USA Rugby Gets $4 Million Donation From Michele Kang After Bronze Medal Win

PARIS — Immediately after a dramatic win in the bronze-medal match against Australia at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, one of the superstars for the U.S. women’s Eagles, Ilona Maher, said she hoped “we get more money and funding for the women’s game. We deserve it. We need more girls in the US trying rugby and seeing what it can do for them.”

Within hours, her pleas were heard.

Michele Kang, owner of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit who has invested in women’s soccer globally, announced a $4 million donation to USA Rugby over the next four years ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“We are stunned and beyond grateful for this transformative gift from Michele to advance USA Women’s Rugby,” said Bill Goren, chief executive officer at USA Rugby. “This will allow us to supercharge the progression of this program as we build to climb the podium in 2028 with Gold Medal aspirations in Los Angeles.”

The U.S. win was secured as Alex Sedrick broke multiple tackles before sprinting nearly 100 meters as time expired to tie Australia at 12. Her resulting conversion gave the U.S. a 14-12 win to secure the bronze, the first Olympic medal overall for USA Rugby.

“This Eagles team, led by players like Ilona Maher and co-captains Lauren Doyle and Naya Tapper, has captivated millions of new fans, bringing unprecedented attention to the sport,” said Kang. “I am so happy to support these outstanding athletes to realize their dream in capturing the gold in Los Angeles in 2028. That work starts now. As corporate sponsors and broadcast networks increasingly see the value and enthusiasm for women’s sports, now is the moment to unlock the full potential of these incredible female athletes and inspire generations to come.”

Rugby sevens is scheduled to be at Dignity Health Sports Park at LA28 but World Rugby has been pushing behind the scenes to get into a bigger stadium, perhaps even the Los Angeles Coliseum, should any schedule adjustments be made.

“I hope it means we get more games in stadiums like this,” Maher said of the Olympic impact this summer on the sport, feelings shared by World Rugby Chief Executive Officer Alan Gilpin.

“There’s an opportunity now to have some great conversations about what rugby sevens looks like in LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 and they both seem really up for those conversations,” he said Tuesday. “We weren’t originally planned to be in the Stade de France for Paris 2024 – we’ve been huge beneficiaries of their ambitious Opening Ceremony not being in the stadium so we’ll see what we can persuade the others of.”

Gilpin said World Rugby would be open to changing the schedule for sevens at LA28, including even having the men’s and women’s medal finals on the same day.

“How do we build on what we’ve done here to make this even better for fans and players?” Gilpin said. “One of the key things is having the athletes in the middle of the Games as they have been here.”