January 9, 2025 • 35 mins
Women’s Elite Rugby (aka WER) is the focus of today’s edition of “New Year, New Leagues.” WER President Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf and Chicago player Betty Nguyen join Sarah to discuss the inspiration for the league, the difference between 7s and 15s, and how each team filled out its roster. Plus, the stars, stakes, stats, and stories you need to know.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to good Game with Sarah Spain, where we can't
decide if we're less likely to defeat Alona mar at
a rugby skills challenge or a pass adoblay dance off
coin flip. We'd get rolled at both. It's Thursday, January ninth,
and today we continue our New Year, New League's series
of shows, serving up everything you need to know about
the new professional women's leagues, kicking off, tipping off, first pitching,
(00:22):
and first serving their way into our hearts. In twenty
twenty five, Today's League WER Women's Elite Rugby. President of WER,
doctor Jessica Hammond Graf and WR player Betty Wynn joined
the show to give us the steak stars, stories and
stats we need to be ready for kickoff. It's all
coming up right after this All right seisas Welcome back
(00:48):
to New Year, New Leagues Today Women's Elite Rugby Now.
Quick note. After recording this, WER president doctor Jessica Hammond
Graff clarified to us that players will not initially receive
a base sound, but that any expenses related to training
and games will be covered by the league. So while
players won't pay to play in WR, which was the
case in most recent women's rugby models. It's not yet
(01:10):
a paid league. Okay, here's that conversation. Joining us now
to tell us everything we need to know about the league.
She's the president of WER Women's Elite Rugby, a former
US rugby sevens player, former professor and retired NCAA Division
One Deputy athletic director. She co founded a brewing company.
It's doctor, Jessica Hammond Graff. What's up, Jessica?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
How's it going, Sarah? Thanks for having me today.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Are we still brewing things?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
We are? We are alive and well.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
If you find yourself in the eastern shore of Maryland
to come check out Tennike Brewing.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Tennike Brewing. All right, joining her. She's a player for
the Chicago team in the WER, current assistant coach, former
head coach of the Loyal Chicago rugby team, former professional
DJ turned side hustle DJ, former personal trainer, and still
a sales engineer at software developer Relativity. She played rugby
at the University Villinois Chicago and the Women's Premier League,
and was the twenty twenty three Women's Rugby Coaches and
(02:03):
Referees Association fifteen under thirty Awardi. She's met Joe Jonas
and flow Rider. It's Betty. When what's up, Betty?
Speaker 4 (02:11):
How's it going, Sarah, I'm super glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, that is a resume. I've definitely never read anything
like before. Personal Trainer, DJ's software developer, rugby playing coach
standard Standard.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Thank you for saying that. I feel like it's hard
to be unique nowadays, so thank you very much for
that validation.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Oh you're nailing it, that's for sure. What was it
more fun meet Joe Jonas or flow Rider?
Speaker 4 (02:35):
I think Joe Jonas because I had the biggest crush
on all of the Jonahs brothers growing up, and so
that was a very like my your twelve year old
was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I partied with flow Rider on an island in the Bahamas,
which was a good time. Amazing stories that I won't
share now and maybe an other time. I want to
hear about your rugby background, Jessica, tell us about it.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, So I started playing rugby at the Universe of
Connecticut in the fall of my sophomore year. I won't
put a date on it, but the fall of my
sophomore year, and we won a national championship that following spring,
and so as a rookie to be a part of
a winning program, I was like, this is amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I need to keep doing this.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
So continue to play for about fifteen years through a
bunch of different teams throughout the country, down in New
Orleans for a little bit, and then got picked up
with a couple of select sides, and you know, next
thing you know, I found myself attending national sevens camps
and buying for a spot on that team. And that
came to fruition in the early two thousands with an
eighteen day tour down to Fiji in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
So it was.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
It was an absolute amazing experience and I'm excited to
have that as part of my background.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
So cool. I have to say, just complete stereotyping. If
someone said here's doctor Jessica, she's a professor, I'd be like, yep,
and then they'd be like, also fifteen years of rugby.
I'd be like, don't buy it. It's just like I
love to see just like my expectations and stereotypes completely
falling aside. That's fantastic, Betty. What's your rugby background?
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I started playing rugby in twenty fourteen after my friend
from high school convinced me. I actually played on a boys'
high school football team. I was the only girl, and
so my best friend from that team started playing rugby
right away when we went to college, and he basically
tried to convince me to come out and play for
the women's team for a year, and eventually he was like,
(04:24):
just come to a game and you're gonna think it's awesome.
And then he was right. You know, I was literally
at practice that next Tuesday afterwards. But I've been playing
rugby since then. I essentially switched over to playing senior
club rugby right away, started playing for Chicago North Shore
and then eventually the Chicago Lions, and have played both
fifteen's and sevens, primarily for the Lions the last few years.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Here Betty, what has the pro rugby landscape looked like
over the last decade plus for women?
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Not pretty like non existent. I think it's been really
high level, you know, amateur rugby. I think the club level.
Some of the best rugby players have come out of
the club level in the States. But you know, for
the men's side, it's gone kind of up and down
there have been leagues that popped up. The MLR seems
pretty stable right now, which is great, you know, awesome
opportunity there. But I think that you know, with the
(05:19):
WR coming in, it really is the first model for
professional women's rugby in the States.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, there's been a league called the Women's Premier League
established in two thousand and nine, but the players aren't paid,
so it's not professional. But a lot of energy spent
on the growth of rugby, a lot of time spent
allowing players who are very successful and very talented to
find a place to play. And I really enjoyed. We
talked about it on the show here that the Women's
(05:47):
Elite Rugby League kind of got people excited for their
first launch with the top four teams from the Women's
Premier League, so sort of honoring those people in that
league that was paid to play instead of being paid
en route to creating this new thing, Doctor desca, When
did the idea for WER come into existence?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
So that credit goes out to the players and the
leadership from the WPL. So after the twenty twenty two season,
everybody came together and was like, we have an opportunity
to create change. We have an opportunity to move the
league in another direction, and so they spent a lot
of time, you know, as committees and women, we dive in,
we get stuffed done. And they came together and put
(06:29):
a couple of stipulations in place for the league itself
for the twenty twenty three year. But at the same
time they seeded the first ever external board. So myself
and a group of five other women were named to
the board and they said, okay, help us professionalize the WPL.
And we were like, sure, sweet, all right, we got this,
you know, and we you know, dived right in, did
(06:51):
a lot of research on what was the best model,
which how should we structure the league, what is that
relationship going to be like with the WPL and new
professional league. And then it was in April of just
this year, it seems like eons ago and just yesterday,
all at the same time, but almost a year to
the day of our first board meeting, we announced the
(07:13):
announced wer and the players have been a part of it.
We've had that player committee from the very beginning, so
they have constantly had input in the direction and how
we're building and how we're growing the league. And it's
been intentional to keep them a part of everything, because
rugby is so supportive and it's so part of the
communities of which Betty and I have grown to love
(07:35):
throughout all our years of playing.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah, there's so much enthusiasm for women's rugby. After the
US women's national team took bronze in the Paras Olympics
this summer, Jessica, I have to ask how their success
and the publicity that they've been earning affected your plans,
your goals, your timeline, if at all.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Yeah, So we were intentional when we started announcing the
markets because it was right around the time of the Olympics.
Were like, let's wait until after the metal round matches,
and we couldn't have teed it up any better, right,
So it was like an amazing, you know, bronze medal game.
