Denver lands professional women’s rugby team

Women's Elite Rugby (WER) on Wednesday named Denver among the first three U.S. markets set to host a professional women's rugby team starting next year.

The big picture: The WER in April announced its intent to create the country's first women's pro rugby league by adding six to eight teams for its rugby 15s inaugural season.

• Each team will have 30 players, according to a statement from WER, with its founding players set to be announced after a selection process next January.

State of play: The announcement coincides with the U.S. women's national rugby team earning its first-ever Olympic medal on Tuesday .

• The team won a bronze in Paris in rugby sevens after beating Australia 14-12.

The intrigue: Women's rugby has a long history in Colorado, per WER.

• The first recorded competitive women's rugby team debuted in the state when University of Colorado and Colorado State University students formed teams to play a match in 1972 .
• The CU women's rugby team says it's the oldest college women's rugby team in the country.

Between the lines : The American Raptors, a men's pro rugby team, is based in Glendale — dubbed Rugbytown USA — and hosts its games in the 5,000-person-capacity Infinity Park just south of downtown Denver.

• A WER spokesperson says team names and stadium details will be announced later.

What they're saying: "Denver is thrilled to be a founding city of Women's Elite Rugby," Denver Sports Commission executive director Matthew Payne said in a statement Wednesday.

What's next: Boston and Chicago were the two additional markets announced Wednesday, with more cities set to be revealed in the coming weeks, per WER.