Ilona Maher, and “Dancing With the Stars” runner-up, has waltzed herself over to the United Kingdom to play for the Bristol Bears. Maher announced the move on her TikTok account Monday, Dec. 2 after months of speculation as to whether she might join the Premiership Women’s Rugby league. Rumors began to circulate in October that she was in talks with the Bristol or Gloucester teams, but the season started while Maher was competing on the popular reality series “Dancing With the Stars.” The show, which films in Los Angeles, ended Nov. 26 with Maher — and her partner, Alan Bersten — . She added to the speculation that her playing career was headed across the pond when she posted the weekend before her announcement from an airport on her way to London. But Maher finally put the rumors to rest in on her social media, saying, “The Eagle has landed.” “I’m looking forward to calling Bristol home as we gear up for the Rugby World Cup 2025 played here in England,” Maher said. She went on to ask if she could “get a roast” after filming the video, joking that it was a big reason she was there. Bears head coach Dave Ward described Maher’s signing as a “coup” in a Dec. 2, adding that her style offers the team “a new dimension.” “She is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will add real value to our programme on and off the field,” Ward said. According to the team, Maher will train with the Bears before spending the holidays in the U.S. and is set to return for a three-month deal starting in January. The league final is scheduled for mid-March. Maher has amassed more than 3 million TikTok followers and another 4 million on Instagram. The 28-year-old athlete in 2021, posting hilarious TikToks from the Olympic Village as the COVID-19 pandemic restricted fans and family members from in-person spectating. Her star has only brightened since the Tokyo Games, as Maher was part of the 2024 Paris Olympics team that brought the U.S. its first rugby title in 100 years. Fans diligently followed her posts this summer. The U.S. women’s team , the furthest the team has ever gotten at the Games. Upon returning home, Maher took on yet another challenge by joining “Dancing With the Stars.” She described it as a show she used to watch with her family and something that was outside her comfort zone. “I think I’m also doing it again to show that rugby players are so multidimensional,” Maher told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in September. “We go out there on the field and we’re beasts, but I can be a beauty, I can dance, I can do all these things.” Throughout the competition, Maher occasionally struggled, and at one point even But fans praised the Olympian for her vulnerability and determination, voting for her week after week. She also became the first female celebrity on the show to lift her partner in a dance. Maher’s followers were thrilled to hear the news that she’s joining the Bears, and among those cheering her on were her “DWTS” cast mates. “Let’s go!!!!!!! I’m so proud of you. And can’t wait to see you kill it,” Bersten commented on . The Premiership Women’s Rugby league is going to be a slight change in format from what many are used to seeing Maher play in. She typically plays rugby sevens — with seven players per team, as is the style at the Olympics — but the league plays 15s, with 15 players per team. The 15s not only has more players, but the matches are also significantly longer. The smaller squad is on the field for two 7-minute halves, whereas the traditional rugby 15s is played in two 40-minute intervals.As U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher looked ahead to the next Women's World Cup in 2027, she calculated what that would look like at her age. Now 36, she already has a World Cup title and won an Olympic gold medal this year in France. She considered the mental, physical and emotional toll of a new cycle and decided it was time to step away . “Honestly, I think I’ve been somebody that has given everything I’ve had to this team. I don’t do anything halfway. It’s kind of, if you can give 100% to it, then keep going," she said. “With that in mind, I kind of just felt like this was the right time coming off of the Olympics, having the year that we had, entering into a new cycle, a new stage for this team.” Naeher is the latest veteran to announce she's stepping down from the national team as the next generation takes over under coach Emma Hayes. Among those who have wrapped up their soccer careers in the past couple of years include World Cup winners Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Kelley O'Hara and Ali Krieger. Naeher will be with the team for two more matches in the coming week. The Americans play England at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and then the Netherlands in The Hague on Tuesday. Naeher said she's excited about the next generation of goalkeepers. In addition to Naeher, Mandy Haught of the Utah Royals and Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United are on the roster for the upcoming matches. Other goalkeepers who have been on recent rosters include Casey Murphy and Jane Campbell. “I think the beauty of goalkeeping is that it’s not really a one-size-fits-all kind of position," she said. "The more that you can understand — that's going to be the challenge any young goalkeeper coming up, is really taking the time to understand what your strengths are and make them really, really elite and separate yourself.” Naeher spoke on Wednesday from London after announcing her retirement on social media Monday . Naeher made her senior debut with the national team in 2014 and was a backup to Hope Solo at the 2015 World Cup, which the United States won. She became the team’s regular starter following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and was on the squad that repeated as World Cup winners in 2019. Naeher won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before the U.S. earned gold this year in Paris. She made a key one-handed save in stoppage time to preserve the Americans’ 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Olympic final. For her career, Naeher has appeared 113 games with 110 starts, 88 wins and 68 shutouts. She had four shutouts over the course of the Olympic tournament in France. While she's leaving the national team, she'll play one more year for her club team, the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League. “I hope that I can be remembered as a good teammate, as a competitor, as somebody that was looked on as someone that could be relied upon on the field and supported those players around me,” she said. “I think it’s just been a really special team to be a part of. And I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the years.” AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerNone
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