Updated April 1, 2025 at 10 a.m.
Amy Spafford has been playing rugby at Glendale’s Infinity Park for years. But for years, her team was relegated to astroturf up the hill from the facility’s premier field. Her old team, the Colorado Gray Wolves, were part of an amateur league; players had to pay dues to participate, and they couldn’t scrum on the lawn.
All that has changed.
On Saturday, Spafford returned to Glendale under the pink and black banner of the new Denver Onyx rugby club. She and her teammates dominated San Francisco’s Bay Breakers 63-7, and they did it on the grass.
“Having this be our first game, I think that it's pride to be able to say that this is our field, this is our town, and we've worked really, really hard,” Spafford said after the win. “To be able to play in this stadium and win in this stadium with all of these people that came to support us is a really big deal.”
The Onyx is the metro’s newest pro team, and it’s part of a broader movement.
It’s one of six clubs in the nation’s new Women’s Elite Rugby league, which grew out of the amateur league that once included the Gray Wolves. Players are still unpaid, but the organization covers expenses like travel, gear and medical staff.
This inaugural season kicks off during a surge of interest and investment in pro women’s sports leagues, both here and across the country. A yet-unnamed new women’s soccer team has announced plans for a stadium at the edge of Baker and facilities in Centennial. There’s also been a concerted effort to bring the WNBA to Colorado.
Fans say the metro is primed for this moment, filled with people hungry to see these athletes play. They proved it on Saturday, as Infinity Field filled with spectators.
“The crowd was unreal. It was fantastic,” Onyx player Julie Tordonato said after it was over. “It sets the tone, and that was a banger, so now we just have to keep up the momentum.”
The new league is setting a fire for the next generation.
Many of the cheering fans Saturday play rugby themselves, like a group of teenagers who came wearing hot-pink shades to match the home team.
Jordan Sawyer, a Glendale High School junior, said Women’s Elite Rugby has given her something to strive for. She’s hoping the sport will take her around the world.
“We're super hyped to be here,” she told us. “It’s exciting to see where we could potentially be in the future.”
Meg Clarke, an organizer for the national Girls Rugby organization, said the 100 kids they work with across the metro have been feeling that, too. Many of them signed up to buddy up with players during Onyx games.
“The girls are so thrilled to be able to see there is a future for rugby for them. They want to keep playing,” Clarke said. “We're a part of that movement, and we want to see women's sports succeed.”
To that end, Sawyer and her friends said they didn’t care much whether or not the Onyx won this match. The fact that it was happening was a victory in and of itself.
“No, not at all,” she said. “But we don't have to worry about that. They're going to win.”
Editor's note: This article was updated to correct the spelling of Amy Spafford's last name.
