Yesterday we published the final report for Impact ’25 programme, our Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 legacy programme.
The programme was delivered by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in partnership with the UK government, Sport England and UK Sport.
Backed by £14.55 million of government investment, and driven by the incredible commitment of clubs, volunteers, coaches, match officials and players, Impact '25 has helped transform opportunities for women and girls across England.
It goes without saying that a key strand of the work was getting more women and girls into playing rugby. But that wasn’t our only focus.
We wanted to encourage and support more women to get into coaching, match official and leadership positions, and to invest in club facilities to improve the experiences for women and girls involved in rugby.
We also aimed to use the opportunity of the World Cup to connect communities and welcome new fans to the sport we love and to support the development of high-performance pathways in Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
We wanted to transform the sport for women and girls.
Around 40,000 girls aged six to 12 were introduced to rugby.
Girls' club participation has increased by 49%, growing from around 18,000 to 26,800 players, and women's participation at supported universities has risen by 38%.
More than 5,400 coaching and match official courses have been completed by women, with nearly a third funded through Impact '25.
Women now account for 28% of newly qualified coaches and match officials, compared to just 9% before the programme, and the number completing advanced coaching and refereeing qualifications has increased more than five-fold.
Thanks to the programme, 607 clubs received 1,078 facility grants between them.
These grants were used to develop or upgrade changing rooms, upgrade toilets, refurbish social spaces, enhance female sanitary provisions at clubs, or to make other improvements that could create a more female-friendly club environment.
These things really matter as they directly impact the experiences of women and girls involved in the sport and their sense of belonging.
We also aimed to use the opportunity of the World Cup to connect communities and welcome new fans to the sport we love and to support the development of high-performance pathways in Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
There is a huge amount to celebrate with Impact ’25. But we can’t stop there.
Through Every Rose: Our Time, the RFU's five-year action plan published shortly after last year’s Women’s World Cup, we set an ambitious target of reaching 100,000 active female players by 2030, including 70,000 club-registered players.
Last year, almost 48,000 women and girls were playing at rugby clubs across England, and now schools, colleges and universities will play a critical role in reaching that ambition in the next four years.
Our growing workforce across the education sector is introducing more young people to the game through T1 Rugby, an accessible non-contact format that retains the unique characteristics of rugby union while providing an easy entry point into the sport.
Partnerships with organisations such as Scouts and Guides are helping us reach new audiences, while the growth in girls' and women's sections at rugby clubs means there are now more opportunities than ever for participants to continue their rugby journey.
Alongside participation growth, we are committed to ensuring women and girls can thrive in the game.
And our work on female health and wellbeing continues to develop.
This summer we announced a landmark partnership with Women in Sport and became the first major British sport to launch a standalone anti-sexism and misogyny policy, part of a broader commitment to making rugby safer, more inclusive and more welcoming.
The success of Impact '25, and what’s been happening since, demonstrate what can be achieved when different organisations and the wider community game come together behind a shared vision to drive the women’s and girls’ games forward.
We’re hugely grateful to Sport England for their involvement in Impact ’25 and value their ongoing support.
There remains huge potential in women’s and girls’ rugby, and we must not take our foot off the pedal.