Women's Elite Rugby

WER’s second season kicks off the first week of May UNITED STATES — Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) today announced a series of key leadership and governance advancements as the league enters its Series A raise on the back of its successful inaugural season. The league is strengthening its leadership bench with proven operators, people who have built audiences, grown revenue, and run businesses with fiscal discipline, to help WER scale faster. Over the past several months, WER has also significantly bolstered its executive leadership team. Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf has transitioned into the role of Chief Sporting Officer, while continuing to serve as President, with oversight of high-performance planning, rugby operations, athlete development, and events. Phil Camm has moved into the role of Chief Commercial Officer, leading the league’s growth strategy. This new leadership structure will report to an already impressive board. At the board level, the league welcomes Priya Oberoi , representing Goddess Gaia Ventures. Her addition deepens the board’s expertise as WER enters its next phase of growth. Oberoi joins board members Randy Little , co-founders Koma Gandy and Jenny Houlihan , and lead investor Deb Henretta. In parallel with these leadership advancements, WER has established a Commercial Advisory Council composed of seasoned industry leaders Teresa Palladino , Liz Anderson , Stacy Jolna , and Rob Candelino . The Council is a senior-advisor group made up of WER stakeholders helping to sharpen the league's commercial plans, focused on marketing, partnerships, broadcast, and investment strategy. More information about the members of WER’s Commercial Advisory Council can be found below. Teresa Palladino Teresa Palladino is a senior marketing executive with global experience building sports and media brands that grow audiences, deepen fan engagement, and drive revenue. She spent a decade at Red Bull creating athlete-led campaigns and partnerships with measurable commercial impact. Most recently, she led brand marketing, storytelling, community engagement, and partnerships for Grand Slam Track’s launch, and earlier helped ONE Championship expand across the Americas through digital and broadcast partnerships. Liz Anderson Liz Anderson is an entertainment and sports marketing leader with 20 years of experience shaping global campaigns. At Netflix, she led strategy for live sports and events, partnering with leagues like the NFL and WWE. She also built the “Netflix is a Joke” brand and marketed comedy worldwide, after leading digital and social strategy at Disney/ABC. Stacy Jolna Stacy Jolna is a C-suite media innovator working across TV, AI, streaming, and social. At TiVo, he built the brand nationwide, secured strategic media investments, and helped drive a successful IPO to a $1B market cap. At News Corp, he created and scaled TV Guide SPOT from concept to a $650M market cap. He also launched CNN Presents and Special Reports, and now leads enViibe, an AI guidance platform for streaming consumers. Rob Candelino Rob Candelino is a globally accomplished Consumer Products executive, investor, advisor and Board member. Most recently, Rob served as CEO of PetSafe Brands, the world’s largest PetTechnology company. Prior to that Rob spent decades at Unilever where he served in a variety of executive roles, most notably as CEO of Thailand and Inland ASEAN. Rob is a Board member of The Scott’s Miracle-Gro Company, where he Chairs the Innovation and Technology Committee, and the Tennessee Theatre. If you have any questions about WER or would like to speak to members of the leadership team please email wer@lindarothpr.com . For the latest news and updates, follow WER on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn . Media images of Women’s Elite Rugby are available HERE . Headshots of WER leadership are HERE . About WER Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) is the first American professional women’s rugby league. The league announced their official launch in 2024 with their inaugural season starting in March 2025 centering six teams in Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, Bay Area, and Twin Cities featuring 180 athletes. The mission of the WER is to be the defining standard of rugby in the United States. WER is structured on the stable foundation of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), a national, amateur pay-to-play model, high level rugby competition established in 2009. With the creation of Women’s Elite Rugby, world-class women’s rugby will be ushered into the next stage of its evolution and will take women’s rugby in the United States to new heights. For further information visit: https://www.womenseliterugby.us/ .

All 2026 WER matches will be broadcast live on WSN FEBRUARY 18, 2026 – Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) today announced a new media partnership with The Women’s Sports Network (WSN) , the FAST Studios–backed, women’s-sports-only channel. Through the agreement, WSN will serve as the “The Home of WER” for the 2026 season, delivering live and delayed match coverage on its channel under an exclusive content licensing deal. Fans will be able to watch WER matches through a platform designed for modern viewing habits. WSN is free, ad-supported, and widely available across major smart TVs and streaming platforms, including Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV, VIZIO WatchFree+, LG Channels on LG Smart TVs, Fubo, Plex and My Free DirecTV. The distribution allows viewers to access WER content on devices they already own without requiring an additional subscription. “For the fans who can’t join us in person, this partnership with The Women’s Sports Network will bring you closer to the action than ever,” said Phil Camm, Chief Commercial Officer for Women’s Elite Rugby . “WSN shares our commitment to women’s sports, and together we’ll deliver a broadcast that gets tight on the explosive collisions, the relentless pace, and the athletic brilliance and unique personalities of our players across the country. With WSN available across multiple platforms nationwide, more fans, longtime rugby supporters and first-timers alike, can tune in and be part of it.” WER will sit alongside a growing slate of top-tier women’s sports programming on WSN, including NWSL, the LPGA Tour, and SailGP, giving fans a single place to watch some of the biggest women’s competitions. “Women’s Elite Rugby embodies the strength, speed, and competitive excellence that define the future of women’s sports,” said Carol Stiff, President of The Women’s Sports Network . “As the Home of WER for the 2026 season, we’re thrilled to showcase these incredible athletes and bring the intensity of elite women’s rugby to fans everywhere through our free, widely accessible platform.” For media members, photographers, videographers and/or content creators interested in hearing more or attending any practices/matches, please fill out the credential form HERE . Your request will be vetted by our PR team and you will receive a confirmation or rejection notification shortly after applying. For the latest news and updates, follow WER on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn . Media images of Women’s Elite Rugby are available HERE .  About WER Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) is the first American professional women’s rugby league. The league announced their official launch in 2024 with their inaugural season starting in March 2025 centering six teams in Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, Bay Area, and Twin Cities featuring 180 athletes. The mission of the WER is to be the defining standard of rugby in the United States. WER is structured on the stable foundation of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), a national, amateur pay-to-play model, high level rugby competition established in 2009. With the creation of Women’s Elite Rugby, world-class women’s rugby will be ushered into the next stage of its evolution and will take women’s rugby in the United States to new heights. For further information visit: https://www.womenseliterugby.us/ . About The Women’s Sports Network: The Women's Sports Network is the home for women’s sports. A free, ad-supported, 24/7 streaming destination, The Women’s Sports Network is the preferred cable alternative for cord cutters that’s available across Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV, VIZIO WatchFree+, LG Channels on LG Smart TVs, Fubo, Plex and My Free DirecTV. Launched by FAST Studios in 2022, The Women's Sports Network is the leading destination where fans can see live games, news and exceptional stories across every women’s sport, including League One Volleyball (LOVB), Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), U.S. Ski and Snowboard,) SailGP, Pac-12, and more – finally leveling the playing field for female athletes. For more information, visit: https://womenssports.com .