Denver will soon get a women’s rugby team

DENVER ( KDVR ) — If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you may have watched a women’s rugby match or two. Soon, you can see one in person as Denver has been picked to host a team.

On Wednesday, Women’s Elite Rugby , the first professional U.S. women’s rugby league, announced Denver as one of three cities that will have a professional women’s rugby team by the spring of 2025.

Colorado has a deep-rooted history with women’s rugby. According to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Foundation , the first competitive U.S. women’s team was at the University of Colorado and Colorado State University in 1971. The teams played its first match in 1972.

The first women’s college championships were also held in Colorado.

“Denver is thrilled to be a founding city of Women’s Elite Rugby and will be excited to cheer on our new team at the first kick-off,” said Denver Sports Commission Executive Director Matthew Payne. “The Mile High City takes sport seriously and that includes rugby with Glendale being heralded as Rugbytown, USA thanks to the 7s tournament hosted there every year, attracting teams to Denver from around the world since 2012. With the Rugby World Cup on the horizon, we know the addition of Women’s Elite Rugby will further amplify the culture of and love for rugby in Denver.”

Women’s Elite Rugby has the intention of starting six to eight teams, including the one already announced in Denver. The teams will consist of 30 players.

The players that will support Denver’s team will be announced after a selection process in January 2025.

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