver, Canada. This Thursday, Aug. 22, we’re one year out from Rugby World Cup 2025, and WXV 1 brings the U.S., Canada, England, France, Ireland and New Zealand together in North America. It’s an incredible opportunity to see the top RWC 2025 title contenders all in one place, less than a year before the quadrennial tournament kicks off in England.

 

And then one can’t forget the USA 7s team, which has won over the country, and beyond, with its bronze medal performance in Paris. The 2024-25 HSBC SVNS series begins in Dubai (Nov. 30-Dec. 1), and everyone will be curious to see who is stepping into ranks.

COLLEGE

The biggest burst of activity will be felt in the college ranks, as most women’s programs play their championship 15s seasons in the fall. NIRA will be the first onto the pitch, most notably in Division I, which has expanded to 12 teams this year (read more: tracking NIRA). Canada’s St. Francis Xavier is once again traveling south for a pre-season tour and will play several DI and DII teams in exhibition matches this week. All three divisions will contest their 15s championships on November 23 at a TBA location.

Late September-October is when NCR — home to the majority of women’s college teams in the U.S. — really hits its stride. November is for conference championships and then regional playoffs (Rounds of 16/8). The national 15s championships are Dec. 7-8 in Houston.

 

You’ll also see a lot of 7s/10s being organized into conference series, but those teams don’t have an NCR championship in the fall. They do, however, have access to the NCR all-star 7s competition that occurs Jan. 25-26 in Atlanta. Read more: Tracking NCR • What’s New: Smarto Interview Part 1

And for the first time since CRAA adopted women’s college rugby, the member organization won’t be holding a fall 15s championship for DI or DII members, as they now compete in NCR. CRAA still has spring 15s championships, and those DI and DII teams start mobilizing in late 2024.

SENIOR CLUB

Only the Midwest will name its DI and DII champions in the fall (Nov. 9), and thus this region, which ranges from Upstate New York to Minnesota for the women, will be up and moving early. Should the DI postseason remain the same as 2023-24 (and that’s a question mark, given the impact of WER on WPL clubs), the DI Midwest will book its spot in the national semifinals in May 2025. The Midwest DII champ (and potentially runner-up) will book their places in the Northern Super Regional Championships in the spring.

 

We’re also excited to see the built-out and well telegraphed Festival series, which caters to new and developing senior clubs. Teams head to a host site each week and play combination 15s.

Empire GU will also name its DII and DIII champs in the fall. There’s been some movement, and now DII is four teams playing home and away, while DIII has expanded. Both champs will advance to Atlantic Super Regionals in the spring.

Outside of Florida, NorCal and SoCal (which traditionally begin in January), every other competition plays a split season, i.e., contests regular-season games between September-April. There’s a down period during December, which makes the Mary Graham All-Star 15s Tournament (Dec. 7-8, Dallas) a perfect fit. There are six teams confirmed with two spots open, and organizers are hoping for a Rocky Mountain, NorCal and/or SoCal to send some reps.

HIGH SCHOOL

Most states contest their girls’ high school championship 15s seasons in the spring, but Michigan and Wisconsin are the exceptions. Wisconsin Girls Rugby is inarguably the most consistent, organized and longest-running league of its kind in the country, and a fantastic blog has been has been documenting the state’s action since 2007. The 10-team league has added Fox Cities Iron Maidens this fall. The regular season begins Sept. 14 and culminates with states on Oct. 27 in Milwaukee.

RELATED: 2025 Girls HS Club 15s Nationals Returns to Wisconsin

As for Michigan, two teams have been added to the 15s schedule this fall: Howell Rugby and Kalamazoo. With the return of Indiana’s Warsaw High School (which does not play Indiana fall 7s due to its large roster), there are nine teams booting up this fall.

 

There’s also been a shift for the four-time state champion, which is now called Rockford Rams Girls Rugby. Previously Rockford-Sparta, the squad was a combination of players from Rockford and Sparta high schools. But now Rockford High School is officially sponsoring the sport on campus, and no longer accepting Sparta players, or anyone from outside the school district. Fortunately, Rockford isn’t abandoning the existing players from Sparta, and they’ll be able to finish their high school rugby careers with the Rams.

There is a wide range of 7s that is played in the fall and the details are best left for a separate post. A handful of states are playing serious 7s — i.e., it’s either the state’s only season for single-schools (Iowa, Colorado) or it’s supported by the school district (Idaho). Other states get solid participation in a fall 7s series that culminate in state championships (e.g., Ohio, NorCal, Pennsylvania), but maybe there’s rounder participation in the spring 15s season. Several states (e.g., North Carolina, Indiana, Washington) play for a month and lean into the recruitment and development attributes of a 7s season.

In terms of non-league high school events occurring this fall, the West Region 15s circuit draws top attention. It’s kicking off in October in Utah and it’ll bring together high-achieving teams.