Women’s Elite Rugby (Women’s Elite Rugby | Home), the first women’s professional rugby league in the U.S., recently started its second season with the motto “Fearless Athletes. Fierce Action.” The league’s six teams each play 10 games — five home and five away. For the New York Exiles, home is Memorial Field in Mt. Vernon.
Wing/fullback Jordyn Marlin, 28, is in her second year, and was energized and eager to see what the season brings. “Last year, there was a ton of excitement because it was so new,” said Marlin. “I feel like this year there are new names and new faces … and we’ve kind of ramped up. There are even more eyes on the league.”
Marlin began her rugby journey in college. In 2016, the summer before her freshman year, women’s rugby sevens debuted in the Olympics and she watched, thinking the sport looked like great fun. Her college, Lafayette, had a women’s rugby team, and that was the first club she joined when she got to campus.
Women’s professional rugby is still in a developmental phase. “It’s not lost on me or any of my teammates that we are starting something new,” Marlin said. “Last year was a big transition from a really intense hobby … to that step up in competition. There was a collective understanding that we are working toward something that is bigger than any individual one of us.
“It is really hard keeping a full-time job … and still giving your all, more than you’ve ever given to the sport, in hopes that there will be another generation of players who don’t have to sacrifice as much as we have,” she added. Marlin works in administration for KIPP, a charter school network, in its New Jersey branch. There is no real break from her job, even during New York Exiles season.
“It’s one day at a time,” she said. “Every now and then, something has to give, but I have a strong drive to do what I need to do for my team.”
She is also a referee for rugby, refereeing high school and college matches. “That’s part of how I give some time to developing younger generations,” Marlin said. “We’re all relying on each other to make this work. The Exiles went to the championship last year (losing to the Denver Onyx), so we’re not looking for anything less than that this year.”
The Exiles have begun the season 0–2. Their next match is at home on Sunday against the Chicago Tempest.