Even the gold medal game was great, but for Americans,
(08:15):
it was really that bronze medal match.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
And then the next day we.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Were like, hey, if you love rugby, you know we're
coming to a market near you. And so that timing,
you know, really helped. I wouldn't tay accelerate because we
were already on our path, but just that notoriety of
like oh, rugby, and in the US people are still
learning the difference between the Olympic sevens version and then
the fifteens version that we are building. But right now
(08:41):
rugby is rugby and we are just taking all of
that attention. And so between that, between LA twenty eight
having more eyes on rugby and then the both World
Cups and thirty thirty one and the Women's World Cup
in thirty three, there's going to be a.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Lot of attention on rugby in the US in the
coming years.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah. I was reading about that and I was like,
twenty thirty three, Oh my god, that's forever. And I
was like, oh, oh my god, it's not that far off.
It's crazy. Alone o Mar a superstar, bigger than rugby
in so many ways. Betty, can you tell us what
it felt like watching her, in particular, explode this summer
in terms of popularity, knowing how that might affect the
(09:20):
league and how it might drive even more attention to rugby.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Yeah, it's so hard to talk about rugby and not
talk about Alona Mar. I mean, she is the it girl.
She is all over and it's so exciting to see
her risis stardom. She's so deserving of it. I mean,
aside from being an awesome athlete, just a tremendous rugby player.
She's funny, she's charismatic. It's hard to you know, watch
(09:46):
her and not love her. And it's huge. We get
to ride that kind of momentum that she brings, that
star power that she brings to rugby and kind of
ride that into this new emerging league and I think
that's such a privilege to get that, to have her
kind of bring that attention to rugby. So it's a
really great timing for everything. And yeah, I mean she's
(10:08):
playing fifteens rugby right now, and you know, has been
very vocal about her hopes to play for the World
Cup team, the USA World Cup team, and so hopefully,
you know, she brings all that love to fifteens rugby
as well.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, we're going to get into the difference between fifteens
and seven So everyone listening that's confused, don't worry. We're
going to get to that. Let's get ready for this
inaugural season of the wer with a little wr one
oh one. Yeah, So let's start with the teams. Jessica,
how many are there and who are they? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
So there are six teams and they'll in six markets
across the country, again being tied to the WPL. So
we have a team out in the Bay Area in California, Denver, Colorado, Chicago,
where you can watch Betty showcase all of her skills,
twin cities Minneapolis, Boston, and New York. So you'll to
(11:00):
stay tuned for the names of the teams because they
will be coming out shortly.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Awesome. I'm excited. I love looking at logos and colors
and merge to like getting all the different teams vibes
and what they're kind of going to be. Betty, let's
talk about gms and coaches. Who are the folks that
are going to be leading these teams? What's their background?
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Yeah, that might the GM question might be better suited
for doctor Jessica. But as far as the coaches go,
the coaches announcement, there's quite a few coaches that have
been affiliated with the WPL teams and so they've carried over,
which is awesome. I know Hanna Soba really well out
in Berkeley. I think that she's great and very exciting
(11:37):
for her lead. Sylvia Broughton has been brought back to
the mix back in Minneapolis, and then in Chicago we
have Brian Colebridge, who I really only texted and maybe
had like a virtual call with, but he brings a
ton of energy to the league. He has awesome ideas
about like diversity and what he wants the team to
(11:58):
look like, how he wants the team to play, and
so all in all, the coach choices could not be better.
I'm thrilled to be working with the group of coaches
that's we're going to be working with the league.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
I love it. If there isn't some sort of language
around coach Sylvia Broughton from bring it on where it's
like it's already been brought in, then we're really missing
like a real key opportunity there, Jessica, So GMS, it
feels like this is a single entity owner that owns
the whole league and the team's underneath. So is it
more of that kind of ownership model where there isn't
(12:30):
a GM making selections for each team.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
So there will be GMS in the local market and
we'll be announcing those names shortly. Since we are remote,
we are not all based in these markets, so we
want to make sure that we have boots on the
ground we have people who are there helping drive the
fan experience, build those corporate partnerships, and so we're excited
to build out those front offices.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Shortly, cool, who are some of the players we're going
to be watching, Jessica, Where are you grabbing these folks
from US national team members, international players.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
College short answers. Yes, And that's a great part of it, right.
We have this really elite level pool of players. Three
hundred and eighty five athletes raise their hand for the
declaration period and said yeah, I want to play, and
that it was about two times in many of players
that we actually needed.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
So you're going to.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
See players that are coming out of strong college programs
like Dartmouth and Harvard. They'll be spattered throughout the league,
although you know a lot of the Harvard players will
probably be picked up by the Boston team right sticking
to their roots, but definitely have a lot of college
players coming from that space. We do have some players
(13:43):
who've been competing in the PWR, the league over in
England that have said, yeah, I want to come back
to the US, I want to play in front of
my fan base. So you'll see some of those national
team current national team players hopefully playing for US. And
at the same time, there there have been some players
from overseas who are like, how do I get it
(14:03):
on this gig?
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Like this is going to be.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Amazing, right, Like who wouldn't want to come to the
US play rugby for four months and then you go
back home. So those that will help elevate our talent
pool as well, But we are going to be mindful
as to we don't want to totally turn the league international, right,
We have a lot of amazing athletes like Betty who
(14:27):
are local and we want to elevate and continue to
bring them along in this journey as well. So there's
really a broad range of athletes who are who are
going to play, and it's going to be really exciting.
I got to sit down on like the full team
selections a couple of weeks ago, and my goosebumps thinking
about who's going to be in the league and the
(14:49):
combinations that coaches are putting together.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
So it's going to be a phenomenal first year.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Okay, just a couple of clarifications there. So when you
say declaration pool, those are people who are essentially saying,
if were to be selected, I would sign with this
team and play for them.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Yeah, so we were really intentional about how to create
an opportunity for the most players. Right, We're only in
six places. The US is pretty big, and so we
couldn't come out and say, Okay, you're just going to
go wherever we dictate, right, that's not fair, And we
knew that we would have a lot fewer athletes raise
their hands. So we gave each athlete the opportunity to
(15:25):
designate in state status. You could do up to two markets,
and it had to be a reasonable request. Like I'm
from here, but I have a lot of family that
lives in Boston. So even though I'm home based in Denver,
I could be supported if I moved to Boston. Or
I'm a college athlete and I went away to school,
but I'm really from another area. And so I think
(15:48):
that really helped support the athletes, you know, similar to
what the NWSL came out with their recent collective bargaining agreement. Right,
So we were able to do that. That made a
huge difference for our numbers, and we still had quite
a few athletes who are who are in the open
market who knew that they would be willing to go anywhere.
They just wanted a chance to play now. Yeah, So
(16:10):
it was great to be able to provide that opportunity
for the players.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
And you mentioned that some Harvard folks might go to Boston.
Is that like a homegrown player rule where it's easier
for teams to grab players that are local or how
will it be decided if someone put two different markets
where they end up.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
So the coaches have been great, having conversations amongst themselves like, yeah,
if so and so selected, I'll just use Boston as
their primary. But the Boston coach was like, I already
have enough talent in that role, so I'm not going
to pick them. But hey, Chicago, you know that was
their second choice, so feel free to select them. So
the coaches have been great and they understand that we
(16:46):
need parody in the league this year. We can't have
blowouts because we want to create a really exciting entertainment product.
