Girls' rugby participation grows by 49% during four-year RFU project

The number of girls playing age-grade rugby at clubs in England has increased by 49% across the past four years.

The governing body for the sport in England has published a report outlining the key results from Impact ‘25, the transformational Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 legacy programme delivered by the RFU in partnership with the UK Government, Sport England and UK Sport. The programme has seen a huge increase in women’s and girls’ participation.

Over four years, Impact ’25 saw over £14.55m of government funding invested between 2022 and March 2026.

In this time, girls’ club participation grew 49%, from 18,000 to 26,800. 40,000 girls aged between 6 and 12 were introduced to rugby over the same period. Women’s participation at universities supported by funding has grown by 38%.

In total, £6.8m of Impact ’25 funding was used to improve club facilities. One of the issues that the project aimed to address was the improvement of club facilities that were not set up to accommodate the growth of women’s and girls’ rugby.

Over four years, 1,078 facilities grants were awarded to 607 clubs. Grants were used to develop or upgrade changing rooms, toilets and social spaces, improve female sanitary provisions at clubs, and make club environments more female-friendly.

Over the same period, 5,449 coach and match official courses were completed by women. A third of these courses were funded by Impact ’25. 28% of newly qualified coaches and match officials were women, up from 9% before the project.

There was also a dramatic increase in women completing advanced coaching or referee courses. Before Impact ’25, 20 women completed advanced coaching or referee courses, but during the programme, 109 women completed those courses.

Alex Teasdale, RFU 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.”

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.”