Our funding helps grow girls' and women's rugby

A legacy programme for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 has had a transformational impact on girls’ and women’s rugby in England and beyond, with the help of our £13.6 million investment of government funding.

Impact '25 – delivered by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in partnership with UK Government, us and UK Sport – aimed to capitalise on England’s hosting of the tournament 12 months ago by creating lasting change in the community game.

And a new report published by the RFU shows the four-year programme has achieved that ambition, with around 40,000 girls being introduced to rugby and girls’ club participation increasing by 49%.

A young female rugby player is pursued by girls on the opposing team as she runs with the ball during a training game at night.

Our executive director for partnerships and place, Lisa Dodd-Mayne, is excited by the future possibilities for women and girls in grassroots rugby.

"Women’s rugby has real momentum right now, and the focus is turning that excitement into lasting opportunities for women and girls to play, coach and get involved," she said.

"Our investment, alongside programmes like Impact '25, is helping turn the inspiration of the Red Roses and the Women’s Rugby World Cup into greater participation – creating a future with more women and girls in rugby and more clubs equipped to welcome them."

What was Impact '25?

Impact '25 saw £14.55m of government funding committed to rugby in England and the home unions up to the end of March 2026, including £13.6m administered by us – taking our investment in the RFU to over £30m since 2022.

It aimed to create more opportunities for women and girls to get involved in the sport as players, coaches and match officials, and to improve facilities to support that growth.

And as the first anniversary of the Red Roses lifting the trophy in front of a capacity crowd at the Allianz Stadium approaches, the RFU’s report highlights key outcomes in those areas:

Participation

Impact '25 sought to increase the number of teenage girls playing and grow the adult playing base in universities, to help transition more female adult players into community clubs.

Through the programme:

around 40,000 girls aged 6-12 were introduced to rugby
girls’ club participation increased by 49%, from around 18,000 to 26,800 players
women’s participation at supported universities grew by 38%.

Facilities

Over the course of the programme, we awarded 1,078 grants to enable 607 clubs to make their facilities more welcoming and suitable for women and girls.

Funding was used to:

develop or upgrade changing rooms
upgrade toilets
refurbish social spaces
enhance female sanitary provisions at clubs.

The £6.8m investment into improving club facilities also drove additional funding, with clubs raising an extra £14.8m during the programme.

Coaches and match officials

Women completed 5,449 coach and match official courses during the programme; nearly a third of these were funded by Impact ’25, removing course costs as a barrier to entry.

And 28% of newly qualified coaches and match officials over the four years were women – up from 9% before the programme.

Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock said: "Being at Allianz Stadium on that historic day last summer was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had as Sports Minister – and we promised then it would be just the start. A year on, it is fantastic to see the Red Roses' legacy continuing to grow.

"As a Government, we have been proud to support the Impact '25 programme, helping rugby clubs all over the country become more welcoming and accessible, and supporting more women and girls to play the game."

Zoe Aldcroft of England lifts the Women's World Cup 2025 trophy on the pitch at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, while her team-mates celebrate on a stage bearing the word 'Champions'.

Looking ahead

During the programme’s final year, the RFU launched Every Rose: Our Time, a five-year action plan for the women’s and girls’ game.

Its ambition is to have 100,000 active female players by 2030, with 70,000 of those officially registered with clubs.

The RFU is also continuing to build on work around female health and wellbeing so women involved in the sport can thrive.

This summer it announced a landmark partnership with Women in Sport and became the first major British sport to launch a standalone anti-sexism and misogyny policy.

Alex Teasdale, the RFU’s executive director of the women’s game, said: "The moment of the Red Roses lifting the World Cup was never intended to be an end point. The ambition was to create lasting change for women and girls in rugby.

"Today, more women and girls are playing, coaching and officiating rugby than ever before. Facilities have improved, opportunities have expanded, and clubs have worked hard to create more welcoming, inclusive environments where women and girls can thrive.

"Across England, we have seen communities come together to break down barriers, challenge perceptions and open the door to a new generation of participants.

"This has been down to a huge effort from clubs, volunteers, and partners. Thank you to everyone who has dedicated so much time and energy to growing and strengthening the women’s and girls’ game.

"The RFU is committed to building on the momentum of the legacy programme. We want to keep increasing the numbers of women and girls who experience everything rugby can offer – confidence, enjoyment, skills, friendships, leadership and competition – as well as ensure they can do so in truly inclusive environments."

Four years of growth in Women’s and Girls’ rugby through Impact '25 investment