[2][3][4] The campaign led to a board of directors being formed in mid-2023 to establish a for-profit professional league,[4][5] to capitalize on the perceived rise of professional women's sports, and both the 2028 Olympic rugby sevens tournament and 2033 Women's Rugby World Cup to be hosted in the United States.

[11] In the months leading up to the start of their inaugural season in March 2025,[13][14] the league promoted its launch with publicized unveilings of each team's brandings, co-designed by the league and British advertising agency Matta;[15][16] head coaches; and first five signings, referred to as the teams' "Foundational Five".

[17][18] Women's Elite Rugby's president is former rugby sevens national team player Jessica Hammond-Graf, and its vice president is Department of Justice legal historian and information specialist Katherine Aversano,[2][19][20] while former Dallas Jackals general manager Phil Camm is its executive adviser.

[11] Stacy Carone, Koma Gandy, Jenny Houlihan, and Hallie Martin also sit on the league's board of directors alongside Hammond-Graf and Aversano.

[21][24] Each team is run by investor-operators with shares in the WER itself, with the league itself retaining a degree of control over the recruitment of players and personnel.