So we can't have even though it's less stressful, and Betty,
I'm sure you can attest to it. It's less stressful
having big gap for coaching, but we want to be
able to create that exciting Admyery.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
It feels like that happens a lot in women's leagues
early on is that there is this sense of a
rising tide lifts all boats, so they have to be
collaborative as opposed to competitive in order to get things
off the ground and make it successful. And then eventually
it gets big enough that there can be a little
bit more of that cutthroat sports approach to everything. We
got to take a quick break here. When we come back,
we'll talk to Betty and Jessica about pay, the league, states,
(17:28):
where the games will be played, and that whole fifteens
versus sevens thing I promised well addressed. It's coming up
after this we're back with Betty and Jessica. Jessica, how
is pay decided for players? Is it uniform tiered? Is
there some sort of minimum?
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:45):
So what where are the compensation package is still being finalized. So,
but what we're trying to do again is create that
parody across everybody. If you look at the WPL athletes,
they've paid out of pocket for so long and most
of us, you know, even my funding when I was playing,
it was fully out of pocket. So we want to
be able to just spread what we have across everybody
(18:07):
in at a minimum is what we've talked about with
the athletes thus far as we're going to cover their
travel and their expenses, and then you know, we'll look
to continue to grow from there as funding allows.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Betty, where are the games can I be played?
Speaker 4 (18:21):
I believe that they will have you know, everyone will
have home games in their markets that we're all have
teams in. But I don't think that we've nailed down
the exact like home base for each team just yet.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
What is a rugby arena?
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Like?
Speaker 1 (18:36):
What's the closest fit is that a football stadium?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Usually a soccer field. It's actually closer in size. Rugby
fields are a little bit wider, a little bit longer
than a normal football field is. So I think soccer
is probably the closest.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
And Doctor Jessica, is there are certain general capacity that
you're looking for for this inaugural season.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yeah, we're looking about three thousand and five thousand seat stadiums.
We believe that is our sweet spot. Anything bigger you're
going to get lost in there. We want to be
able to create an exciting in game experience for the fans.
And also, you know that broadcast you want to see
packed stands, you want to see people having fun in
an exciting environment, and we believe that starting a little
(19:22):
bit smaller can create that intimate feel for sure.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
When does the league start and end, Jessica.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
So the league preseason is going to start in February
with the first games. I know it'll be cold up
there in Chicago for Betty, but we're a house of
We're finalizing some indoor practice space for our northern friends.
But the season, the games will start at the end
of March and they'll go to the end of June.
(19:51):
And we were intentional about having a it'll be about
a thirty three game season this year through everybody. But
with the World Cup happy in England in the fall,
we wanted to provide an opportunity for our athletes to
make that roster to have a little bit of downtime
before they have to report for camp World Cup camp.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
So we're a little shortened this year.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
So Okay, we're resourceful out here in Chicago, so we'll
dig sell off the field if we have to. If
that means that we can play, don't worry.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Yeah, We've got this thing called dibbs, Jessica. So if
they need to park by their practice or where they play.
They'll just throw a lawn chair, an old box fan,
whatever we can find that goes in the spot that
you that you shoveled out, and if someone tries to
move in and park there, God bless your break or
whatever else can be accessed with scissors. And I'm not
(20:41):
advocating for that to be a thing anyone should do.
I'm just saying that's how it is here in Chicago
when shit gets real. So at the end of those
thirty three regular season games, playoff championship format, Jessica.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah, we're gonna have the Legacy Cup.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
It'll be two semi final games and then the National Championship.
The semi finals will be at the highest the highest seeds,
and then we'll have either a neutral site or one
of the venues as the final championship game.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Cool. Okay, let's talk about rules, Betty. Let's assume our
listeners are brand new and want to get into rugby.
Give us a little bit about the difference between fifteens
and sevens, where we might have seen them, and why
you chose to do fifteens for this league.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Yes, for any new listeners coming to rugby, welcome. It's
the best party that you'll ever get invited to, So
thanks so much for you know, wanting to learn and
listen or listen and learn. But sevens and fifteens refers
to the number of people in the field. So fifteen
a side rugby has fifteen people on each team, which
means thirty people on the field at one time. Crazy
(21:48):
sevens is the version that you find in the Olympics.
So a lot for your people, which means that typically
you have to cover a lot more space. It's also shorter,
so seven a side seven minute halves with a two
minute half time, so the game goes by way quicker.
It's much more fast paced, athletically, super demanding. It's like
halfway a track meet for a lot of it. And
(22:11):
then so the with fifteens, with a lot more people,
it tends to be a little bit more strategic, a
little bit more tactical, and it's eighty minutes long, so
it's a little bit more endurance bace as well, so
you really want to think about how you're going to
play over those two forty minute halfs. So those are
the basic differences between fifteens and sevens.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
It does feel like the type of athlete would be
very different between needing to cover more ground but in
a shorter time versus having more people out on the field.
But it is a little bit more of a marathon
as opposed to a sprint. When we're watching the games,
what are some ways to be an educated viewer? What
are the things to look for to know if a
team is playing well or a player is standing out well.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Scoring in rugby is just, you know, almost like a
touchdown getting to the end zone, and we have to
physically touch down the ball, so literally putting the ball,
touching it to the ground to score. You gotta touch grass,
Yes exactly, I gotta touch grass. If you see a
lot of that, a team is doing pretty well, okay.
And you know, rugby has a lot of things that
sports fans love. There's big hits and so you'll see
(23:13):
a lot of those as well. And if a team
is making a lot of big hits, then that's an
indicator that they're they're dominating the game. And there's like
high fly in fun. You know, there's parts of it
where you're literally throwing people into the air to get
the ball back. I mean, I don't think any other
sport has that. And so there's a lot of fun
aspects of rugby. Getting possession of the ball back is
(23:35):
a really big part. So in that sense, it's a
lot like soccer or basketball where you like want to
retain the possession of the ball and you get to
literally fight people for possession of that ball. So yeah,
those are like the different elements of rugby and different
things that you can watch out for when you're When
you're watching for the first.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Time, I invented a new word that I think rugby
should use. It's like scrum and a huddle is a scrudgle.
I just think gets a really fun word. I think
that scruggle should be a thing.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
Totally incorporate it.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Yeah, just think about if there's somewhere we can throw scruttle.
It's just fun to say. So we've got overachievers for sure,
lesting who really want to make sure they know what
they're watching before this starts. So do you have any
good resources, Betty, whether that's a website, a YouTube, a
person a place that people can go where they'll be
able to really like get the one on one to
figure out how to watch and enjoy rugby.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
Definitely, Well, I think that anyone even if you don't
prepare yourself for it. Anyone can enjoy rugby. It's the
It's i think the one of the most fan friendly
sports because really you're coming out and you're watching a
bunch of people like kind of beat up on each
other for eighty minutes and then afterwards they're all cheering
and you know they're all The camaraderie behind it is
(24:47):
so amazing and it's what really drew me to rugby
in the first place. But if people want to watch
some rugby before they go and come out to a
WR game, there's tons of resources on YouTube. You can
watch the World Cup games and so you can see
like the New Zealand and England final from a couple
of years ago, which like sparked, you know, crazy energy
across the women's rugby world. I think that's a really
(25:10):
great game to watch, and that's all accessible on YouTube.
But there's tons, tons of rugby to watch there.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Cool Jessica, Where can folks get tickets to go to
the games?
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Yeah, So once we announce our venues, we'll have our
season tickets available.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Q one is going to be.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Insane for w b R as we get everything and
sign on the dotted line, but we'll have tickets through
our platform, through Women's Elite Rugby dot Us. We'll be
selling tickets there and then we'll also have tickets in
the local markets for people who want to walk.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Up cool and can folks watch on TV or streaming.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Yeah, we are having conversations right now actually with Willopy
Goldberg's crew and hoping to get on her new platform.
