The Battle of California is coming!
This May 7th, the Battle of California will kick off the women’s PCRL season. Northern California take on Southern California at Sunnyside High School Stadium in Fresno, with a 1pm kick off.
The South, primarily drawn from the San Diego Barracudas and Los Angeles Mongrel, will be pitted against the North, comprised of players mainly from Fresno and East Palo Alto. PCRL’s aim is that this event will provide a springboard for all clubs involved, and lead to a full league competition in the near future.
Asked about her thoughts ahead of the games, SoCal player and USA Hawks squad member Terree Okabe stated, “I’m pretty sure I speak for all California’s women league players when I say we are very excited for this match. A lot of people have been putting in a lot of work behind the scenes to get sponsors, a venue, and everything else in between for this game, to give women’s rugby players a chance to learn and showcase their skills. For many of us the last league event we participated in was the USA West Coast camp so this NorCal vs. SoCal game is highly anticipated. It’s an honor to help rugby league grow especially on the west coast through the PCRL.”
After the Battle of California, a USA Hawks selects match will kick off at 3pm, giving national head coach Ady Cooney the opportunity to see players in action as he prepares for test matches later in the year.
Northern California coach Michelle Maldonado said, “we’ve been working on this project for a long time and I’m very excited to have people in it for the growth of women’s rugby league. Our goal was to share this amazing sport with everyone, in areas that may not have the opportunity to experience it. I’m excited to see these women play their game and leave it all out on the field!”. She and the PCRL board would also like to place on record their personal thanks to Diamond Fitness Family in Fresno for all they have done to support the women in the lead up to May 7th.
PCRL chair, Southern California coach, and USAWRL Hawks head coach Ady Cooney added, “women’s rugby league is on the rise and events like the Battle of California are a testament to the commitment from PCRL to drive the growth of the women’s game. We’re excited to see the passion and determination of players from Northern and Southern California go head to head and hope this sparks a bright future for the women's PCRL league.”
We would like to thank the amazing sponsors of the PCRL women’s game - Phyre Apparel, Dab Tacos, Gossip Grill, and Deals4Less, for making this event possible!