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Boston Globe
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
A new professional women's rugby team is coming to Boston. Here's what to know.
WER is the first professional women's rugby league in the United States. It's a six-team league that will compete in the 15s format, meaning each side will have 15 players on the field at any given time. The six teams competing in the inaugural season are the Boston Banshees, New York Exiles, Bay Breakers, Twin Cities Gemini, Chicago Tempest, and Denver Onyx. Related : The six markets were chosen because they were the sites of former Women's Premier League (WPL) teams. The WPL was an amateur, player-led, pay-to-play rugby league that was previously the highest level of women's rugby in the U.S. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Funding for the league comes from private investors and partnerships, and WER is currently wrapping up its seed round of fundraising, which began with a goal of $3 million. Advertisement Players will be paid, though the league chose not to disclose dollar amounts or pay structures. All travel costs will be covered by the league, and players will receive accident insurance. Why are they called the Boston Banshees? The name 'Banshees' is a nod to Boston's history of rebellion and its Irish roots, according to the league. A banshee is a female spirit of Irish and Celtic folklore whose shriek signals impending doom. The team's logo depicts a wailing banshee, and its colors are white, gray, maroon, and dark blue. Who is playing for the Boston Banshees? Players interested in competing in WER's inaugural season had from Sept. 23-Oct. 20 to declare their interest, which included a player survey, match film submission, and a medical questionnaire. Players had the option to indicate up to two preferred markets, though they were not guaranteed to be selected by their preferred teams. At the conclusion of the declaration period, WER had received 385 applicants to fill a total of 180 roster spots (30 per team). Coaches selected from the pool which players they wanted to fill out their teams. Advertisement Banshees coach Kittery Ruiz said she sought players who would mesh with her coaching style the lends itself to playing fast, exciting rugby with strong foundational skills. Abbey Savin, a Dartmouth graduate, is one of 30 players on the Banshees' roster. Greg Sabin/Courtesy of the Boston Banshees 'The benefit of being able to pick my athletes was that I could pick players I knew would succeed in that kind of environment,' said Ruiz, also an assistant coach at Brown. About half the Banshees were previously members of the Beantown RFC WPL team. The same is true in the five other markets, as many players from the local WPL teams made the jump to WER. Where and when will the Boston Banshees play? The Banshees will play two home games at Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy and three home games at The Stadium at Tidewater Landing in Pawtucket, R.I. All games will be free to watch on streaming platform DAZN. Here's the full schedule: March 22: Boston at New York, 3:30 p.m. March 29: Boston vs. Chicago, 7 p.m., Quincy April 6: Boston at Chicago, 1 p.m. April 19: Boston vs. New York, 2 p.m., Quincy May 4: Boston vs. Denver, 4 p.m., Pawtucket May 10: Boston at Bay (San Francisco), 5 p.m. May 17: Boston vs. Chicago, 2 p.m., Pawtucket May 24: Boston at Denver, 3 p.m. May 31: Bay at Boston, 2 p.m., Pawtucket June 13: Boston at Twin Cities, 8 p.m. Emma can be reached at
Axios
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Axios
The Boston Banshees are the city's new women's pro rugby team
A new rugby team will make its debut this spring: the Boston Banshees. Driving the news: The Women's Elite Rugby league unveiled the team names for Boston and the five other cities participating in the inaugural season. The other teams are the Bay Breakers in California, the Chicago Tempest, the Denver Onyx, the New York Exiles and the Twin Cities Gemini. Zoom in: The Boston team's name gives a nod to the banshees described in Celtic folklore. Their screams were believed to signal impending doom. The league is gearing up for its debut, having announced head coaches for each team late last year. WER tapped Kittery Ruiz, Brown University's women's rugby assistant coach, as Boston's head coach. Ruiz played on the Women's National Team, representing the U.S. at the 2010 and 2014 Rugby World Cups, per Brown.