The Legacy Cup last year was streamed on Rugby Pass TV,
and so it's really important to us to get the
game out there to as many people as possible. We know,
as phases of women's sports, you got to hunt for
(26:06):
all your your sport content and the more that we
can keep it in front of a paywall, at least initially,
the better. And so we're looking at a lot of
different platforms and YouTube TV definitely is on the rise
as one of those platforms as well. So we have
we have a broad look as to where we might
where we might stream the games next year.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
You've got a lot on your plate. You mentioned Q
one is going to be pretty crazy. You know, you've
got to set up a league in terms of the
obvious getting players signed to teams in uniform on the
field and playing, but also behind the scenes with the
TV deals and everything else. And then in terms of
stuff like support staff, emerging leagues oftentimes are a little
behind on things like doctors, physical therapists HR. How are
(26:50):
you approaching that side of things?
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Yeah, so early on we knew that we wanted to
be the model and how we provided healthcare for our athletes.
You know, with that pay to play model, right, they're
they're paying out of pocket. It takes forever to get
an MRI, uh to follow up. And so we're building
elite care for our athletes and we'll have partnerships with
medical providers in each market who we can say, yep,
(27:16):
you got dinged up, let's go get you next ray
and they're flipping it quickly, right because we want player
availability for the coaches. Coaches want to have the most
number of athletes they can select from on game day
and if you're still waiting on it for an MRI
and you're not cleared, then then we can't do that.
So we've talked heavily about the medical care providing elite
level providers. UH, you know, athletic trainers at not just games,
(27:39):
but at every practice, having.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Residents on the sidelines.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
You know, all the things that you should you expect
from a professional league. We're doing it and making sure
that it's at the top of the player experience.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Awesome, Betty. I know based on my experience in ownership
for the NWS well and reporting on all these different leagues,
it's very important for players to have a voice and
have a safe way to express problems, issues anything. Are
there any channels that the league is planning to use
to ensure that there's a good communication between players in
front office staff.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
I think even right now, our coach Brian has put
everyone who has been selected so far into a like
WhatsApp group, and so we're all communicating. I think that
channel of communication is going to be very open, so
coaches can act sort of like a liaison to the
front office if needed. But I also think that right
now this is all a very collaborative effort. I think
(28:36):
there's been a ton of communic communication out between the
director of rugby and all the players, and I think
that there's trust that the wr administration is really trying
to make this all about the player experience and enhancing
the player experience, and that's how they see how this
league is going to grow. So based on my experience
(28:59):
so far, I really have full faith that there's going
to be a ton of feedback back and forth and
that that's going to help this league continue to grow
for the future.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Cool And if I can add Sarah, like I mentioned
from the beginning, we've had a player's committee and so
they've been involved, They've seen copies of the policies, they
help drive our selection process, what the declaration period was
going to look like. So they've had a hand in everything,
and so we'll continue to have that. It'll evolve a
(29:30):
little bit, but we're going to continue to have a
player advisory committee engaged with me and the staff every
step of the way.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
That's great. Okay, we're wrapping up here, and I have
a not yet trademarked, but definitely should be trademarked approach
to teaching people a new sport. If I take someone
to a game for the first time that they haven't
been to, or even just how I kind of think
about telling stories of women's sports and athletes on this
particular show. And it's summed up by the four US's
Star Stakes, stats and story. So we're going to close
(30:01):
with a speed round of those for the wer So
Betty Stars. Who should we watch for? Any names you
want to throw out there?
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Oh, not to be biased, but there's a player named
Emma Farnan that is going to be playing in Chicago.
I have played against her and she is a force
to be reckoned with. So look out for Emma Fearnen.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
Emma farnin Okay, doctor Deska Stakes. How important would you
say one regular season game would be to this team's
likelihood of making the playoffs or winning it all? How
serious should fans take every single game versus sort of
bigger picture for the season.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Yeah, I wouldn't say like the first game is going
to make or break a team. There's there's thirty games
that are going to happen, so they'll be definitely opportunities.
But you know, by week three and four there'll definitely
be some pressure on the line. And at the same time,
when we overlap with the Pack four season, you know,
(30:57):
our national team players will go overseas and they'll compete
and that'll give a great chance for other.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Athletes to step up into that.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
So it'll look really different, won't look really different, but
there'll be.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Some differences midyear when.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
The Eagles step away, and then it'll be a lot
of pressure on the back end to be eligible for
the Legacy Cup.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
All right. The Eagles are the US national rugby team.
There is no international break. Then it'll be the rest
of the team stepping up in their absence. That's good
to know. Stats, Betty, what's a great stat line in
a single game for a player? How can we look
at a box score and say, ooh, that person not
a great game.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
I love defense in rugby, so for me, it's usually
tackles made is a really great stat line. I think
that if you're a fan of the offensive side, then
it probably would be a number of carrieres or like
meters carried. But those are the two that I would
think about.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
So not as much the actual person who scores.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
Yeah, yeah, I think that sometimes it comes down to
maybe you ran a ton of meters, but time, right
before you're about to score, you pass it off to
someone and you take the tackle so that they can score.
I feel like, you know, the number of meters carried
tends to highlight that a little bit.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Oh okay, I love learning that. That's really cool. All right, Stories, Jessica,
do you have a story or two for us to follow,
a player coming back from injury, a player representing an
underrepresented group, just something we can sort of attach to
and look forward to paying attention to what we're watching.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Yeah, so I mentioned the youngster Tana Wilfie. She's going
to be playing for our Colorado team. She's overseas right now,
but both her parents or dad played at the highest level, and.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
She's going to be the youngest player in the league.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
And we do have a couple teams, a couple athletes
who are currently playing for their home country. So we
have Jen Salomon Clayton who's currently playing for the Mexico
national sevens team. She's going to be playing with New
York Adriana Castillo, she plays for the Dominican Republic national team, so.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Also in the New York area.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
So a lot of players like that that are representing
the larger market but have some really great, really great
stories behind them.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
I love that, all Right, last question you knew I
was going to ask it. What is the chance that
Alona mar will be suiting up for the wr I'm
seeing I'm seeing fingers crossed. I think I just spotted
a rabbit's foot.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Yeah, stay tuned, is all I can say. Sarah, stay tuned.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Heay tuned. Thank you so much for joining us and
helping us sort through what is a very exciting new
league in professional rugby here in the US. So thanks
so much for the time.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
Thank you, Thank you, Sarah.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Welcome back, slices. We love that you're listening, but we
want you to get in the game every day too,
So here's our good game play of the day. Follow
wer on social and follow some of the players that
Jessica and Betty mentioned, like Emma Farnin who'll be rep
in Chicago. One of the best ways to learn about
a new league, get to know the players and the storylines,
and keep up with the games is to have them
right in your social timeline. So go ahead and hit
(34:19):
that follow button links to accounts in our show notes,
and don't forget to subscribe. Rate and review like this
Hookers rating five out of five very necessaries review. Without
a hooker, you're going to have trouble scoring on the
rugby field. That is, the hooker is the central forward
in the front row of a scrum whose main job
(34:40):
is to hook the ball. And if you don't have
a hooker, who will the loose headline up next to?
And if you ask me, this is all happening in
the scruddle. Now it's your turn, subscribe, rate and review.
Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow. Good game, Jessica and Betty.
