For athletes NEW to Women’s Elite Rugby, the 2026 Declaration will open December 1, 2025 and will remain open, though selections will begin January 19th.  This means late submissions may not be considered if coaches have already selected other athletes. So early submission is recommended. The declaration process includes completing initial declaration documentation and submitting match film. Coaches will then use this information to contact those athletes they would like to learn more about.

Year 2 of the league consists of the same initial 6 teams in the following markets - Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, and Twin Cities.  Each team plays 10 weeks (5 home and 5 away matches) over the course of a 16 week season.

The players will receive elite level training/coaching, complete travel coverage (flights, hotels, ground transportation, meals, etc), medical coverage (beyond primary health insurance via WER provided accident insurance) for injuries sustained while playing in WER, playing and training kit, professional analysis, and Strength and Conditioning programming.

In conjunction with athletes’ primary health insurance, athletes will have access to a full collaborative medical team consisting of athletic trainers, sports performance coaches, and team physicians. Athletes will receive expedited care with the team physicians as well as assistance in higher level care with specialists.  

Athletes will also have access to a dynamic, collaborative sports science database. This database will house wellness data, load management, team lifts, communication hubs and partner with wearable technology to provide metric tracking. 

Our medical teams will be fully supported by a robust Medical Advisory Board who will collaborate and support the care for all six teams. 

The overall season will run from Late-March (pre-season) through End of August, with games beginning at the beginning of May. There will be several league breaks, but players should expect to be available for all matches unless approved by the head coach and Director of Rugby prior to the beginning of the season.

Players can expect to train 3-4 days per week, as well as participate in S&C sessions. The S&C sessions may be independent or undertaken with the team.  Additionally, there may be required meetings for practice preview/review, game analysis, video review, etc. Team schedules for training and games/travel will be communicated prior to the season to allow athletes to adjust their own schedules.

Maybe. Players who have a compelling case to be in a specific market (i.e. current resident, job opportunity, hometown, etc) can request an In-State Athlete Designation. This designation restricts which team can select the athlete to only the local market. Having an In-State designation does NOT guarantee that an athlete WILL be selected to that market. If you are selected and choose to accept, you must be able to attend all practices and games in the local market.

Coaches will be reviewing declaration materials on a rolling basis and reaching out to discuss goals and plans with athletes as part of the process.  The selections will take place in late January and selected players will be contacted to confirm their role and sign initial league agreement.

Players who were not selected are able to play amateur rugby and re-enter the selection process the following year. A limited number of local market players who are not initially selected may  be offered an On-Call Athlete role. These athletes may be invited to practice with the team and could be offered a short term contract in the event of injury or other issues with training numbers.

Different collegiate programs will have different eligibility restrictions. High school and College players who choose to join WER risk impacting their collegiate eligibility. Players who have questions about their specific situation are encouraged to discuss the implications with their existing college coach, eligibility personnel at their current or prospective university, or other eligibility specialists. The spring selection process is specifically designed in part for collegiate athletes who deferred selection until completing their final year of college eligibility.

WER is not able to support player visas at this time. However, if players are eligible to work in the US or have secured visas on their own prior to the start of season, they may be considered for the 2026 season.

Yes, WER coaches will be attending various tournaments throughout the declaration period to scout new talent. Coaches will be attending on behalf of the league and do not represent the interests of a specific team. Please continue to check back here for the most up-to-date list of scouting visits:

• NIRA Championships, November 22
• Mary Graham All Stars, December 6-7
• NCR All Stars, January 24-25