Beyond the jersey: Erica Legaspi builds pathway for Filipina rugby

“What am I doing?” It’s a question Erica Legaspi sometimes asks herself during the three-hour round trip home from rugby training. A member of the Philippine women’s rugby team, Legaspi already has enough on her plate as an athlete. Yet alongside training and competition, she has spent the last several years helping build something much larger than herself. As a co-founder of the Magandaquins, Legaspi has spent years building a community that offers mixed-race and overseas Filipinas a way to reconnect with their heritage through sport. The name combines the Tagalog word “maganda” (beautiful) with rugby terminology, reflecting the program’s Filipina roots. What began as an effort to bring people together has since evolved into a support system, a legitimate pathway to the national team, and even a family. Before helping other Filipinas find their place through rugby, Legaspi was navigating her own identity as a Filipino-American. Born and raised in the United States to parents who immigrated from the Philippines, she was primarily raised by her mother and longed for the sense of community she imagined came with her heritage. Playing rugby since 2007, Erica tried out for the Philippine Volcanoes in 2019 through a Facebook recruitment post. Her quest to explore her untapped physical and competitive potential eventually became an unexpected bridge to her Filipino roots. Legaspi suddenly found herself surrounded by a community of other Filipinos she had long been searching for. “It sounds cheesy, but I am so proud to be Filipino,” Legaspi said. “I loved being on a team with that many other Filipinos. I’d never had that experience before.” PODIUM. Erica Legaspi (fourth from right) and the Philippine women’s rugby team celebrate during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games after bagging the silver medal. Photo courtesy of the Philippine Rugby Football Union The experience stayed with her. For the first time, Legaspi felt connected to a community of Filipinos who shared both her heritage and passion for rugby. But she soon realized many other Filipina players living abroad did not have the same opportunity. While the Philippine national team provided a pathway for a select group of athletes, there was no dedicated space where diaspora and mixed-race Filipinas could connect with one another, explore their heritage, and learn more about opportunities in Philippine rugby. Together with fellow players Lauryn Nazareno, Lora Mateo, and Vanessa Cifuentes, Legaspi helped launch the Magandaquins, creating a community where Filipinas from North America could find that connection through the sport. FOUNDERS. Erica Legaspi (from left) Lauryn Nazareno, Vanessa Cifuentes, and Lora Mateo co-founded Magandaquins, an international Filipina-heritage rugby program which has since grown into a global community and pathway to the Philippine women’s rugby team. Photo courtesy of Erica Legaspi A small effort among a handful of players has since expanded far beyond what its founders originally envisioned. Since its founding, the Magandaquins has grown into an international Filipina-heritage rugby program with more than 50 registered players across four continents. The roster includes players from the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Eighteen players from the North American chapter have earned official caps for the Volcanoes after coming through the Magandaquins system. While members train locally through regional chapters, they come together throughout the year for international tournaments and rugby festivals. CHAMPS. Magandaquins players Patricia Mandon, Lora Mateo, Vanessa Cifuentes, and Lauryn Nazareno celebrate after winning gold at the Asia Rugby Trophy Series. Photo courtesy of the Magandaquins Facebook page As interest in the Magandaquins grew, Legaspi began hearing from players who wanted to learn more about their Filipino heritage, explore opportunities in rugby, or simply find a community of women who shared similar experiences. “We started asking people why they wanted to be involved and what their connection to the Philippines was,” Legaspi said. For Legaspi, some of the clearest signs of the Magandaquins’ impact came away from the rugby field. After suffering a serious knee injury herself in 2023, she was asked to reach out to another player whose rugby future suddenly seemed uncertain. “Someone was like, ‘Hey, you should reach out to this girl because I think her career might be over for rugby, or at least she’s not doing well mentally,'” Legaspi recalled. The conversations began with rehabilitation and recovery. Legaspi shared her own experience navigating months away from the sport and the emotional toll that came with it. “There are a lot of dark days and you have to just push through each and every one of them,” she said. Over time, the relationship grew beyond rugby. They exchanged recommendations for books and television shows and continued talking even after the player returned to competition. Legaspi said it was one of the moments that confirmed the Magandaquins had become more than a rugby program. “Just to be able to be there for her felt very impactful because I wouldn’t have met her if it wasn’t for the Magandaquins,” she shared. HAPPY TUMMY. Erica Legaspi (right most) and her Magandaquins teammates have built a strong bond off the field. Maintaining an international community spread across four continents requires constant work behind the scenes. Aside from her responsibilities as a national team athlete, Legaspi helps coordinate community activities, connect with players from different countries, and think about how the organization can continue to grow. Combined with training and work, the schedule can be difficult to manage. “Do I get enough sleep? No,” she said with a laugh. The commitment also comes with financial sacrifices. Like many rugby players, Legaspi often shoulders the costs of travel, accommodations, and training. “You have to pay to get over to the Philippines, and when you’re not in the camp itself, you pay for your accommodations as well,” she said. What surprised Legaspi most was how much the experience changed her. “I think it’s built more of my confidence in being able to lead others,” she said. “For the most part, I like to be a background player.” Running the Magandaquins forced her to step into a leadership role she never expected to occupy. “It’s given me a large sense of pride in terms of knowing that I can help give a voice to others, not even just Filipino women, but even Asian women in rugby,” she said. The experience opened doors beyond the Magandaquins. Legaspi later volunteered as a team liaison officer for the USA Women’s rugby team, a stint that gave her a behind-the-scenes look at how elite programs operate. “I don’t think I would have had the confidence to even put my name to be a volunteer for these things if it weren’t for Magandaquins in general,” she said. “It’s like you can take control. You can be a leader.” “But at the end of the day, I have to realize this isn’t for me in terms of these opportunities,” Legaspi said. “These are for other people.” Asked what she hopes younger Filipino athletes take away from her story, her answer was simple: “That they can do it too, and they can even do it better.” SQUAD. Members of the Magandaquins, including co-founder Erica Legaspi (left most, top row), gather for a group photo. Acknowledging that the Magandaquins has grown beyond its founders, she hopes more players will eventually step into leadership roles of their own. “To be able to do something and create a stronger foundation for others to get into these roles and lead other women is what I’d love to see this program do,” she said. “I am very proud to be a part of it, but it is not my program. I want other people to feel empowered to want to do the work as well.” For Legaspi, the goal was never simply to build a rugby program. It was to make sure other Filipinas could find the same sense of belonging she once spent years searching for. “If I said my goal was to leave the jersey in a better place than where I found it, I need to do this work,” she said. – Rappler.com