From packed arenas to record-breaking viewership, women’s professional sports are on the rise across the country. The most recent National Women’s Soccer League and Women’s National Basketball Association championships drew nearly 4 million total fans.

The popularity of women’s sports has also prompted the creation of new professional leagues. Kitt Wagner Ruiz is the head coach of the Boston Banshees, one of six teams part of the inaugural season of Women’s Elite Rugby. Wagner Ruiz said it’s a great time to be a woman in rugby.

“The bronze medal in the Olympics and with Ilona Maher being the face of rugby right now and then this brand new professional league, it’s just really exciting to watch women’s rugby grow, along with all the other women’s sports that are just exploding right now,” Wagner Ruiz said.

The Banshees won their first game against the New York Exiles 29-to-27 on March 22.

Anna Palmer said the growing popularity of women’s professional sports in the United States indicated to her and her fellow investors that it was time to bring the National Women’s Soccer League to Boston. Palmer is now a founder and managing partner of the newly renamed Boston Legacy Football Club, which will begin play in 2026.

“You’re starting to see the trend in women’s sports of people looking at it truly as an investment in something that has major staying power, which is exciting, because that means that there’s more dollars that flow through facilities and more dollars that go to the athletes and more dollars to go to promotion. And so, it ultimately helps the sport to grow overall,” Palmer said.

Allison Feaster, vice president of team operations and organizational growth for the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, knows the excitement of being a woman in professional sports first-hand, having spent more than 17 years on the court as a former WNBA star and playing throughout Europe.

But what’s still missing are more women behind the scenes of pro sports.

“I definitely think there has been a greater intention over the past few years about creating opportunities, at least to have a pipeline for roles for women in the NBA and across professional sports, period,” Feaster said. “I think there has been greater visibility, greater attention and just access for women. However, I do think there is obviously a long way to go. There’s definitely not gender parity in roles across at least the operations side and in basketball. But definitely a long, long way from where it was 10, 15, 20 years ago.”

Although each sport has its individual challenges, Palmer, Wagner Ruiz and Feaster say what binds all their teams is the importance of community.

“We really believe that legacies are things that are earned, they’re not given. And so that means that you have to go in and you have to win people’s hearts, and you have to make it a club for everybody,” Palmer said about Boston Legacy FC.

Another binding factor? Making sure the teams stay front of mind for the public and continue to grow so they can stick around.

“Especially in rugby, we’ve seen a lot of the pro men’s leagues come and go and fold, and I think that it’s an important time to support by coming to games, by showing up, by telling all of your friends to come and show your support for all of these women’s teams that are growing in the Boston area,” Wagner Ruiz said. “The time is now, and I think that if we can continue to gain that support and that traction, it will only make the league stronger, women’s sports stronger, and allow us to have that sustainability that we really need to have.”

Despite the challenges, Feaster said when she thinks about the next five years of women’s professional sports, she’s optimistic.

“I foresee stability,” Feaster said. “I foresee trials, yes, but also a continued flourishing of women’s sports, of growth, of celebration, of representation, of women across leadership. I don’t think it’s a fleeting moment. I think it’s a very firm statement about the direction we are moving. And I’m really excited. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for women’s sports.”

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