The time is now for American women’s rugby to build on its Olympic momentum according to dual-format star Alev Kelter.

The experienced 33-year-old was part of the USA team that won bronze in rugby sevens in Paris this summer, shocking heavyweights and gold-medal contenders Australia to do so.

In Ilona Maher, the sevens team have the most-followed rugby player on the planet on social media – with the viral superstar having since done the rounds on the late night television circuit before competing on Dancing with the Stars.

As well as Maher’s emergence, there has been a promise of increased funding, with $4m committed by Korean-American businesswoman Michele Kang.

Kelter has noticed a sea change in the interest in rugby in the country, and insists that the momentum must be seized upon with the development of a thriving domestic league crucial if the USA is to compete in 15s as well as 7s.

She said: “You can see the mentality shifting. The support has been immense. The excitement to play around rugby, we have people writing to us to say that we usually have 10-15 people who want to play, now we have 30-50 in training.

“The time is now to invest in it (a league). It’s going to take some different iterations and we’re not afraid of that. We saw the soccer league fold a couple of times and the women’s hockey league is doing amazing, so there are different platforms we can use to help guide us. But the biggest thing is investment and having the proper resources for our athletes and player welfare.”

As it stands, the best American players a plying their trade overseas, notably in England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Kelter has just joined Loughborough Lightning, linking up with fiancée Kathryn Treder, to whom she proposed.

The pair are currently in Canada, competing in WXV with the American national 15s team. After an opening defeat to England, the USA will take on France in their second game.

That means games against the two teams with the most structured leagues currently in place, and Kelter believes that for an American league to succeed, it is important to start small.

She explained: “What I think we need to be successful is to have very competitive, a smaller unit. Instead of spreading it out broadly, we need to have four competitive teams and build from that. I think six might be a lot, we need something Stateside to make sure we are also growing and giving back.

“Every time we come home, we give something back to our clubs. If we could keep building that competitiveness and the funding, that is what is what it would take to bring us all back home. We’re not losing the competitive edge, and we have the proper support and funding and personnel. We need all the resources available for us to be successful and for us to be safe.”