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The Rugby Football Union has committed to maintaining momentum by introducing a five-year strategy designed to build on the success of the Red Roses' Women’s Rugby World Cup win.

Key Goals of the Strategy

Named Every Rose: Our Time, the plan sets out several bold goals, such as aiming to be the inaugural England team to claim back-to-back global tournament wins.

A further primary goal is to boost participation to 100,000 women and girls playing rugby around the country by the end of the decade, currently standing at the present number of sixty thousand.

Revenue and Fan Base Ambitions

English rugby’s governing body is also aiming to increase twofold its earnings from the female rugby to sixty million pounds, enabling increased funding in grassroots the game.

Moreover, the strategy includes a objective of attracting 3m dedicated Red Roses fans.

“The pressures have never been greater,” stated Alex Teasdale, the executive director of the women’s game. “The chance has never been bigger, but inaction is unacceptable because the wheels are now fully in motion.”

Building a Legacy for the Women's Game

She emphasized that female rugby has made huge strides since she started at the rugby union in 2011, when there were merely twelve thousand five hundred registered players.

Teasdale remembered that at certain clubs, while women weren’t stopped, they certainly weren’t welcomed as well.

Despite the developments made, she asserted that additional effort is needed to strengthen the sport, even during a cost of living crisis.

Unprecedented Achievement and Forward-looking Aspirations

“Recently, we witnessed an extraordinary achievement as 82,000 fans flooded through the gates at the arena to see our Red Roses secure the 2025 Rugby World Cup,” she remarked.

“Planning for the future to 2030, we want to sustain this drive alive.”

Obstacles and Opportunities

Teasdale continued that the body operates in an context where funds are scarce, which can create tough discussions.

“Ambitious strategies, notably for the female rugby, naturally question the current situation,” she commented. “But the truth is obvious: the long-term prospects of the sport relies on the female rugby.”

Audience Growth and Future Focus

Additionally, the head of the rugby union, the chief executive, noted that of the 400,000 attendees who were present at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, nearly a third had not previously attended a game before.

“Possibly the data point that genuinely enthuses us is that the vast majority indicated they would like to return and repeat the experience,” he commented. “Yet we must not become complacent. We have to keep our foot on the gas.”