Good game. Wer Hugh whoever made up the names in
rugby and didn't include scruddle? A Good Game with Sarah
(35:02):
Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with
Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie
and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz,
Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer,
Britney Martinez, brace Lynch and Lindsay Cradowell. Production assistants from
(35:25):
Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain
Welcome to good Game with Sarah Spain, where we can't
decide if we're less likely to defeat Alona mar at
a rugby skills challenge or a pass adoblay dance off
coin flip. We'd get rolled at both. It's Thursday, January ninth,
and today we continue our New Year, New League's series
of shows, serving up everything you need to know about
the new professional women's leagues, kicking off, tipping off, first pitching,
(00:22):
and first serving their way into our hearts. In twenty
twenty five, Today's League WER Women's Elite Rugby. President of WER,
doctor Jessica Hammond Graf and WR player Betty Wynn joined
the show to give us the steak stars, stories and
stats we need to be ready for kickoff. It's all
coming up right after this All right seisas Welcome back
(00:48):
to New Year, New Leagues Today Women's Elite Rugby Now.
Quick note. After recording this, WER president doctor Jessica Hammond
Graff clarified to us that players will not initially receive
a base sound, but that any expenses related to training
and games will be covered by the league. So while
players won't pay to play in WR, which was the
case in most recent women's rugby models. It's not yet
(01:10):
a paid league. Okay, here's that conversation. Joining us now
to tell us everything we need to know about the league.
She's the president of WER Women's Elite Rugby, a former
US rugby sevens player, former professor and retired NCAA Division
One Deputy athletic director. She co founded a brewing company.
It's doctor, Jessica Hammond Graff. What's up, Jessica?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
How's it going, Sarah? Thanks for having me today.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Are we still brewing things?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
We are? We are alive and well.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
If you find yourself in the eastern shore of Maryland
to come check out Tennike Brewing.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Tennike Brewing. All right, joining her. She's a player for
the Chicago team in the WER, current assistant coach, former
head coach of the Loyal Chicago rugby team, former professional
DJ turned side hustle DJ, former personal trainer, and still
a sales engineer at software developer Relativity. She played rugby
at the University Villinois Chicago and the Women's Premier League,
and was the twenty twenty three Women's Rugby Coaches and
(02:03):
Referees Association fifteen under thirty Awardi. She's met Joe Jonas
and flow Rider. It's Betty. When what's up, Betty?
Speaker 4 (02:11):
How's it going, Sarah, I'm super glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, that is a resume. I've definitely never read anything
like before. Personal Trainer, DJ's software developer, rugby playing coach
standard Standard.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Thank you for saying that. I feel like it's hard
to be unique nowadays, so thank you very much for
that validation.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Oh you're nailing it, that's for sure. What was it
more fun meet Joe Jonas or flow Rider?
Speaker 4 (02:35):
I think Joe Jonas because I had the biggest crush
on all of the Jonahs brothers growing up, and so
that was a very like my your twelve year old
was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I partied with flow Rider on an island in the Bahamas,
which was a good time. Amazing stories that I won't
share now and maybe an other time. I want to
hear about your rugby background, Jessica, tell us about it.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, So I started playing rugby at the Universe of
Connecticut in the fall of my sophomore year. I won't
put a date on it, but the fall of my
sophomore year, and we won a national championship that following spring,
and so as a rookie to be a part of
a winning program, I was like, this is amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I need to keep doing this.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
So continue to play for about fifteen years through a
bunch of different teams throughout the country, down in New
Orleans for a little bit, and then got picked up
with a couple of select sides, and you know, next
thing you know, I found myself attending national sevens camps
and buying for a spot on that team. And that
came to fruition in the early two thousands with an
eighteen day tour down to Fiji in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
So it was.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
It was an absolute amazing experience and I'm excited to
have that as part of my background.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
So cool. I have to say, just complete stereotyping. If
someone said here's doctor Jessica, she's a professor, I'd be like, yep,
and then they'd be like, also fifteen years of rugby.
I'd be like, don't buy it. It's just like I
love to see just like my expectations and stereotypes completely
falling aside. That's fantastic, Betty. What's your rugby background?
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I started playing rugby in twenty fourteen after my friend
from high school convinced me. I actually played on a boys'
high school football team. I was the only girl, and
so my best friend from that team started playing rugby
right away when we went to college, and he basically
tried to convince me to come out and play for
the women's team for a year, and eventually he was like,
(04:24):
just come to a game and you're gonna think it's awesome.
And then he was right. You know, I was literally
at practice that next Tuesday afterwards. But I've been playing
rugby since then. I essentially switched over to playing senior
club rugby right away, started playing for Chicago North Shore
and then eventually the Chicago Lions, and have played both
fifteen's and sevens, primarily for the Lions the last few years.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Here Betty, what has the pro rugby landscape looked like
over the last decade plus for women?
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Not pretty like non existent. I think it's been really
high level, you know, amateur rugby. I think the club level.
Some of the best rugby players have come out of
the club level in the States. But you know, for
the men's side, it's gone kind of up and down
there have been leagues that popped up. The MLR seems
pretty stable right now, which is great, you know, awesome
opportunity there. But I think that you know, with the
(05:19):
WR coming in, it really is the first model for
professional women's rugby in the States.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, there's been a league called the Women's Premier League
established in two thousand and nine, but the players aren't paid,
so it's not professional. But a lot of energy spent
on the growth of rugby, a lot of time spent
allowing players who are very successful and very talented to
find a place to play. And I really enjoyed. We
talked about it on the show here that the Women's
(05:47):
Elite Rugby League kind of got people excited for their
first launch with the top four teams from the Women's
Premier League, so sort of honoring those people in that
league that was paid to play instead of being paid
en route to creating this new thing, Doctor desca, When
did the idea for WER come into existence?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
So that credit goes out to the players and the
leadership from the WPL. So after the twenty twenty two season,
everybody came together and was like, we have an opportunity
to create change. We have an opportunity to move the
league in another direction, and so they spent a lot
of time, you know, as committees and women, we dive in,
we get stuffed done. And they came together and put
(06:29):
a couple of stipulations in place for the league itself
for the twenty twenty three year. But at the same
time they seeded the first ever external board. So myself
and a group of five other women were named to
the board and they said, okay, help us professionalize the WPL.
And we were like, sure, sweet, all right, we got this,
you know, and we you know, dived right in, did
(06:51):
a lot of research on what was the best model,
which how should we structure the league, what is that
relationship going to be like with the WPL and new
professional league. And then it was in April of just
this year, it seems like eons ago and just yesterday,
all at the same time, but almost a year to
the day of our first board meeting, we announced the
(07:13):
announced wer and the players have been a part of it.
We've had that player committee from the very beginning, so
they have constantly had input in the direction and how
we're building and how we're growing the league. And it's
been intentional to keep them a part of everything, because
rugby is so supportive and it's so part of the
communities of which Betty and I have grown to love
(07:35):
throughout all our years of playing.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah, there's so much enthusiasm for women's rugby. After the
US women's national team took bronze in the Paras Olympics
this summer, Jessica, I have to ask how their success
and the publicity that they've been earning affected your plans,
your goals, your timeline, if at all.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Yeah, So we were intentional when we started announcing the
markets because it was right around the time of the Olympics.
Were like, let's wait until after the metal round matches,
and we couldn't have teed it up any better, right,
So it was like an amazing, you know, bronze medal game.
