Women’s Elite Rugby heralds new dawn for women’s rugby in the US
Former Procter & Gamble executive Deb Henretta has stated that the overwhelming recent success of women’s sports will benefit the upcoming launch of Women’s Elite Rugby (WER).
Henretta is a co-signer of the US sporting start-up that is set to launch in 2025.
Announced last spring, the semi-professional league will feature teams based in Boston, New York, Chicago, Denver, and the Bay Area.
Sports News Blitz’s Shameeka Voyiya breaks down the story.
WER to revolutionise women’s rugby
As the first professional women’s rugby league in the US, WER offers women the opportunity to participate in one of the fastest growing global sports.
A few years ago, Henretta was looking to make a sports investment and duly came across WER. Anticipating its high potential ahead of the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup to be held in the US, Henretta jumped at the opportunity to get involved.
Key stakeholders in the project have since vowed to prove that “the commercial value in women’s sports is not a moment but a movement” in the lead-up to the World Cup.
WER has so far raised $500 000 from Henretta and Chasing Rainbows, a venture capital firm, in addition to receiving a $4 million investment from Michele Kang following the national sevens team’s Olympic bronze win in Paris earlier this year.
Kang is a successful businesswoman who also owns popular women’s soccer teams Washington Spirit and Olympique Lyonnais Feminin.
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Henretta predicts massive growth for WER
Speaking on her investment, Henretta stated: “I’m a little bit of an angel investor because we’re just getting started, and I happen to be someone who has an absolute love and passion for rugby.
“Some people play golf and they spend a lot of money on country clubs and golf clubs. That’s not our thing — we love rugby. I’d love to give rugby a jump start here in the US.”
She further cited WNBA star Caitlin Clark and, more widely, women’s soccer as examples of success in women’s sports, anticipating similar returns on her investment in WER.
Riding a wave of increasing interest in women’s sports, WER is sure to continue garnering support and momentum as it moves closer and closer to kick-off.
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