‘A fresh new brand’: Behind the Scenes on Marketing a New League

The Women’s Elite Rugby logo on a stadium stanchion. Photo by Ali Tousignant via alitousiphotos.com.

Pawtucket, RI– Rugby is experiencing a boom in popularity in the United States following the American women’s sevens team earning the country’s first Olympic medal in the sport last year. That watershed moment provided a springboard for the launch of Women’s Elite Rugby, which was announced three months prior to the Paris Games. But the WER is not relying on reflected attention to grow the sport or to grow the new league: there are people in every market working to build something that can take root and last.

Bad Dawg Sports spoke with Mark Winokur, the Senior General Manager of the Boston Banshees and the New York Exiles, for an inside view on the work that is going into establishing this young league.

“It’s about building the game, because the game is not yet fully established,” said Winokur.

“My primary roles are moving tickets and sponsorships and looking for opportunities to build the brand, like linking with other women’s sports teams. Just opportunities to get the teams out in the community.”

The locations of the WER’s first six teams were chosen based on rugby’s roots in each locality. The teams of the amateur Women’s Premier League had history and fanbases already; capitalizing on the energy in those markets to take the sport to the professional level made sense. Within each market, however, there is still work to do. 

The Boston Banshees played their first two home matches at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, Massachusetts. The stadium is the home of the New England Free Jacks, the reigning champions of the men’s Major League Rugby. There is an established fanbase in the area, both for the Free Jacks and for several nearby college programs and local leagues.

In other women’s professional leagues, collaboration with more established men’s franchises hasn’t always been welcomed. That wasn’t an issue for the Banshees and the Free Jacks.

“When I got the role I said, ‘Listen guys, let’s try and build the game of rugby and not [be] sort of worried too much about our little patch of turf,’” said Winokur, who was involved with Major League Rugby for six years. “And [the Free Jacks] agreed with that and they’ve been great. They’ve been very supportive here, and we’ll support them wherever we can.”

The Banshees’ first two matches at Veterans Memorial Stadium were very successful, with enthusiastic crowds that left the merch stands nearly sold out by the end of the games.

“I think there’s probably 1,500 people in the building today,” Winokur said at the second of the Banshees’ two matches in Quincy. “It was a good crowd and a lively crowd and it’s the quality atmosphere that counts more than the exact numbers.”

The WER does not release exact attendance figures, but according to league PR, average attendance across the league is around 1,200. The two matches at the 5,000-capacity Quincy site averaged above that league number. But the team’s final three home matches will be played an hour away in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, at the newly built 10,500-seat Centreville Bank Stadium.

“Centreville Bank Stadium is an amazing facility, probably world class standard and I think that will show the league in a new light to be playing games in a stadium of that quality,” Winokur said of the move to the new home site. “The community’s been really interested in having us there, they’re very supportive. It’ll be a different fan base and a new fan base, but we’re excited about it.”

Despite the marketing difficulties inherent in splitting the season’s home games between sites in two different states, the audience draw has been comparable. And perhaps even more important in the long run, setting games at the brand-new stadium represents the league’s commitment to playing in facilities that reflect the professionalism it seeks to provide and foster for its athletes. Practicing and competing in elite facilities has long been an issue in professional women’s sports leagues.

Spreading games throughout New England also contributes to visibility, another long-standing issue for women’s sports in a media landscape that disadvantages them.

One hurdle the league is currently grappling with in regards to visibility is the status of its broadcast deal. The WER’s first 17 games were broadcast for free on DAZN, an international streaming platform that allowed the league to reach over 80 countries. The WER reported that initial viewership was very strong for a first-year, emerging league.

However, the league recently announced that the DAZN partnership has been put on hold. While alternatives are explored, the WER is broadcasting stripped-down game feeds for free on the league website.

Broadcasting on league websites to allow fans to access games is not unknown for developing leagues; the PWHL and NWSL have done the same in recent years. However, it does not help expand the visibility of the league, shifting the onus to individual teams. 

That’s a responsibility that, expected or not, the teams will take on.

Within New England, the Banshees crew has been hard at work to establish in-market growth via branding opportunities and merchandise sales.

“I think they’re all really solid brands. The Banshees seems to be the most popular by far,” Winokur reported, “but I think that each brand is good. The teams and fans will grow more accustomed to them, and I think they’ll be pretty popular.”

Per the WER’s public relations team, merchandise has been selling exceptionally well. The WER has surpassed the initial target for the season and had to switch suppliers to accommodate the level of demand. While a number of popular items are currently sold out on the league website, new products have been introduced through a partnership with Inkify and more may be on the way.

The Boston Banshees might be the best-selling team in the league. After nearly selling out of stock at the first home games in Quincy, the team partnered with local brands to diversify their offerings, and lines to buy merch have stretched the length of the end zone.

“The Banshee logo is super popular,” said Wintour. “It sold a ton in New York even. I think it’s just human nature. This is a new fresh brand and there’s six new logos and color schemes… You wear it at school or working, [you hear] ‘oh, that’s a cool hat, where’d you get that?’ That’s human nature. The brands have been very well received.”

The front office has worked to make options available aside from the standard shirts, hoodies, and hats. At the Banshees’ new home site in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, fans could also pick up Banshees logo stickers, a selection of books about rugby, and a unique addition: thanks to a partnership with the women-owned company Spirit Sox, fans can wear the same branded crew socks that Banshees players wear on the field.

As a new professional women’s sports league, the WER faces the same challenges as its compatriots in hockey, soccer, basketball, softball, lacrosse, and more. At the forefront of a movement to grow a globally popular game on new territory, it will face challenges those other leagues might not have had to deal with. Between the dedication and ingenuity of the WER’s staff, and the perseverance and strength of its players, rugby will be pushed forward, one maul at a time.