The Guardian · US news · Original story
Women’s Elite Rugby enters season two with lessons learned, a pop star investor and ambition for US game
The semi-pro league gets under way with aims of elevating the sport ahead of the 2033 World Cup on American soil
Dr Jessica Hammond-Graf is president and chief sporting officer of Women’s Elite Rugby, the US semi-professional rugby union competition that kicks off its second season on Saturday in Massachusetts and Illinois. Like most Americans, she did not grow up with the game.
An Army kid, she spent a lot of time playing soccer. In the early 90s, at the University of Connecticut, she tried out for the round ball and then played Ultimate Frisbee. Then, one fateful day, a woman on her floor said, “Hey, you should come try rugby, OK?” Hammond-Graf agreed, then found herself starting her very first game at fly-half, responsible for directing a team.
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Martin Pengelly · Sat, May 2, 2026, 3:00 AM
US news | The Guardian
The semi-pro league gets under way with aims of elevating the sport ahead of the 2033 World Cup on American soil
Dr Jessica Hammond-Graf is president and chief sporting officer of Women’s Elite Rugby, the US semi-professional rugby union competition that kicks off its second season on Saturday in Massachusetts and Illinois. Like most Americans, she did not grow up with the game.
An Army kid, she spent a lot of time playing soccer. In the early 90s, at the University of Connecticut, she tried out for the round ball and then played Ultimate Frisbee. Then, one fateful day, a woman on her floor said, “Hey, you should come try rugby, OK?” Hammond-Graf agreed, then found herself starting her very first game at fly-half, responsible for directing a team.
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