Even the gold medal game was great, but for Americans,
(08:15):
it was really that bronze medal match.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
And then the next day we.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Were like, hey, if you love rugby, you know we're
coming to a market near you. And so that timing,
you know, really helped. I wouldn't tay accelerate because we
were already on our path, but just that notoriety of
like oh, rugby, and in the US people are still
learning the difference between the Olympic sevens version and then
the fifteens version that we are building. But right now
(08:41):
rugby is rugby and we are just taking all of
that attention. And so between that, between LA twenty eight
having more eyes on rugby and then the both World
Cups and thirty thirty one and the Women's World Cup
in thirty three, there's going to be a.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Lot of attention on rugby in the US in the
coming years.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah. I was reading about that and I was like,
twenty thirty three, Oh my god, that's forever. And I
was like, oh, oh my god, it's not that far off.
It's crazy. Alone o Mar a superstar, bigger than rugby
in so many ways. Betty, can you tell us what
it felt like watching her, in particular, explode this summer
in terms of popularity, knowing how that might affect the
(09:20):
league and how it might drive even more attention to rugby.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Yeah, it's so hard to talk about rugby and not
talk about Alona Mar. I mean, she is the it girl.
She is all over and it's so exciting to see
her risis stardom. She's so deserving of it. I mean,
aside from being an awesome athlete, just a tremendous rugby player.
She's funny, she's charismatic. It's hard to you know, watch
(09:46):
her and not love her. And it's huge. We get
to ride that kind of momentum that she brings, that
star power that she brings to rugby and kind of
ride that into this new emerging league and I think
that's such a privilege to get that, to have her
kind of bring that attention to rugby. So it's a
really great timing for everything. And yeah, I mean she's
(10:08):
playing fifteens rugby right now, and you know, has been
very vocal about her hopes to play for the World
Cup team, the USA World Cup team, and so hopefully,
you know, she brings all that love to fifteens rugby
as well.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, we're going to get into the difference between fifteens
and seven So everyone listening that's confused, don't worry. We're
going to get to that. Let's get ready for this
inaugural season of the wer with a little wr one
oh one. Yeah, So let's start with the teams. Jessica,
how many are there and who are they? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
So there are six teams and they'll in six markets
across the country, again being tied to the WPL. So
we have a team out in the Bay Area in California, Denver, Colorado, Chicago,
where you can watch Betty showcase all of her skills,
twin cities Minneapolis, Boston, and New York. So you'll to
(11:00):
stay tuned for the names of the teams because they
will be coming out shortly.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Awesome. I'm excited. I love looking at logos and colors
and merge to like getting all the different teams vibes
and what they're kind of going to be. Betty, let's
talk about gms and coaches. Who are the folks that
are going to be leading these teams? What's their background?
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Yeah, that might the GM question might be better suited
for doctor Jessica. But as far as the coaches go,
the coaches announcement, there's quite a few coaches that have
been affiliated with the WPL teams and so they've carried over,
which is awesome. I know Hanna Soba really well out
in Berkeley. I think that she's great and very exciting
(11:37):
for her lead. Sylvia Broughton has been brought back to
the mix back in Minneapolis, and then in Chicago we
have Brian Colebridge, who I really only texted and maybe
had like a virtual call with, but he brings a
ton of energy to the league. He has awesome ideas
about like diversity and what he wants the team to
(11:58):
look like, how he wants the team to play, and
so all in all, the coach choices could not be better.
I'm thrilled to be working with the group of coaches
that's we're going to be working with the league.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
I love it. If there isn't some sort of language
around coach Sylvia Broughton from bring it on where it's
like it's already been brought in, then we're really missing
like a real key opportunity there, Jessica, So GMS, it
feels like this is a single entity owner that owns
the whole league and the team's underneath. So is it
more of that kind of ownership model where there isn't
(12:30):
a GM making selections for each team.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
So there will be GMS in the local market and
we'll be announcing those names shortly. Since we are remote,
we are not all based in these markets, so we
want to make sure that we have boots on the
ground we have people who are there helping drive the
fan experience, build those corporate partnerships, and so we're excited
to build out those front offices.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Shortly, cool, who are some of the players we're going
to be watching, Jessica, Where are you grabbing these folks
from US national team members, international players.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
College short answers. Yes, And that's a great part of it, right.
We have this really elite level pool of players. Three
hundred and eighty five athletes raise their hand for the
declaration period and said yeah, I want to play, and
that it was about two times in many of players
that we actually needed.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
So you're going to.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
See players that are coming out of strong college programs
like Dartmouth and Harvard. They'll be spattered throughout the league,
although you know a lot of the Harvard players will
probably be picked up by the Boston team right sticking
to their roots, but definitely have a lot of college
players coming from that space. We do have some players
(13:43):
who've been competing in the PWR, the league over in
England that have said, yeah, I want to come back
to the US, I want to play in front of
my fan base. So you'll see some of those national
team current national team players hopefully playing for US. And
at the same time, there there have been some players
from overseas who are like, how do I get it
(14:03):
on this gig?
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Like this is going to be.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Amazing, right, Like who wouldn't want to come to the
US play rugby for four months and then you go
back home. So those that will help elevate our talent
pool as well, But we are going to be mindful
as to we don't want to totally turn the league international, right,
We have a lot of amazing athletes like Betty who
(14:27):
are local and we want to elevate and continue to
bring them along in this journey as well. So there's
really a broad range of athletes who are who are
going to play, and it's going to be really exciting.
I got to sit down on like the full team
selections a couple of weeks ago, and my goosebumps thinking
about who's going to be in the league and the
(14:49):
combinations that coaches are putting together.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
So it's going to be a phenomenal first year.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Okay, just a couple of clarifications there. So when you
say declaration pool, those are people who are essentially saying,
if were to be selected, I would sign with this
team and play for them.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Yeah, so we were really intentional about how to create
an opportunity for the most players. Right, We're only in
six places. The US is pretty big, and so we
couldn't come out and say, Okay, you're just going to
go wherever we dictate, right, that's not fair, And we
knew that we would have a lot fewer athletes raise
their hands. So we gave each athlete the opportunity to
(15:25):
designate in state status. You could do up to two markets,
and it had to be a reasonable request. Like I'm
from here, but I have a lot of family that
lives in Boston. So even though I'm home based in Denver,
I could be supported if I moved to Boston. Or
I'm a college athlete and I went away to school,
but I'm really from another area. And so I think
(15:48):
that really helped support the athletes, you know, similar to
what the NWSL came out with their recent collective bargaining agreement. Right,
So we were able to do that. That made a
huge difference for our numbers, and we still had quite
a few athletes who are who are in the open
market who knew that they would be willing to go anywhere.
They just wanted a chance to play now. Yeah, So
(16:10):
it was great to be able to provide that opportunity
for the players.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
And you mentioned that some Harvard folks might go to Boston.
Is that like a homegrown player rule where it's easier
for teams to grab players that are local or how
will it be decided if someone put two different markets
where they end up.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
So the coaches have been great, having conversations amongst themselves like, yeah,
if so and so selected, I'll just use Boston as
their primary. But the Boston coach was like, I already
have enough talent in that role, so I'm not going
to pick them. But hey, Chicago, you know that was
their second choice, so feel free to select them. So
the coaches have been great and they understand that we
(16:46):
need parody in the league this year. We can't have
blowouts because we want to create a really exciting entertainment product.
