Clinton, NJ (EGRL Press Release plus additional GRR copy)—What happens when 5 of the top girl's high school rugby clubs on the East Coast decide to collaborate? A new Elite Girls Rugby League, EGRL, is born to provide a higher level of rugby play, better exposure for athletes, and an organized platform for significant colleges & universities to prospect the next generation of talented women within USA Rugby.

EGRL was born from a casual conversation amongst the coaches of New Jersey’s Morris Rugby Club. With the addition of the Aspetuck Valley Rugby Club (CT), Doylestown RFC (PA), North Bay Rugby Club (MD), and West Carroll Rugby Club (MD), EGRL launches the first US elite girl's rugby league. Rugby NY, one of the region's Major League Rugby teams, is the inaugural Title Sponsor of the EGRL. BaseCamp31, a New Jersey non-profit that promotes healthy community and personal development through shared experience, is providing administrative support. The Elite Girls Rugby League holds great promise as the first of its kind regional league for the most competitive rugby clubs.

This plan for a cross-border league has been pursued by boys teams before, although team continuity and COVID made them difficult to maintain. For girls this idea could have stronger legs because the strong teams are usually the same teams from year to year, and the gap in performance between these top teams and the rest is consistently large.

According to longtime Morris Rugby coach Bill Dobbs, who was the visionary, the EGRL will become the first-place college coaches look.

"It's been amazing these last few years. With so many young athletes in mainstream sports spending huge amounts of time and money trying to get noticed, we have coaches from colleges and universities across all divisions, and all levels who contact us looking to connect with athletes," said Dobbs. "We knew that other top teams in the region had similar opportunities, so it just made sense to build a platform that made it easier for athletes, fans, and scouts to come together all in one place."

The on-field action of the EGRL begins March 1st, 2022. Game schedules, rosters, and more information are available on the league’s website at www.EGRL.org. The EGRL League Championships will be held in Clinton, NJ, on June 11th as part of the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Rugby Showcase. Interested athletes, teams, and sponsors can contact the league by email at: admin@egrl.org