On Saturday, the first-ever professional women's rugby match in the U.S. will take place as the New York Exiles face the Boston Banshees in the Women's Elite Rugby League’s inaugural season. Established by the US Rugby Women's Premier League through the "Ignite the Change" movement, the league aims to expand opportunities for female athletes in a historically male-dominated sport, as mentioned by GoMag. The opening match will be held at The Stadium at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon. According to Gothamist, players will be compensated through a prize winnings structure, with plans to eventually provide salaries allowing them to focus solely on rugby.

Women’s Elite Rugby features players like Tess Feury and Jenn Salomon-Clayton, who have competed internationally. Salomon-Clayton, a former Quinnipiac NCAA Division I player and member of the Mexican national team, said, "Hopefully there will be that time down the road where people can make a living wage for play, which would be amazing." The league is streaming games for free on TrillerTV and DAZN to reach a wider audience. Co-founder and President Jessica Hammond-Graf stated, "Our motivation was to create an entertaining rugby product for Americans." The league is working to secure sponsorships to support player salaries, as reported by Gothamist.

The formation of the Women’s Elite Rugby League in the U.S. aligns with the growth of women's sports, including leagues like Unrivaled and WNBA expansions. The league's progress will depend on both player performance and its ability to engage a U.S. audience unfamiliar with the sport. It aims for a strong debut, with GoMag calling it "an exciting opportunity to watch history in the making."