So we can't have even though it's less stressful, and Betty,
I'm sure you can attest to it. It's less stressful
having big gap for coaching, but we want to be
able to create that exciting Admyery.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
It feels like that happens a lot in women's leagues
early on is that there is this sense of a
rising tide lifts all boats, so they have to be
collaborative as opposed to competitive in order to get things
off the ground and make it successful. And then eventually
it gets big enough that there can be a little
bit more of that cutthroat sports approach to everything. We
got to take a quick break here. When we come back,
we'll talk to Betty and Jessica about pay, the league, states,
(17:28):
where the games will be played, and that whole fifteens
versus sevens thing I promised well addressed. It's coming up
after this we're back with Betty and Jessica. Jessica, how
is pay decided for players? Is it uniform tiered? Is
there some sort of minimum?
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:45):
So what where are the compensation package is still being finalized. So,
but what we're trying to do again is create that
parody across everybody. If you look at the WPL athletes,
they've paid out of pocket for so long and most
of us, you know, even my funding when I was playing,
it was fully out of pocket. So we want to
be able to just spread what we have across everybody
(18:07):
in at a minimum is what we've talked about with
the athletes thus far as we're going to cover their
travel and their expenses, and then you know, we'll look
to continue to grow from there as funding allows.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Betty, where are the games can I be played?
Speaker 4 (18:21):
I believe that they will have you know, everyone will
have home games in their markets that we're all have
teams in. But I don't think that we've nailed down
the exact like home base for each team just yet.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
What is a rugby arena?
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Like?
Speaker 1 (18:36):
What's the closest fit is that a football stadium?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Usually a soccer field. It's actually closer in size. Rugby
fields are a little bit wider, a little bit longer
than a normal football field is. So I think soccer
is probably the closest.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
And Doctor Jessica, is there are certain general capacity that
you're looking for for this inaugural season.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yeah, we're looking about three thousand and five thousand seat stadiums.
We believe that is our sweet spot. Anything bigger you're
going to get lost in there. We want to be
able to create an exciting in game experience for the fans.
And also, you know that broadcast you want to see
packed stands, you want to see people having fun in
an exciting environment, and we believe that starting a little
(19:22):
bit smaller can create that intimate feel for sure.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
When does the league start and end, Jessica.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
So the league preseason is going to start in February
with the first games. I know it'll be cold up
there in Chicago for Betty, but we're a house of
We're finalizing some indoor practice space for our northern friends.
But the season, the games will start at the end
of March and they'll go to the end of June.
(19:51):
And we were intentional about having a it'll be about
a thirty three game season this year through everybody. But
with the World Cup happy in England in the fall,
we wanted to provide an opportunity for our athletes to
make that roster to have a little bit of downtime
before they have to report for camp World Cup camp.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
So we're a little shortened this year.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
So Okay, we're resourceful out here in Chicago, so we'll
dig sell off the field if we have to. If
that means that we can play, don't worry.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Yeah, We've got this thing called dibbs, Jessica. So if
they need to park by their practice or where they play.
They'll just throw a lawn chair, an old box fan,
whatever we can find that goes in the spot that
you that you shoveled out, and if someone tries to
move in and park there, God bless your break or
whatever else can be accessed with scissors. And I'm not
(20:41):
advocating for that to be a thing anyone should do.
I'm just saying that's how it is here in Chicago
when shit gets real. So at the end of those
thirty three regular season games, playoff championship format, Jessica.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah, we're gonna have the Legacy Cup.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
It'll be two semi final games and then the National Championship.
The semi finals will be at the highest the highest seeds,
and then we'll have either a neutral site or one
of the venues as the final championship game.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Cool. Okay, let's talk about rules, Betty. Let's assume our
listeners are brand new and want to get into rugby.
Give us a little bit about the difference between fifteens
and sevens, where we might have seen them, and why
you chose to do fifteens for this league.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Yes, for any new listeners coming to rugby, welcome. It's
the best party that you'll ever get invited to, So
thanks so much for you know, wanting to learn and
listen or listen and learn. But sevens and fifteens refers
to the number of people in the field. So fifteen
a side rugby has fifteen people on each team, which
means thirty people on the field at one time. Crazy
(21:48):
sevens is the version that you find in the Olympics.
So a lot for your people, which means that typically
you have to cover a lot more space. It's also shorter,
so seven a side seven minute halves with a two
minute half time, so the game goes by way quicker.
It's much more fast paced, athletically, super demanding. It's like
halfway a track meet for a lot of it. And
(22:11):
then so the with fifteens, with a lot more people,
it tends to be a little bit more strategic, a
little bit more tactical, and it's eighty minutes long, so
it's a little bit more endurance bace as well, so
you really want to think about how you're going to
play over those two forty minute halfs. So those are
the basic differences between fifteens and sevens.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
It does feel like the type of athlete would be
very different between needing to cover more ground but in
a shorter time versus having more people out on the field.
But it is a little bit more of a marathon
as opposed to a sprint. When we're watching the games,
what are some ways to be an educated viewer? What
are the things to look for to know if a
team is playing well or a player is standing out well.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Scoring in rugby is just, you know, almost like a
touchdown getting to the end zone, and we have to
physically touch down the ball, so literally putting the ball,
touching it to the ground to score. You gotta touch grass,
Yes exactly, I gotta touch grass. If you see a
lot of that, a team is doing pretty well, okay.
And you know, rugby has a lot of things that
sports fans love. There's big hits and so you'll see
(23:13):
a lot of those as well. And if a team
is making a lot of big hits, then that's an
indicator that they're they're dominating the game. And there's like
high fly in fun. You know, there's parts of it
where you're literally throwing people into the air to get
the ball back. I mean, I don't think any other
sport has that. And so there's a lot of fun
aspects of rugby. Getting possession of the ball back is
(23:35):
a really big part. So in that sense, it's a
lot like soccer or basketball where you like want to
retain the possession of the ball and you get to
literally fight people for possession of that ball. So yeah,
those are like the different elements of rugby and different
things that you can watch out for when you're When
you're watching for the first.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Time, I invented a new word that I think rugby
should use. It's like scrum and a huddle is a scrudgle.
I just think gets a really fun word. I think
that scruggle should be a thing.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
Totally incorporate it.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Yeah, just think about if there's somewhere we can throw scruttle.
It's just fun to say. So we've got overachievers for sure,
lesting who really want to make sure they know what
they're watching before this starts. So do you have any
good resources, Betty, whether that's a website, a YouTube, a
person a place that people can go where they'll be
able to really like get the one on one to
figure out how to watch and enjoy rugby.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
Definitely, Well, I think that anyone even if you don't
prepare yourself for it. Anyone can enjoy rugby. It's the
It's i think the one of the most fan friendly
sports because really you're coming out and you're watching a
bunch of people like kind of beat up on each
other for eighty minutes and then afterwards they're all cheering
and you know they're all The camaraderie behind it is
(24:47):
so amazing and it's what really drew me to rugby
in the first place. But if people want to watch
some rugby before they go and come out to a
WR game, there's tons of resources on YouTube. You can
watch the World Cup games and so you can see
like the New Zealand and England final from a couple
of years ago, which like sparked, you know, crazy energy
across the women's rugby world. I think that's a really
(25:10):
great game to watch, and that's all accessible on YouTube.
But there's tons, tons of rugby to watch there.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Cool Jessica, Where can folks get tickets to go to
the games?
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Yeah, So once we announce our venues, we'll have our
season tickets available.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Q one is going to be.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Insane for w b R as we get everything and
sign on the dotted line, but we'll have tickets through
our platform, through Women's Elite Rugby dot Us. We'll be
selling tickets there and then we'll also have tickets in
the local markets for people who want to walk.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Up cool and can folks watch on TV or streaming.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Yeah, we are having conversations right now actually with Willopy
Goldberg's crew and hoping to get on her new platform.
