The playing field of the Hart Park stadium is marked for football games and soccer games. Rugby isn't one of the venue's typical sports, but on Oct. 25, the state's top high school girls rugby players had no problem making the field their own, from tryzone to tryzone.
Tryzone? That would be the equivalent of "endzone" for fans of American football. A "try" is rugby's main scoring play, similar to a football touchdown but worth five points. And a "conversion" kick after a try is worth another two points.
The lexicon of rugby was an afterthought for the girls on the field, 15 on each side, competing in "rucks" and "scrums" for the title of Wisconsin Girls' Rugby champion. WGR is a small but active league of teams from across the state, including the powerhouse girls team at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, which includes some players from Wauwatosa.
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"The popularity is growing with girls and our youth," said Katie McNeil, the WGR president and coach of the girls rugby team from Hamilton High School in Sussex. She credits U.S. Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher for helping to inspire excitement in the sport in recent years, though the sport is hardly new in Wisconsin. This is Wisconsin Girls' Rugby's 26th year of league play.
And this was the second time the league's tournament was hosted by Hart Park. After playing at the stadium in 2024, the teams planned to return in 2025, but that tournament had to be moved because Hart Park was in the middle of repairs from the severe flooding of August 2025.