The Legacy Cup last year was streamed on Rugby Pass TV,
and so it's really important to us to get the
game out there to as many people as possible. We know,
as phases of women's sports, you got to hunt for
(26:06):
all your your sport content and the more that we
can keep it in front of a paywall, at least initially,
the better. And so we're looking at a lot of
different platforms and YouTube TV definitely is on the rise
as one of those platforms as well. So we have
we have a broad look as to where we might
where we might stream the games next year.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
You've got a lot on your plate. You mentioned Q
one is going to be pretty crazy. You know, you've
got to set up a league in terms of the
obvious getting players signed to teams in uniform on the
field and playing, but also behind the scenes with the
TV deals and everything else. And then in terms of
stuff like support staff, emerging leagues oftentimes are a little
behind on things like doctors, physical therapists HR. How are
(26:50):
you approaching that side of things?
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Yeah, so early on we knew that we wanted to
be the model and how we provided healthcare for our athletes.
You know, with that pay to play model, right, they're
they're paying out of pocket. It takes forever to get
an MRI, uh to follow up. And so we're building
elite care for our athletes and we'll have partnerships with
medical providers in each market who we can say, yep,
(27:16):
you got dinged up, let's go get you next ray
and they're flipping it quickly, right because we want player
availability for the coaches. Coaches want to have the most
number of athletes they can select from on game day
and if you're still waiting on it for an MRI
and you're not cleared, then then we can't do that.
So we've talked heavily about the medical care providing elite
level providers. UH, you know, athletic trainers at not just games,
(27:39):
but at every practice, having.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Residents on the sidelines.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
You know, all the things that you should you expect
from a professional league. We're doing it and making sure
that it's at the top of the player experience.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Awesome, Betty. I know based on my experience in ownership
for the NWS well and reporting on all these different leagues,
it's very important for players to have a voice and
have a safe way to express problems, issues anything. Are
there any channels that the league is planning to use
to ensure that there's a good communication between players in
front office staff.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
I think even right now, our coach Brian has put
everyone who has been selected so far into a like
WhatsApp group, and so we're all communicating. I think that
channel of communication is going to be very open, so
coaches can act sort of like a liaison to the
front office if needed. But I also think that right
now this is all a very collaborative effort. I think
(28:36):
there's been a ton of communic communication out between the
director of rugby and all the players, and I think
that there's trust that the wr administration is really trying
to make this all about the player experience and enhancing
the player experience, and that's how they see how this
league is going to grow. So based on my experience
(28:59):
so far, I really have full faith that there's going
to be a ton of feedback back and forth and
that that's going to help this league continue to grow
for the future.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Cool And if I can add Sarah, like I mentioned
from the beginning, we've had a player's committee and so
they've been involved, They've seen copies of the policies, they
help drive our selection process, what the declaration period was
going to look like. So they've had a hand in everything,
and so we'll continue to have that. It'll evolve a
(29:30):
little bit, but we're going to continue to have a
player advisory committee engaged with me and the staff every
step of the way.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
That's great. Okay, we're wrapping up here, and I have
a not yet trademarked, but definitely should be trademarked approach
to teaching people a new sport. If I take someone
to a game for the first time that they haven't
been to, or even just how I kind of think
about telling stories of women's sports and athletes on this
particular show. And it's summed up by the four US's
Star Stakes, stats and story. So we're going to close
(30:01):
with a speed round of those for the wer So
Betty Stars. Who should we watch for? Any names you
want to throw out there?
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Oh, not to be biased, but there's a player named
Emma Farnan that is going to be playing in Chicago.
I have played against her and she is a force
to be reckoned with. So look out for Emma Fearnen.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
Emma farnin Okay, doctor Deska Stakes. How important would you
say one regular season game would be to this team's
likelihood of making the playoffs or winning it all? How
serious should fans take every single game versus sort of
bigger picture for the season.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Yeah, I wouldn't say like the first game is going
to make or break a team. There's there's thirty games
that are going to happen, so they'll be definitely opportunities.
But you know, by week three and four there'll definitely
be some pressure on the line. And at the same time,
when we overlap with the Pack four season, you know,
(30:57):
our national team players will go overseas and they'll compete
and that'll give a great chance for other.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Athletes to step up into that.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
So it'll look really different, won't look really different, but
there'll be.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Some differences midyear when.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
The Eagles step away, and then it'll be a lot
of pressure on the back end to be eligible for
the Legacy Cup.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
All right. The Eagles are the US national rugby team.
There is no international break. Then it'll be the rest
of the team stepping up in their absence. That's good
to know. Stats, Betty, what's a great stat line in
a single game for a player? How can we look
at a box score and say, ooh, that person not
a great game.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
I love defense in rugby, so for me, it's usually
tackles made is a really great stat line. I think
that if you're a fan of the offensive side, then
it probably would be a number of carrieres or like
meters carried. But those are the two that I would
think about.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
So not as much the actual person who scores.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
Yeah, yeah, I think that sometimes it comes down to
maybe you ran a ton of meters, but time, right
before you're about to score, you pass it off to
someone and you take the tackle so that they can score.
I feel like, you know, the number of meters carried
tends to highlight that a little bit.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Oh okay, I love learning that. That's really cool. All right, Stories, Jessica,
do you have a story or two for us to follow,
a player coming back from injury, a player representing an
underrepresented group, just something we can sort of attach to
and look forward to paying attention to what we're watching.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Yeah, so I mentioned the youngster Tana Wilfie. She's going
to be playing for our Colorado team. She's overseas right now,
but both her parents or dad played at the highest level, and.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
She's going to be the youngest player in the league.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
And we do have a couple teams, a couple athletes
who are currently playing for their home country. So we
have Jen Salomon Clayton who's currently playing for the Mexico
national sevens team. She's going to be playing with New
York Adriana Castillo, she plays for the Dominican Republic national team, so.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Also in the New York area.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
So a lot of players like that that are representing
the larger market but have some really great, really great
stories behind them.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
I love that, all Right, last question you knew I
was going to ask it. What is the chance that
Alona mar will be suiting up for the wr I'm
seeing I'm seeing fingers crossed. I think I just spotted
a rabbit's foot.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Yeah, stay tuned, is all I can say. Sarah, stay tuned.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Heay tuned. Thank you so much for joining us and
helping us sort through what is a very exciting new
league in professional rugby here in the US. So thanks
so much for the time.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
Thank you, Thank you, Sarah.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Welcome back, slices. We love that you're listening, but we
want you to get in the game every day too,
So here's our good game play of the day. Follow
wer on social and follow some of the players that
Jessica and Betty mentioned, like Emma Farnin who'll be rep
in Chicago. One of the best ways to learn about
a new league, get to know the players and the storylines,
and keep up with the games is to have them
right in your social timeline. So go ahead and hit
(34:19):
that follow button links to accounts in our show notes,
and don't forget to subscribe. Rate and review like this
Hookers rating five out of five very necessaries review. Without
a hooker, you're going to have trouble scoring on the
rugby field. That is, the hooker is the central forward
in the front row of a scrum whose main job
(34:40):
is to hook the ball. And if you don't have
a hooker, who will the loose headline up next to?
And if you ask me, this is all happening in
the scruddle. Now it's your turn, subscribe, rate and review.
Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow. Good game, Jessica and Betty.
Good game. Wer Hugh whoever made up the names in
rugby and didn't include scruddle? A Good Game with Sarah
(35:02):
Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with
Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie
and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz,
Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer,
Britney Martinez, brace Lynch and Lindsay Cradowell. Production assistants from
(35:25):
Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
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